drinkng-strws-msg - 11/29/01
Period and ancient drinking straws.
NOTE: See also the files: mazers-msg, mead-msg, wine-msg, p-tableware-msg, p-bottles-msg, lea-bottles-msg.
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Thank you,
Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous
Stefan at florilegium.org
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From: Bronwynmgn at aol.com
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 20:22:16 EDT
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old are drinking straws?
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Stefan li Rous writes:
> That made me wonder just how early drinking straws are?
> Were they used in medieval times? Even if used in Classical
> times this wouldn't necessarily indicate use in the Middle Ages.
> Anyone know? While of course plastic ones are modern they
> can be made of other materials, paper, metal, glass, reeds.
There are some metal straws apparently used for drinking sacramental wine in
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I'm afraid I don't remember
exactly what century or culture they are from, but they were in the medieval
rooms. I believe the theory had something to do with it being sacrilegious
to spill even a drop of consecrated wine, and the straw helped prevent
spilling.
Brangwayna Morgan
From: "Daniel Phelps" <phelpsd at gate.net>
To: <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old are drinking straws?
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 16:57:53 -0400
My copy of "Wassail! In Mazers of Mead" G.R. Gayre Phillimore & Sons. Ltd.
London 1948, page 31 figures 2 & 3 shows line drawings of "Beer drinking
through tubes in ancient Babylonia" and "Bottling Beer by syphon in Ancient
Egypt." Unforunately it does not give a reference to their sources.
Daniel Raoul
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 13:09:38 -0400
From: Philip & Susan Troy <troy at asan.com>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old are drinking straws?
Mark.S Harris wrote:
> Chirhart commented:
>>Arrg yes if he be fitted with a new fangled straw
>>
> That made me wonder just how early drinking straws are?
> Were they used in medieval times? Even if used in Classical
> times this wouldn't necessarily indicate use in the Middle Ages.
> Anyone know? While of course plastic ones are modern they
> can be made of other materials, paper, metal, glass, reeds.
>
> I would think when they were used they would show up
> in drawings of table settings or elsewhere.
They appear in illustrations of ancient Egyptians and Mesopotamians
drinking beer, IIRC.
Adamantius
Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 13:16:49 -0400
From: johnna holloway <johnna at sitka.engin.umich.edu>
To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] How old are drinking straws?
Drinking Straws
In 1888, Marvin Stone patented the spiral winding process to
manufacture the first paper drinking straws. Stone was already a
manufacturer of paper cigarette holders. His idea was to make
paper drinking straws. Before his straws, beverage drinkers
were using the natural rye grass straws.
The product was patented on January the 3rd, 1888.
Later other kinds of spiral-wound paper and non-paper products were
made.
Stone Industrial History The Way Things Work - Drinking Straws
taken from
http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blstraws.htm
Johnna Holloway Johnnae llyn Lewis
From: Christina Nevin <cnevin at caci.co.uk>
To: "SCA-Cooks (E-mail)" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: [Sca-cooks] How old are drinking straws?
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2001 12:15:32 +0100
That made me wonder just how early drinking straws are?
Were they used in medieval times? Even if used in Classical
times this wouldn't necessarily indicate use in the Middle Ages.
Anyone know? While of course plastic ones are modern they
can be made of other materials, paper, metal, glass, reeds.
I would think when they were used they would show up
in drawings of table settings or elsewhere.
Stefan li Rous
Drinking straws are pre-Classical. They were used in ancient Egypt from the
first dynasties, and probably pre-historic, for drinking beer, so as to not
ingest the gritty bits, and are depicted in various tombs (sorry at work so
can't give you actual references, just trust me on this one). Can't comment
on their MA usage though.
Lucrezia
<the end>