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

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

I was serving a feast once and was handed platters where the cornish game hens were sitting up as you describe, with heads, at least. I made them tell me how it was done before I would serve them (i.e., were the entrails still there, etc?) -- I wanted to be able to answer questions. Turns out the heads had been preserved in (gug) acrylic floor wax and dried out like little heads on wooden skewers and were separated from the bird by a piece of waxed linen.

I suspect that if you refrigerated the heads upright, and then did the separation with the linen it would be OK for your "customers."

I'd cook a bird with the head on but otherwise cleaned and prepared as normal to see what the result looks like. If you want the feathered heads, you may have to make a deal with a game seller.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

I don't have any urge to present birds with feathers on, I can't imagine I could ever get it clean enough for me to cope with.
I am hoping to do a head-on bird in two weeks, as a test. Assuming my darn oven is working again. :(

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

So -- Have a talented person make Marzipan heads with painted feathers, beak, etc.