The Satyricon - The Dinner of Trimalchio

Yuck! This story disgusted me. If anyone could be considered a glutton, I'm sure Trimalchio would be most guilty of the sin.

It was astonishing how much food and wine was served all in one evening. It seemed as though the dinner was never ending. Dish after dish, course after course, more and more wine - it was appalling.

The foods mentioned may have been considered delectable back in ancient Roman times, but to me, they sounded disgusting. "I broke open the shell with my hand and discovered a fine fat fig-pecker, imbedded in a yolk seasoned with pepper." Umm...what is that and why would you eat it?

The thought of the pig bowels, organs and intestines spilling out onto the table after the hog being cut open was nearly enough to make me gag. And I felt horrible for the servants that were punished for such petty matters. The phrase "box on the ear" was mentioned many times in the story and I was unfamiliar with it, so I had to look it up. Trimalchio is the precise image of  a pompous, sickening, horrible rich man.

And I'm sure that extravagant dinners like the one told in this story were not few and far between. This disgusting display of wealth and gluttony was probably a daily occurrence.

  I was confused by the situation with his  wife (?) Fortunata. It seemed that she came from lower living standards but Trimalchio decided to make her his and adorned her with richness. He spoke of her poorly, saying he could've married anyone but her, after she insulted him for too passionately kissing one of his servant boys. Apparently that is something he did quite often since he had a particular liking for "good looking boys".

I was also very confused by trying to keep track of all the characters and their names. I still don't understand who was narrating the story or why they were at Trimalchio's house.

What was easy to understand from this story is that some people in ancient Rome were FAR too rich for their own good. Trimalchio is a perfect example of this. I've never read of a man so obsessed with himself and his wealth. I don't know how the wealthy people of the modern world act in their own homes, but I surely hope it isn't comparable to Trimalchio's choices. It'd be these people that we'd have to worry about.