Boiled Water And Boiled Meat

[frankq]

I keep on coming across this, emperors like Claudius and Tiberius issuing edicts prohibiting the sale of boiled water and boiled meat at taverns.

 

What is this about?

[Pertinax]

In essence because the "fast food joints" were potential trouble spots, given that many of the urban population were unable to cook at home ,if they were able to linger in a "gurgustum" they might develop seditious habits.

Nero only allowed veg and pea soup -you wouldnt want to sit next to someone eating that for too long would you? Tiberius banned bread in the "popinae" . Vespasian (I think) allowed only pulses to be cooked and sold.

So the "tavern/cafe" was a potential flash point for the mob -so make it uncomfortable.

 

AD may well know a lot more about this topic.

Edited May 22, 2006 by Pertinax

[Andrew Dalby]

In essence because the "fast food joints" were potential trouble spots, given that many of the urban population were unable to cook at home ,if they were able to linger in a "gurgustum" they might develop seditious habits.

Nero only allowed veg and pea soup -you wouldnt want to sit next to someone eating that for too long would you? Tiberius banned bread in the "popinae" . Vespasian (I think) allowed only pulses to be cooked and sold.

So the "tavern/cafe" was a potential flash point for the mob -so make it uncomfortable.

 

AD may well know a lot more about this topic.

 

Be fair. *Claudius* was in favour of the taverns and cookshops. The Senate (says Suetonius snidely) laughed when he went off into reminiscences about going round the bars when he was a young man.

 

I must say that I have never honestly understood the problem that Tiberius and others saw. The usual flashpoints (people find these days) are where people drink, not where they eat; and particularly when they drink without eating anything. So why ban the sale of food in such places? I really don't get it.

[Pertinax]

Denial of comfort? Nero liked to pop out for a jar or two didnt he?

 

I was going to suggest sheer numbers of hoi-polloi , if many were unable to cook at home and had no gainful work then the bar/fast food "mall" is the likeliest focus of the bored and dissafected.

[Pantagathus]

I must say that I have never honestly understood the problem that Tiberius and others saw. The usual flashpoints (people find these days) are where people drink, not where they eat; and particularly when they drink without eating anything. So why ban the sale of food in such places? I really don't get it.

 

Ack! Casson covered this in Travel in the Ancient World but I can't remember at the moment what his explanation was...

 

I'll double check when I get a moment and will post here.