R
Roman
The by Will Fox, summit
S
Rchool
F
Rood
C vs. cafeteria
The Romans did not have the food that we eat today. Unfortunately, there were no Chick-fil-a sandwiches or Cane’ s. The middle-class Romans would commonly eat porridge( puls), which did not taste anything like the porridge we eat today. Their porridge tasted of utmost refuse and would have taken a strong stomach to consume. Wealthy Romans, on the other hand, would eat things like dormice which consisted of berries, seeds, nuts, and flowers. The Romans had a problem with excessive use of garum, which was a fermented fish sauce that produced a horrendous odor. Garum would make any nasty modern-day cafeteria food we think is terrible, smell like roses( like seriously, it smelled terrible). The Romans also loved street food, or thermopolia, which is ancient fast food. Archaeologists in Pompeii uncovered ancient thermopoliae, that consisted of snack counters. Think Chipotle or McDonalds but with clay jars and smelly food. Would a Roman student trade flamingo tongue for cafeteria pasta? Almost certainly. But school lunches and Roman banquets have one thing in common; meals are more about community than cuisine. Just like they gathered in the triclinium, we gather around tables under fluorescent lights. Both involve questionable food and heated conversations. So next time you go to complain about the cafeteria food, just think about your friend back in ancient Rome.
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