with their heads tucked underneath their wings

[ppfuf]

So, about this feast/class I'm trying to put together for collegium. Yesterday, bonacorsi pointed out that in 1480 small birds such as chickens would have been served at table with their heads and feet on. I skimmed through the tiny number of pictures I have where plates of birds are visible on the table, and while feet might be an un-resolvable question, they do seem to have their heads. In one picture, the birds are "sitting up" in the bowl almost like they were placed to resemble a nest. Now I'm wondering, if I tried to serve headed and footed birds at the collegium feast/class would it be too scary? I don't want the feast/class to be too modern, but we're already planning a few things that might be (cumulatively) too weird, even for a willing audience.

Has anybody out there ever been unexpectedly served a bird that still looked like a bird? If yes, what was your first reaction? Did you eat it (eventually)?

Comments

[ldyanna.livejournal.com]

When I roasted the whole pig, there were quite a few people that had a bad reaction to the head, tail and feet on it. But that was only while I was cooking it. The huge piggie was almost completely picked over at the end of the dinner, so the initial "yuck" factor didn't keep most of the people from eating it.

As for the fish, weren't we covering those those with a pie crust? That might lessen the problem, making it look less real.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

Yes, the fish are going to be encased in a fish-shaped crust. When the crust is removed it will expose the fish with head. I think most people will be able to cope with that, ...although now that I think about it, it's been a long time since I was served a head-on fish in a restaurant.