ARHIVELE OLTENIEI - Universitatea din Craiova

24Marin Tomawhat they understood by cleanliness is more similar to the word purity as theelegance of the manners.In those years people thought about filthiness, greedy and agitation to bea lack of consideration to all who were sitting at the table. It was forbidden, as adefiance of the good manners, to bring the food to your mouth using the knifebut it was a habit to use him to offer your neighbors the cheese cut to pieces 3 .Another example: the fork was used in order to take almost all the foodbut was considered to be inappropriate for handling the olives. They were to betaken with the spoon, whilst the nuts were eaten using the fingers. From the 18 thcentury it wasn’t necessary to cut the bread but only to break it.The medieval writings tell us that those people who served the foodwere very careful and they had specific orders not to collect the rests remainedfrom the meal in front of the guests because they might feel offended. On theother hand, if you want to use your spoon to take some food from a commonplate you must clean it first if you used it before. Everyone at a table must bevery careful not to stain the napkin because a very filthy one might makesomeone feel bad or make him nausea.But it is more to be told about how a meal took place 4-5 centuries ago.Kings and nobility used that protocol to show their power and authority. TheRomanian people posses from the 16 th century a book known as “The teachingsof Neagoe Basarab written to his son Theodosie” 4 .This book is very similar to Machiavelli’s “Prince”, but it is more thansome pages with advice about republics, it is a masterpiece of knowledgedescribing how a prince of Valachia must be in order to rule an orthodoxcountry. It is hard for someone not orthodox to understand these moral anddiplomatic way of life.In one of his chapters, the author (not very well known, unfortunately),says it’s normal for the Goodman to eat among his best boyards. Thesemeetings were an opportunity of great joy and the prince alone was the one whohad to make sure that no matter how drunk his nobles were, he remains with hisclear head and will 5 .To delight us, the author of the book says that not the people who drink,eat or make jokes put him in charge of the country, God did. So the king must dothe God’s will not the one of his nobles. And then we are told what shamefulthings happen to a drunken prince. It is a good advice for every person that gives ameal to let the people invited to sit how they want. By moving them as you wantand divide them in people you like and whom you don’t like is going to make thelast of them either sad or disappointed either with great anger towards you. Causethe heart of a man is like glass. Once broken, it is impossible to repair 6 .3 Ibidem, p. 328.4 Învăţăturile lui Neagoe Basarab către fiul său Theodosie, trad. de G. Mihăilă,Bucureşti, Editura Minerva, 1970, p. 258-265.5 Ibidem.6 Ibidem.