Thingorjus

I wonder what your close friend has to say about that other time-honoured aspect of Roman culture, the vomitorium. : - )

As for your English auntie, I'm surprised she had such contempt for those 'below stairs' considering that none other than the server, he whose jurisdiction over the apple compote should never be questioned, came from that region of the household.

Ira, you know you're only offering me your chocolate mousse because you have your eye on my raspberry gateau. : - )

Those last two posts deserve to be reserected! How I have missed Thin's stories!
Suexxyy - vomitorium? That's a Roman custom not much read about in Zagat or Mich.

Calamari

I was having Thin on.

According to a friend who studied the classics, while 'vomitorium' is a genuine Latin word, it refers only to the wide passages leading from (or to) an amphitheatre. I guess the people were seen to stream forth through these passages like....never mind.

Anyway, somewhere along the line, somebody (probably a British schoolboy, as Thin says he was once) or possibly Aldous Huxley) spoofed this idea, and suggested that a 'vomitorium' was a special room set aside by the ancient Romans for the purpose of purging during times of excessive eating and drinking.

The thing is, according to said friend , the ancient Roman author, 'Seneca' actually did report that his contemporaries practiced binge-purging (albeit not in a special room) during times of excessive eating and drinking. Hey, maybe they didn't want to offend the host by sharing a meal? ;)

Either way, I think this illustrates there's 'rude' ....and then there's rude, where the (ancient) Romans were concerned....

Every respectable Roman house had a vomitorium , which was an open space in the courtyard, with a fountain or a wishing well in the middle.The guests always carried with them a little silver or other metal spoon, and they used it to regurgitate their food.. and if that was not available, then a slave used a feather and helped his master to accomplish that action.

Sounds like Hollywood and L.A.!!! LOL

An upper-class meal in Ancient Rome lasted 4-5 hours. You needed to purge to get through it. The custom was not only polite but a way to honor the Gods for providing such wealth and bounty.

I've never understood nibblers and thank goodness none of my friends are. When I go out to dinner I'm hungry. Don't even think about asking me to share anything. It would never occur to me to go into a restaurant with a friend, take a seat, and order one dish of everything and share. What tacky, selfish behavior. I'd go get pizza, a sandwich, or a piece of pastry instead. Why even entertain the possibility of insulting a restaurant owner or staff? I don't get people who think that just because they pay for something they then have a right to behave any way that pleases them. Selfish, selfish, shellfish. Ooops, I think I'm hungry now.

carnie ((D))

carnie, I love it when you get really judgemental and start throwing out all those "hot button" words like tacky and selfish.

But, to get to the point, if you are NOT going to finish that expensive dinner, can I discreetly abscond with a couple of forkfuls? I'll do it when the restaurant staff is distracted over some dumb selfish ignorant no-manners-forgot-to-listen-to-the-Catholic-sisters jerks blissfully sharing a pizza at another table!

Degas, I have 9 siblings, all older. You bet I'm judgmental. It comes with the scar tissue. I'm sure you and others know that all "restaurants" are not created equal. I was giving 99.9% of fodors' readers the benefit of common sense. Certainly, if the place is casual enough, like any American greasy-spoon joint, nobody should care about customer sharing. My reply above pertains specifically to any restaurant that might care about this issue. A thoughtful customer will make the appropriate choice and know which is which.

Also, if a party of two orders a shared appetizer, two entrees, and a shared dessert, I seriously doubt any caliber restaurant will take issue. Btw, I love tasting what everyone else orders and I have no problem letting fellow diners taste mine, even though, secretly, I want it all to myself. I love to eat.

carnie ((D))

Carnie. You could be my new best friend. I dumped my old one when she asked if we could "split" an entree the other day. Honestly, just when you think you know someone. I too like to sample everyone elses dishes, but I do not share. My friends just accept me the way I am.

I haven't been to Italy. But my friend and I once went to an Italian restaurant close to home that seems pretty authentic. When the waiter found out we were planning to share, he told us we had to leave. I haven't had that happen before or since, so it's not like we have a history of being thrown out. We weren't offended - we just went to a different non-Italian place on Commercial Drive (in Vancouver).

Today I was walking past an Italian restaurant that had a special consisting of: 1) one of 20 different pasta choices 2) garlic bread 3) gelato
for $9.95 (Canadian). By reputation, the pasta servings are huge. The advertisement specifically said -
Sharing? Fuhgedaboutit!

I would gather from my local experience that sharing at Italian restaurants is more of a hot-button issue than it is at other restaurants.

"sharing" might not be rude but it sure is Cheap. Sounds like a HomeTown Buffet trick.

I don't think that ordering the amount of food you can comfortably eat is cheap; it's just sensible.

Maybe restaurants that don't want sharers for cost reasons could institute a minimum per-table charge. However, if they just prefer not to allow sharing, that's their right, of course. It's much nicer if they make this clear up front (like the restaurant I mentioned did).

Calamari, did you use a secret trap-door to "lose" your best friend when she had the unmitigated nerve to suggest splitting an entree? Do you warn them ahead of time or just "drop" it on them as an amusing lunchtime activity?

Degas

The ancient Romans had just such a room to get rid of such 'friends.' It was called a 'dropitorium'.....

Now, will that be a bite of my pizza, or your life? :))

Sue_xx_yy, of all the things I've read by you (some I just scratched my head and never understood) this was the most funny. Thanks for the laugh.

Sue_xx_yy, good one. You know I'll never be able to snatch an uneaten American Fry or high calorie dessert without thinking of your clever new "Term".

Sue with the extra chromosomes, in the UK the upper class does not bicker with servants in public. My Aunt Gemma didn't care about questioning the waiter, she thought it extremely rude to be causing a fuss in public. Changing the menu around shows you care a little too much, which is a no-no amongst the aristocracy. Ennui is the rule of the day. You Yanks would never understand. Blimey.

The "UK, upper class, aristocracy." Is ThinGorjus referring to the art thieves?

Degas - No, they must sit in a spring loaded chair. This is why I always request outside seating.