Cynthia: I haven't made mead myself, but I've had a fair bit of homemade mead produced by friends. Yummy stuff. In fact, I have a bottle of mead in the fridge at this moment, and will have a bit before bedtime.

The first time I had mead was when I was a student living in England, back in 1972, and we went to the Elizabethan Room at the Gore Hotel in London, which was an amazingly authentic recreation of an Elizabethan banqueting hall, from the rushes on the floor to the two-pronged forks, the tallow candles to the trenchers. It was splendid. There were no soft drinks and not even drinking water (so truly authentic), just mead and claret. The mead was for toasting people as they entered. I thought it was just dandy, and have been a fan ever since. But then, I love honey.

comment left Jan 22, 2009

vcurran: Back in Beowulf's time, the mead hall could be a rough-and-tumble place, as in the following passage:

Meanehwæl, baccat meaddehæle, monstær lurccen;
Fulle few too many drincce, hie luccen for fyht.
Ðen Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Æsccen æwful jeork to steop outsyd.
Þhud! Bashe! Crasch! Beoom! Ðe bigge gye
Eallum his bon brak, byt his nose offe;
Wicced Godsylla wæld on his asse.
Monstær moppe fleor wyþ eallum men in hælle.
Beowulf in bacceroome fonecall bemaccen wæs;
Hearen sond of ruccus sæd, “Hwæt ðe helle?”
Graben sheold strang ond swich-blæd scharp
Stond feorth to fyht ðe grimlic foe.
“Me,” Godsylla sæd, “mac ðe minsemete.”
Heoro cwyc geten heold wiþ fæmed half-nelson
Ond flyng him lic frisbe bac to fen
Beowulf belly up to meaddehæle bar,
Sæd, “Ne foe beaten mie færsom cung-fu.”
Eorderen cocca-cohla yce-coeld, ðe reol þyng.

from CVLTVRE MADE STUPID, (c) 1987 by Tom Weller

comment left Jan 17, 2009