gora.EstudosClssicosemDebate17(2015)123158ISSN:08745498

Platospoliticalcuisine.Commensality,foodandpoliticsinthePlatonicthought

AcozinhapolticadePlato.Comensalidade,comidaepolticanopensamentoplatnico

FERNANDONOTARIO1(LabexRESMEDUniversitParisSorbonneFrance)

Abstract:Thispaperaddressesthequestionofthesociologicalandpoliticalbackgroundoffood,cuisineandcommensalityinPlatosphilosophy.Itarguesthattheimportanceofthese elements in Platos political thought is related to the increasingly complexgastronomic developments in fourth century Greekworld. In the first place, itwillanalyse the general trends concerning Platonic perceptions on fourth centurys foodhabitsandcookery.Inthesecondplace,itwillstudytherolefoodandeatinghabitshavein thePlatonicutopiasof theRepublic,CritiasandLaws.These twocomparedanalyseswill demonstrate how the utopian diets and eating habits are key elements in theconstructionandstabilisationoftheseimaginarycommunities.

Keywords:Plato;Utopias;Food;Commensality;Politics;Banqueting.

1.Introduction

In later years, there have been an increasing number of interestingworksconcerningancientGreekgastronomyand foodhabits2.Oneof themost interesting trends is the exceptional development of cookery andgastronomy in the late classical period, roughly correspondingwith thefourth century BC3. The emergence of the firsts Greek cookbooks, theprofessionalization of the cooking activity and the integration ofgastronomicconnoisseurshipinthegeneraltrendsofsocialrecognitionaresomeoftheelementsthathelptothisculturaldevelopment4.Thisprocessiscoincidentwith the consolidationofdietetics asone of themost relevant

Textreceivedon10/25/2014andacceptedon01/20/2015.1fnotariopacheco@gmail.com.2DetailedbibliographycanbefoundinMURRAY(2003);NOTARIO(2011);SCHMITT

PANTEL(2012).3DALBY(1996):113129.Inamoregeneralway:OLSON;SENS(2000).4BERTHIAUME (1982)7178.Greek cookbooks:WILKINS;HILL (1996).Concerning

theconceptofsocialrecognitioninancientGreece:DUPLOUY(2006).

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branches in ancientGreekmedicine,which, besides some earlierworks,isalsoroughlysituatedinthefourthcenturyBC5.

Thenew sociocultural interest in foodand cookery,both, from thegastronomicandthedieteticpointofview,introducedinterestingquestionsregardingfoodpreparationandconsumptionthatwouldinfluencecontemporaryandlaterphilosophicalinquiry6.Beyondtheviewsofsomephilosophicalandreligioussects,since the later fifthcentury,cookeryandeatingbecamecriticalmattersregardingethicalandmoralissues,suchasphysicaldesire, guilt or indulgence7. Fourth century philosophers used food as awayofthinkingaboutthenatureofsocialrelationships,thevirtuesandimperfections of contemporary political ideologies, and the acceptance orrejectionofthesharedhabitsconcerningcookingandeating.

Besidesanarguablysharedbackground rooted in thepersonal relationshipswith Socrates, the existence or, at least, the terms inwhich theSocratic circle can be defined, remains a problematic topic.As severalscholars have pointed out, in the case of admitting its existence, thefragmentationof thiscirclemusthavebeenanearlyphenomenon.This isprovedintheemergenceofrivalphilosophicalschools,eachoneinterestedintheappropriationofconflictingmemoriesconcerningSocrates,hispersonalityandlegacy8.Theliterarygenreofthelogoisokratikoi,theSocraticdialogue,conveys thearticulationof thediverging imagesofSocrates.At thesame time, however, gives them a particular shape in accordancewith,orcontrasting with, the writers philosophical, ethical and ideologicalprinciples9. Inspiteof these fragmentationandcolliding interests, there islittledoubtthatatleasttherewasanunderlyingSocraticexperiencethatthe

5CRAIK(1995);NUTTON(2004)115127.6Ingeneral:WILKINS;HILL(2006)185210;AUBERGER(2010)211216.Concerning

foodandphilosophy:TELFER(1996);ONFRAY(1990a;1999b);KORSMEYERS(2002);KAPLAN(2012).

7Concerningthediscoursesaboutfoodofsomeofthesesects,suchasOrphicorPythagoreans:DETIENNE(1970;1977);SEAFORD(1981);BEER(2010)2853.

8MONTUORI(1988)724;MORRISON(2011)xiiixv.DORION(2011).9Arist.Rh.3,1417a1720;Po.1447b113;F72Rose.VEGETTI(2006);DANZIG(2010)

69113;DORION(2011)79.

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scholarsusuallyhaveascribedtothemoral,dialecticandethicalhorizons10.It is regarding these overlapping areas that the philosophical attitudestowards food and eating in the Socraticphilosophical schools achieve itsfullsignification.

Asinotherareasofintellectualinquiry,nevertheless,thedifferencesbetween the Socratic students are also evident in theway they conformtheirphilosophyoffood.Xenophonpresentsacoherentframeforfoodconsumption inmoral,ethicalandpolitical terms,andotherSocraticssuchasAntisthenesoAristippusdevelopedasignificantpartoftheirmoral,ethicaland even ontologicalpropositionsusing food as a conceptual tool11.Thispaperaims toanalyse, in the firstplace, thewayPlatodealtwithcontemporarygastronomicdevelopments and its impact in the sociocultural recognition patterns of the Greek social elites. The contrast and even realoppositionbetweencookeryanddieteticsisoneofthemajortrendsinPlatonicthinkingconcerningfood.However,theanalysisoffoodandeatinginthePlatonicutopian textsclearlyshowsus thathealthcanberegardedassecondaryor,rather,justacomplementaryaspectofthem.Thepoliticalandsociologicalbackgroundof food ismoredecisive than themedicalone inPlatonicthought.

2.ThebackgroundoffoodandcookeryinPlato

Itcanbehardlyarguedthateatinganddrinkingareamongthemostprominent topics in Platonic studies.Although the relationship betweenPlatoandwinedrinkinghasreceivedsomescholarlyattention,thecontextsof cooking and eating have remained in a relative academic obscurity12.Nevertheless,classicalscholarshavelittletoblameonthisapparentneglect.ThedisdainwithwhichPlato regards contemporarygastronomy ismate

10WOLFF(1997);GOURINAT(2001);DRING(2011).11Concerningthepolitical,moralandethicalusesoffoodasthebackgroundfor

theevergeticactioninXenophonsworks:AZOULAY(2004);NOTARIO(2013).ConcerningAristippus, food and pleasure: TRAINA (1991); OKEEFE (2002); HOURCADE (2008).ConcerningAntisthenes,cynicalattitudestowardsfoodandothercynicalhabits:NAVIA(1996)3780;(2001).

12WineandPlato:BOYANC(1951);BELFIORE(1986)ROLAND(1990);NOL(2002);HOLOWCHACK(2003).

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rialised in a profound silence concerning food in banqueting contexts,something that ismostly apparent inhis Symposium13.Thedetailed focusPlatohas towards the realmof sociabilityanddrinkinghabits in this textcontrastswithhisobliviousattitudetowardsfood14.Thebriefdescriptionatthe beginning of the dining soon gives way to a portrait of Socrateseccentric behaviour15. After the libation and hymn singing, the guestsstarted todrink16.There isnt any furthermention to the foods thatwerecookedandeatenby theguests,a feature that,asLucianaRomeriargues,will be sharedwith other philosophical banquets17.Only those banquetsthatareconsciouslyconstructedasantiphilosophical,suchasAthenaeusDeipnosophistae or Lucians Symposium, indulge in the description of thefoodconsumedinthem18.

As faras thePlatonicSocrates isconcerned,banqueting is justacontext forphilosophicaldebate,without any interest in the food served, andwhilehe iscertainly someone thatenjoyshumancompany,he isa solitaryeater.WhenhemakeshisentranceinAgathonsdiningroom,heeatsalone,in a somewhat differentiatedway regarding the other guests19. Later on,whenAlcibiadesremembersthecampaigntoPotidaea,hesaysthatSocratesalreadyhadthehabitofstandingalonethinkingwhiletheothermembersofthemilitary contingent dined together20.Nevertheless, Socrates loneliness

13Concerning food inPlatosSymposium, theanalysisofLucianaROMERI (2000);

(2002) 61103 remains of great interest. As JohnWILKINS (2000) 412 argues, if thematerialworldisthemilieuforpopularempowerment,Platossilenceconcerningfoodcouldbeseenasanothermarkofhiselitistbackground,philosophicalconceptsaside.

14Forexample,concerningthehostreception:Pl.Smp.174de.Instructionsfortheslavesservingthebanquet:Pl.Smp.175b.ThereceptionofAlcibiadesasanunexpectedguest:Pl.Smp.213ab.Concerningsocialmanners:NADEAU(2010).

15Pl.Smp.175ce.16Pl.Smp.176a.17ROMERI(2002)7079;X.Smp.1,811.Theparallelsilenceconcerningfoodisbut

oneofthesignsoftheearlyconstitutionofthegeneraltrendsoftheliterarygenreofthephilosophicalbanquets:DUPONT(1977);NIGHTINGALE(1995).Cf.D.L.2,57;3,34.

18ROMERI(2000)256271;(2002)191ff.19Pl.Smp.176a.20Pl.Smp.220cd.

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doesnot correspond to the culturalpatterns of the solitary eaters in otherculturaldepictions of thisphenomenon inGreek culture.He is neither anincorrigiblegluttonnoranantisocialthug:forhim,food isonlyabiologicalnecessity.Whenitispleasurable,itisonlybecauseofitscontrapositiontothepainscreatedbyfamineandstarvation,notbecauseofitsinherentnature21.

InaccordancewiththeidealimageofSocrates,thewisemanshouldbeable to raise some formofphilosophicalandbehavioural firewall thatisolateshim from theentireconceptualnetwork thatconnectseatingwithpleasure,andgluttonywith thepleasurable life22.Unlikeother intellectualproposals,suchastheCynicschool,Platoarguesthattheidealphilosophershouldnotdistancehimselffrom thedominantculturallyacceptedgastronomicbackground,althoughheshouldregardrefinedcookeryasahollowknowledge23. Thus, in Theaetetus Plato excludes gastronomic connoisseurshipfromthesetofskillsthatconformsthephilosophersmechanismsforsocialandintellectualrecognition24.

Plato furtherexplores thecomplexrelationshipbetweenpleasure, thenewgastronomictrendsandpleasureinhisGorgias25.Thefirstglanceoftheimportancethatcook