During the reign of Louis XIV, the king of France, various dishes were brought to the king’s table from the Versailles Palace Kitchen which was almost a quarter of a mile away.
The food would be covered with silver domes known as ‘covers’. These silver domes were meant to keep the food warm and to protect it from bacteria.
The dishes were carried by a line of armed royal guards. Once the food arrived at the king’s table, the food tasters would begin their official duty of tasting the food to make certain that it had not been poisoned.
Through the ages, the mealtimes of various leaders around the world have often been marked with pomp and ceremony. Some of these ceremonies were for purely practical reasons.
The Old Testament Nehemiah was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes of Persia. His main duty was to taste the king’s wine for poison before the king could drink it. It was a very high position, given only to one whom the king had full confidence in.
Pharaoh also had a butler (cup bearer) in the book of Genesis. This butler was used by God to bring Joseph out of the dungeon.
There are still food tasters and other forms of ceremony involved in the way notable individuals dine today and the purpose of learning about etiquette is to equip the high – flying individual for interaction at all levels of society. So supposing you are invited to dine at a diplomatic, state or royal function anywhere in the world? Do you know what would be required of you? How will you present yourself as a man or woman and savoire-faire?
Or, supposing you would like a president, Ambassador or royalty to grace an occasion which you have organized what are the protocols involved in making sure that the entire process is an absolute success?
Having sufficient knowledge of protocol and Etiquette will give you an advantage in any given situation, no matter how high profile the occasion may be.
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