| 1st
Century Palestine |
21st
Century USA |
| Hosts
and hostesses
generally invite only
friends of the same
social class for
meals, and rarely (if
ever) invite marginal
people from a lower
class. |
Ditto. |
| The
people with whom you
choose to eat are
typically your friends
or family members; and
your friends and
family members are
typically the people
with whom you choose
to eat. |
Ditto. |
| A
typical meal consists
of barley bread and
olive oil,
occasionally with
lentils. In season,
figs and grapes are
available. Dried fish
is for special
occasions. Meat
(largely lamb) is
rarely eaten. The
variety of ingredients
is limited and
available only in
season. |
A
typical meal consists
of meat, potatoes or
rice, vegetables,
salad, fruit, and some
kind of sweet dessert.
The variety of
ingredients is almost
unlimited and
available most of the
year. |
| People
generally lie down on
couches to eat. |
People
generally sit on
chairs to eat. |
| It
is socially acceptable
to serve expensive
food to higher class
people and inexpensive
food to lower class
people at the same
meal. |
It
is socially
unacceptable to serve
expensive food to
higher class people
and inexpensive food
to lower class people
at the same meal. |
| Among
religiously careful
Jews, each vessel used
to prepare and to
serve a meal has to be
ritually clean, washed
or purified according
to a prescribed
ritual. |
Among
religiously careful
Christians, there is
no expectation that
cooking utensils or
serving dishes will be
ritually clean. |
| "Cleanliness"
means cooking utensils
are washed in room
temperature water to
remove ritual
impurities. |
"Cleanliness"
means cooking utensils
are washed in hot
water and detergent to
remove bacteria and
viruses. |
