Start Date
29-5-2024 12:00 PM
End Date
29-5-2024 12:15 PM
Description
The study explores the semiotic significance of late nineteenth to early twentieth-century Romanian banquet menus, transcending culinary functions to convey broader societal messages. Examining 30 menus from Romania and Austro-Hungarian Romanian-speaking Transylvania, predominantly sourced from newspapers, it reveals banquets as platforms for political and social expression. Written in Romanian or French, these menus serve as conduits for political opinions, declarations of friendship or enmity, and expressions of pride or despair. Intentionally published in newspapers, they reflect a society valuing freedom of speech and exhibit a discernible discursive character, treating food as intellectual nourishment. The coverage of banquets in newspapers offers glimpses into contemporaneous events and personalities, serving as historical documents shedding light on overlooked events and individuals. Through the examination of these menus' meaning researchers gain insights into forgotten personalities and societal dynamics, illustrating the enduring cultural significance of food beyond mere sustenance.
Creative Commons License
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DOI
https://doi.org/10.21427/m7sn-xk49
Included in
Anthropological Linguistics and Sociolinguistics Commons, Discourse and Text Linguistics Commons, Food Studies Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Linguistic Anthropology Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Other Anthropology Commons, Other Sociology Commons, Public Relations and Advertising Commons, Regional Sociology Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, Sociology of Culture Commons, Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons
Savouring the Veiled Narratives of Banquet Menus
The study explores the semiotic significance of late nineteenth to early twentieth-century Romanian banquet menus, transcending culinary functions to convey broader societal messages. Examining 30 menus from Romania and Austro-Hungarian Romanian-speaking Transylvania, predominantly sourced from newspapers, it reveals banquets as platforms for political and social expression. Written in Romanian or French, these menus serve as conduits for political opinions, declarations of friendship or enmity, and expressions of pride or despair. Intentionally published in newspapers, they reflect a society valuing freedom of speech and exhibit a discernible discursive character, treating food as intellectual nourishment. The coverage of banquets in newspapers offers glimpses into contemporaneous events and personalities, serving as historical documents shedding light on overlooked events and individuals. Through the examination of these menus' meaning researchers gain insights into forgotten personalities and societal dynamics, illustrating the enduring cultural significance of food beyond mere sustenance.