Madrigals
Every year, Covenant College hosts a magnificent banquet called Madrigals. Today was my first time to have been given the privilege of attending. I only actually found out last night… my older brother, Wim, called me and asked me if I was going to Madrigals. I told him no… and he promptly told me that yes, I was going. He was going with his fiance, and he had bought two extra tickets — for me and my older sister, Julie! It was incredible…
Madrigals is an amazing experience. I had never been before, so I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect. I was told to dress formally. I put on a nice black pin-striped suit that was given to me a few years ago. Around 6:00 p.m., I went to pick up my date.
We headed up towards Carter Hall where it was being held. Once we got there, we took some pictures in the Carter Lobby, and then were summoned into the Great Hall for the Madrigals banquet. We were seated at a round table. Julie and I sat with Wim and his fiance, and two other couples that were friends of my older brother. The first of six courses began… we all toasted hot wassail to begin the evening.
For those of you who are still in the dark as to what Madrigals is… I shall try to explain. It is somewhat of a medieval Christmas banquet. Everyone dresses in beautiful formal wear, and there is a jester and group of singers commonly called the “Madrigal Singers.” Throughout the course of the huge and eloquent banquet, the Madrigal singers sing various Christmas pieces and medieval songs. There are several groups of musicians playing — a brass ensemble, a string ensemble with a harp, harpsichord, and violins… It was beautiful.
After toasting and officially beginning the banquet, the music began to play and the second course was brought out. Waiters and waitresses decked out in medieval garb attended each table bringing huge platters of food. The second course was potato soup in bread bowls. Sounds kind of dull, doesn’t it? It was one of the best parts of the meal… it was absolutely delicious! I wanted to save room for the other four courses yet to come, but there was no way that I was going to waste any bite of it.
After the second course, the court jester came up on stage and provided entertainment for a good half hour. He did magic tricks and involved the crowd in different pieces of entertainment. It was amazing!
After having some time to relax and prepare for the next course, the third course was brought out. One large platter was brought out to begin with. It was set on the center table of the dining hall… and on it, was the head of pig with a green apple in its mouth. Following close behind came the medieval waiters and waitresses with their own platters filled with plates of pork stuffed with wild rice and cranberries, along with chicken seasoned with vegetables. With every platter that came, the night became more exciting and absolutely memorable. Having the privilege to attend was incredible. Tickets to this feast were from $30 to $40. And for a guy to attend, it would have been around $80 to take a date. Having never been before, such a price for a meal seemed a little high priced. I was blessed by my brother to have been given the opportunity to attend.
After the third and main course, came platters of salad… field greens and cherry tomatoes, dusted in toasted pecans and walnuts, along with a balsalmic vinaigrette to add a little extra flavor. I thought it weird to save the salad until closer to the end… but it didn’t matter. The food was of such excellent quality, that it was near impossible to leave anything on my plate. Following the salad, came plates of blueberry bread pudding with a raisin rum dressing. The small bowls of rum pudding sat on a plate dusted with mint-flavored powdered sugar, along with a few mint leaves on the side. It couldn’t have been more perfectly done.
The evening was beautiful. The Madrigal Singers… the court jester… the candle-lit banquet… the company of my older brother and two older sisters — it was perfect. We talked the evening away… while enjoying the sixth and final course of the feast. It was a simple, but beautiful platter of grapes, diced apples, and cheese… decorated with leaks and basil leaves. This…. was Madrigals.
Published on 2 Dec 2006 at 11:15 pm.
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