Notecards #8

Importance of Food and Social Status                Stella Kekalos

Source:

Kalman, Bobbie. The Kitchen . Crabtree, 1993.

Pages:

13

Quote:

“Food played a very important part in the social lives of 18th-century Virginians. Aside from providing basic sustenance, dining was also one of the most important ways that colonial Virginians exchanged information. The dining process might last for two hours in some upper-class households. It wasn’t unusual for a conversation that began at a dinner table to continue well into the night. The taverns of Williamsburg also provided the food, drink, and atmosphere the helped propel the American Revolution. On numerous occasions, the Burgesses retired to one of Williamsburg’s many taverns to continue their political discussions with food and drink.”

Paraphrase:

– Food was very important to social lives in the 18th century for the Virginians

-Eating together was one of the most important was of exchanging information

-The upper-class ate dinner for about two hours

– It wasn’t unusual that a conversation the started at dinner went well into the night

– The taverns of Williamsburg also provide food, drink, and an atmosphere that helped drive the American Revolution

– Many times the Burgesses finished their day at one the the taverns in Williamsburg to continue political discussions with food and drinks

My Ideas:

Food was very important to social lives in the 18th century for the Virginians. It brought them all together and finished the day. Eating together was one of the most important was of exchanging information. Most of the time people were out working or doing housework so they didn’t get to spend time together. Dining might last for two hours in some upper-class households unless their conversation carried them into the night. The taverns of Williamsburg also provide food, drink, and an atmosphere that helped drive the American Revolution. On many nights the Burgesses finished their day at one the the taverns in Williamsburg to continue political discussions with food and drinks. Taverns were places where people gathered and where information was spread. Most foods served in taverns were middle class food, only affordable for some. Taverns could not provide the variety and choices that the gentry could. I know that the slaves would all gather at the end of the day and eat just like the English. After a long day of working in the fields dinner was the only time they could be together. For the Natives I know that they all gathered around the fire for meals. I wonder if the Natives had a special place that they met or was it just the fire. In taverns the owner would cook all the meals and serve everyone. I’m positive that the Natives did not have any servers treating them to meals. Did the gentry every go to taverns? I think that some might of like Burgesses are wealthier people and they gathered there. Maybe it was a little too lower class for the Governor who had his own kitchen and staff. 

The foods and preparation techniques used by colonial Virginians varied depending upon the wealth and social standing of the person. The last two Royal governors employed professionally trained European cooks. Known as “principal cooks,” these men were the highest paid servants on the property. They served an apprenticeship in Europe and had a level of training and skill unmatched in Virginia.The Governor was able to provide these cooks with the best-equipped kitchen in the colony. The governor’s cuisine reflected the French influence popular among upper class English society. Meals at the Governor’s Palace served those at the highest of social standing. The Virginia gentry were next in wealth and status. They demonstrated their social standing by providing a wide variety of meats and sweets at each meal prepared in a more traditional English fashion. The Virginia gentry employed slave cook who were less formally trained than the governor’s cooks, but they were extremely skilled. Highly skilled cooks were expensive and prized possessions. One slave cook who was known for her skill was Lydia Broadnax, who developed her reputation cooking for the Wythe family for many years and was eventually granted her freedom. Next in social standing in the 18th century were the middling class. They probably shared some of the food of the gentry when entertaining but ate more basic foods on a daily basis. The upper middling classes may have employed slave cooks, while the most relied on the cooking talents of the mistress of the house. Most colonial Virginians fell into the bottom rung of the social ladder. The poor were very limited in cooking equipment, often having only one cast iron pot. The wife of the house prepared basic soups and grain porridge. The most common type was hominy, made from corn, often flavored with salt-cured pork and vegetables. This basic diet was supplemented with whatever meats and vegetables they could find. 

I am really proud of this notecard because I think that there is a lot of detail.