CIVILIZING FOOD The civilizing process always seems to include a search for ever-more rare and exotic foodstuffs, complex dishes, and exquisitely refined table manners. We see this, for example, in the witty floor mosaic of a Roman dining room depicting the scraps of an elaborate feast, discussed by John D'Arms in “The Culinary Reality of Roman Upper-Class Convivia: Integrating Texts and Images” (2004: 428–50). The first essay, also on convivial feasting, is by another long-standing friend of CSSH.