Roman Dining, etc.

Here are a couple of links to information on seating and status in Roman dining:

Reclining and Dining (and Drinking) in Ancient Rome
Age, Gender, and Status Divisions at Mealtime in the Roman House

And here is a link to a Word List for Petronius' Cena Trimalchionis-- thanks to John Porter of the University of Saskatchewan for making it available!

Now on to more disturbing matters...recipes for dormice.  Here is a simple one from Apicius:

"Stuff the mice with minced pork, mouse meat from all parts of the mouse ground with pepper, pine kernels, laser, and garum. Sew the mouse up and put on a tile on the stove. Or roast in a portable oven."

Here is a modern one from a Gourmet article called Meals that Time Forgot:  A more delicate recipe, from Traditional Slovenian Cooking (edited by Slavko Adamlje): “Cut the dormice into pieces, fry in butter or oil until golden brown, dust with flour and, after a few minutes more in the pan, add water. Put in cut potatoes, parsley, marjoram, peppercorns and lemon peel. Cover and simmer until done and add a little vinegar before serving.”

 
We should take note of Trimalchio's provision of a squadron of pedicurists to treat his guests' incipient paronychia -- left untreated, this can become a serious problem!