The Setting of a Dinner Party in Europe during Medieval Age

The dinner would take place during the medieval ages. This would be a time when society would be dominated by monarchical and feudal systems of leadership. Hence, the subjects of the kingdom would confine in one place for celebrations. The dinner party would be a crucial time for the attendees to discuss issues that were not business as usual. The dinner party would take place at the end of the year when the kingdom is not busy with its activities and are enjoying their returns from their work of the whole year. The dinner party would be set in London, England. London happened to be the central location for the kingdom; hence, the lords from different locations would find it convenient to meet at London for the set dinner party. The historical setting would be convenient for every lord to attend the party and get to interact in a friendly manner.

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The diners or attendees of the party would be the King, the queen, and the lords. It would be a dinner party for people holding high places within the kingdom. The particular diners would attend with their family members including wives. However, only the king's family would be allowed into the dinner while the rest of the officials can only visit alone without their families. The dinner party is expected to include an approximate of a hundred diners. The dinner party would be a royal one with invites-only; the members who serve in high places within the kingdom. The dinner party would be guarded by the royal guards and priority would be given to the king, the queen, and their children. The dinner party would be held yearly to enable the top member in the kingdom to meet in non-official events.

The relationship between the diners is that they are all leaders within the kingdom. The lords oversee most of the activities within the kingdom. Although the king is the supreme ruler of the people, the king gives the orders in the kingdom. As such, the diners are all leaders within the kingdom overseeing the life and activities of the peasants. The king would be the most important figure in the party, and much respect would be given to him throughout the occasion. One of the lords would facilitate the party by giving a speech. However, once the dinner party would commence, it would be eating and drinking until the next morning. As a royal dinner party, the members would have the freedom to spend the night and go back to their homes in the following day.

Concerning the menu, there would be lots of foods including pork, fish, beef, vegetables, and poultry. Bread would also be served in the party. The food products would also be spiced as the practice was common in families which held leadership positions. The variety of foods would ensure that each diner chooses the foods they prefer. Concerning the drinks, there would be wine and ale for the king and the lords. During the dinner time, the food would be served together with the wine and ale. However, there would be plenty of drinks after the diners finished eating. The servants or the cooks in the dinner party would have to come from the ones from the palace or to be vetted by the guards before they serve in the party.

The cooks would have to be experienced on how to prepare foods that impress the king and the lords. They would have to understand the preference for certain food products and how to spice them. Since the dinner party would begin at around seven in the evening, the cooks would be required to prepare the food earlier and make it ready before the guests arrive. However, preparation would not be too early to ensure that food does not get cold. However, the preparations would continue even during the party to ensure that the diners eat to stupor. The cooks would also do the serving by presenting the food to the dinner location. The cooks would not be in the dinner location but would be summoned by the guards whenever the diners require any assistance. Although the cooks would carry out most of the preparation activities including stew, the diners would roast beef and eat it with wine.

The cooks or the servants would be responsible for setting the party location; they would clean the room before the diners could arrive. The lighting would be through fire made out of wood as well as lamps. The servants had to be ready to serve throughout the night. Also, some servant women or peasants would have to arrive at the party later on to entertain the lords and the king throughout the night. Dancing to music was one of the entertainment means in such royal parties. There would be no set time when the dining could end; hence the diners would continue to roast beef and pork to eat throughout the night. Wine and ales would be in plenty to ensure every attendee was satisfied. The cooks, the entertainers, and the guards had to stay with the lords and the king until the end of the party.

The diners would eat in a round table made of wood and precious metals such as gold. In high places, the lords and the king would have precious metals at their expose. On the other hand, the utensils would include silver bowls. As for the wine cups, they were made mostly copper metals. The diners would eat using their hands as there were no spoons during the time. The dining area was enclosed in a room with wooden walls. The dining location was different from the king's palace as it involved most the lords from different places. The party began through the slaughtering of a goat as an offering to their gods. The diners interacted freely as the party was friendly. Since the party was to go on until morning, the king's family, the queen, and the children could leave at their pleasure.

All would have to sit down on the floor. The dining tables were short enough to ensure that people could eat without any stress. Even though the king would always sit on a chair made of gold and silver, the dinner party which would not at the palace required that he had to sit down with the lords. However, the king's place was elevated and covered with silk linens. The tables would not be covered; however, the king's place would be covered with linen to signify that he held a high position in society. The room would also be decorated using silk linen cloth of different colors.

Explanation

In the dinner party, aspects of social stratification are evident. First, the involvement of the lords and the king's family proves that the society has social classes composed of the rich as well as the working class. Social stratification began a long time ago even in the medieval ages. The kings and the lords held high power in society and controlled the proceedings in the society. An essential aspect of society was the fact that social classes common in the feudal system. The classes could not rise, but rather, the economic situation of an individual was dependent on the financial status of the people. Therefore, the classification of the society in terms is portrayed by the fact that the party involved lords and the kings.

Another aspect that portrays real social classes is the recognition of the king in the dinner setting. The elevation of the king's place proves that he was the most recognizable figure in society. His place would be elevated. Moreover, he had the freedom to bring his family to the party which portrays that he had the real power within the feudal system. The party was comprised of the rulers of the kingdom depending on the positions that the attendees had. Also, the presence of the guards proves that they are important figures in the society to deserve protection from the guards. It meant that the kingdom required their rule to thrive. As such, there is the portrayal of real social power in Europe in the medieval age.

The presence of cooks and servants signifies social stratification comprising of peasants or the working class. The particular class had the responsibility to work in a bid to earn a living either through currency or provision of a few precious metals. The servants or the cooks were usually from the lowest classes in society. As such, the presence of the particular servants at the dinner party signifies the prevalence of social stratification in society. The lords and the kings of the medieval time required to be served by the people from the lower class as a contribution to the kingdom. The particular social classes were real and signified a feudal system whereby allegiance of the people was to the kingdom. Therefore, the cooks and the servants served in the dinner party as a show of how the community was stratified into classes.

The precious metals available in the dinner party portray social class well. The gold metal used to erect the table portrayed how the upper class had access to quality and precious metals. In the medieval era, the people in the upper class could possess the precious materials as compared to the lower and working class. The possession of precious material of an individual was dependent on the social class that people held. The dinner party contained precious metals in the form of furniture as well as utensils portraying the possessions within the society which reflected their social possessions. In the medieval era, the evaluation of wealth and possessions was dependent on the possessions that one had. For one to belong to a particular class, they had to possess a certain amount of precious materials.

The materials used in the dinner party also show the resources of the community. The resources reflected the possessions of the diners in the community. The lords and the kings of the medieval era in Europe possessed the precious material, which shows that the availability of class and the wealth that the people or a community possessed. Resources in the form of precious metals signified how a community or an individual was endowed. The members of the community did not have a common currency; however, the metals and the ruins that the people obtained during battles were the primary aspects used to evaluate people's possessions. Gold and silver were rare materials during the medieval age. As such, the diners held power and had the financial capability to afford the furniture and the utensils with made with the precious metal.

Also, in the medieval ages, cutlery such as forks, spoons, and table knives was not common; hence, it was usual for the people to people to eat using their hands. This was the reason as to why the bowls and cups were the only cutleries used at the dinner party. The reason as to why the spoons and forks were not common was because the blacksmiths were not making the particular utensils for the population. If the trend had been common, the people would have had the resources available as their social rank enabled them to own most of the materials and products in the community. The lords and the king in the medieval times were among the wealthy in Europe who possessed most of the cutlery, furniture, and precious metals that the peasants could not afford.

Concerning the food products, the diet reflected the possessions that a particular class had. In the dinner party, the diners were served with pork, poultry, fish, and beef. The particular products were regarded as expensive in the community. The availability of wine and ales was to the middle of the upper class in society. Moreover, the spicing of food was only common among the rich and the wealthy and not in the homes of peasants to the working class. As such, the dinner setting portrayed class and power. The resources within a community in the medieval period influenced the diet of the people. Meat food was mostly used during festivities. In the dinner party, the cost of the food products did not affect their choices concerning food as they were concerned about their satisfaction rather than expenditure.

The essential aspect of festivities or celebrations in the...