Let's Hang Out When the Black Plague is Over ch9: Tavern

One Winter day, in a small village.

The year 1353, in the Franken District of the Holy Roman Empire.
Schwönwald Village, a small estate governed by a knight.

Two girls are enjoying future magic.

It looks like today's theme is a drinking party.

The future's culture, which went through a huge development through magic (science),
brings a feast full of surprises.
First, let's take a look at it from a middle age perspective.

The first thing which surprised folks in the middle ages is this magic mirror known as a "tablet".
Prost!
Instead of reflecting the person looking into it, it uses magic to project someone from far away.

It seems electromagnetic waves can travel between the future and the middle ages,
so I figured since there's a relay station nearby, we could make a call!
Electromagnetic waves? Relay station? The laws of future magic are rather cryptic but very convenient.

Magic dwells in their daily food and drink too.
This mysterious wine called "sparkling" appears to be some kind of "carbonated drink"?

It was like drinking the stars themselves.
So this is a carbonated drink...
Even Rachel could feel the popping going down her throat.

Rachel, it's time!
Even stews can be made with magic.

By heating up this mystical metal bag,
food can allegedly be prepared in no time at all.

Tear off the top from the slit,

and pour it onto these white grains
which the Golden Country call "okome".

Butter chicken curry.
The foreign spices with their rich scent transformed the plain girl into an aristocrat.
The blanket of soft butter mellows out the spiciness, which Westerners weren't good with,
while the kick of the cashew nuts deepens its foreign flavor.

Rachel.
Look at this!

Woof woof!

The future girl transformed without any magic ointment.
How cute~
Truly anything goes with future magic!

Spending time with friends through a magic mirror...

drinking wine within which the stars dance...

and being treated like royalty by a foreign world on a spoon.

What an overwhelmingly substantial and satisfying life.
If there's anything the future has over the middle ages, it must be this.

But is that really the case?
Is the essential happiness people have really that much better in the future?

The essence of happiness is closer than you'd think
in the things that were naturally by your side,
until a sudden epidemic... sends them far, far away...

Hey, Rachel.
How about we actually meet up to drink?

I want to drink beer with you in a middle-age tavern!!
...

Surely the essence of happiness is the same, be it in the middle ages or the future...
You're right.
Next, let us future people take a look at an old-age tavern.

If we go "there", maybe we can warm up both our hearts and bodies...?

I haven't been to a tavern in ages.
...In the future, there was this disease called the coronavirus.
It was fun going to a tavern with friends after corona finally cleared up.
The taste of the beer I drank with my friends... I remember it well...

I'm looking forward to drinking beer with Rachel...!
I haven't tried the beer of this village yet, after all~
I'm sure you'll like the taverns of this era too~
*West Germany was rather warm in this era, so it is believed that beer was only drunk in the winter.

Well then, let's go inside!
Yeah!

Excuse me~

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...Are they not open yet...?
Th-They should be.
Is anybody there!?

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This'd never happen in Japan...
Eh!?
E-Excuse me~
Is anybody there!?

Excuse me~

Ah!

...
Ludwig Schönke (Ludwig the Innkeeper)

We're here for some food and drink...
...

H-He doesn't seem very friendly...
So long as he doesn't say "no", we should be welcome here!

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May we take a table?
...
Ah!
A window table!

Let's drink while looking at the linden trees~
That table is reserved!

D-Don't get offended, Ema...

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You're the baker and miller, right?
You look like you'll cause trouble for the villagers,
so go sit near the fireplace where I can keep an eye on you.
Indeed, the villagers tended to be untrusting towards bakers and millers, who were given all sorts of authority from the lord. (However, the innkeeper is very much the same.)

aa kore are desho? (Ah, this is that thing, right?)
ajiajin sabetsu tte yatsu? (Discrimination against Asians?)
SNS no taimurain de yoku miruyo (I see it on my social feeds all the time.)
goman de atame no warui hito tachi... (These people are so arrogant and dimwitted...)
Ema...
You're not chanting a curse, are you?
*Ema is speaking Japanese.

Excuse me, may I order?

Hah...

What gives!?

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aitsu mukatsukuuu!! (That guy pisses me off~!!)
nishi yoroppa no hito tte yappari SNS de miru tori nano...?? (So West Europeans really are just like I've seen on social media...??)
Don't get upset, Ema!
This is just how taverns are in this era!!

Hah...
Sorry, Rachel...

I invited you out and now the mood's awful...
and it's not even your fault, Rachel...

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I wanted hoping to have some fun with you...
Guess I set my expectations too high...

I was happy you invited me, Ema.

...And don't be mistaken, Ema.
...Even a tavern in this era is a warm and fun place to be!

...

I'm not mistaken, Rachel...
Everything's completely different... to that time I can't even go back to...

One hour later.
...
Wash your hands and wait.

Two hours later.
Are we even gonna get to eat!?
Calm down, Ema...

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We're here to eat, old man!
Some fine food and drink, if you would!
Ah, it's Frantz-san and Theresia-san.

Oh, Herr Schreiner and Frau Hebamme!
Welcome!
!!?

I know we came suddenly, but are there any tables free?
Yes, there is.

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Here. This window table where you can look at the linden trees is available.
Ooh, I like this table.

Didn't that old fart say it was reserved?
That table tends to be for regular customers...

Another two hours later.

I'll put on a cloth.
Four hours...
Ema, the food will be here soon...

Hey, you!!
You cheated with the dice, didn't you!?
!

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Fine, check the dice if you want!!
I'll sue you for slander!!
You're on!
I look forward to seeing you cry in front of the lord (in court)!!

Hey, isn't the master gonna stop this fight??
I'm so pissed~!
He should be putting a stop to it.

Hey, he's just chatting it up with the regulars!!
Gyaha~
yay yay
Um, I'd like to order...
And he's ignoring that travelling customer too...!!
Poor guy!

watashi aitsu kirai...!!!! (I hate that guy....!!!!)
saitei...! (He's the worst...!)
okyakusan ga kawaisou...!! (I feel bad for that customer...!!)
E-Ema, calm down...

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Customers gamble without a care.

Fights break out but none of the staff try to stop them.

And the master just chats away with the regular customers while ignoring those who are strangers.

This isn't fun...!!
It's annoying... and noisy... and unfriendly...!!
Why...!? Why...!!?
That night was so fun.
The sounds of laughs and glasses felt wonderfull and everybody was so warm... and yet...

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Geez... Would you just
quit screwing around already!!?

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Don't you feel bad for that poor traveler!?
Why do both the master and staff have to be so unsociable!?
Playing favorites with the regulars and everything!

And you over there, stop gambling so blatantly!!
Don't make me tell Erwin on you!
And you guys, stop fighting in the store!!
Take it outside, morons!!

Any complaints? Bring them on!!
I'll punish you with my magic!!

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Hah Hah

Grandpa!!
The potage is boiling over!!

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Oh no!!
I need to serve the food!
You really are useless without grandma around...!
His granddaughter...?

I'm sorry, witch of the mill.
We'll serve some tasty food right away, so please be seated.
Eh...?
O-Okay...

...

Hah...

...
...
Frau Müller...
...I'm sorry.

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My wife caught a cold recently.
She's the one who does everything around here...
Cooking... dealing with customers...
I can't do anything right without her...

I'm really sorry.
...

Gretel, here...
Oh, Frau Hebamme, our regular customer.

Give this medicine to your grandmother.
Wow. Thank you.

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I'll pour out our tastiest batch of beer just for you~
I look forward to it. It is beer season, after all.
...

...
I see...
This one plays favorites too...

Ema!

This is where
the mood really starts to perk up...!

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Everyone feeling safe as one collective.

...Connecting with the outside world.

A peaceful atmosphere that people have obtained.

Those who come here to drink.
Those who want to complain.
Those who want to let off some steam.
Those with nowhere to go...
All these people, no matter who they are, create a comfortable atmosphere.
...

Yeah... I know...

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Even I know something that obvious...
That's why I wanted to have a beer here with Rachel... and yet...

I've kept you waiting for quite a while.
Here's your food and beer.

Finally, huh...
My first beer since I came to this village...

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It's delicious...

...What is this...?
It's completely different to Japanese lager...
It's rich yet refreshing, and somehow kinda sweet...?
Glad to hear it... Just relax and savor it.

I guess different cultures enjoy things differently...
The soup's great too.
It's the things that aren't different which make it fun!

Be sure to eat your fill!
My heart feels fuller than my stomach...

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Hey~ You're a travelling bard, right?
Sing us something!
!

How troubling...
What could I sing to make everyone happy...?
Hey, hey.
Look at this!

Wah! What is this magic!?
I want you to sing this song...

Is this German??
And what amazing magic...
Did you study at Prague University?
This should liven the place up a little!

Alright.
I shall play.

Ein Posit (A Toast)

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Ein Prosit, Eine Prosit (A toast, a toast)
Der Gemütlichkeit (To wellbeing!)
Ein Prosit, Eine Prosit (A toast, a toast)
Der Gemütlichkeit (To wellbeing!)

Eins! (One!)
Zwei! (Two!)
Drei! (Three!)
G'suffa! (Drink up!)

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Prost!! (Cheers!!)

Fun friends.
Strangers from far off lands.
Loners with no place to go.
Society is born from people mingling together and sharing a drink.

From the beginning of civilization to the present...
and until we one day meet our end...
the tavern doors are always open
waiting for your arrival.

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Let's Hang Out When the Black Plague is Over! - Taverns in Middle Age Europe

Treating yourself after a hard day of work, chatting with friends while the night is young, or laughing it up with a stranger at the counter. The term "food and drink" doesn't even begin to describe the value of these times that are etched into our hearts. You can let off the stress from work and even enjoy some peaceful solitude if you want. Even without getting drunk, taverns have a magic power that can't be seen with the eyes. Where did this magic come from? Let's search for its origins by looking back through the history of Western Europe!

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Development in tavern culture in Western Europe

Ancient Times
Roman Empire era
Slaves and freed slaves ran taverns
Unable to work for money, they worked at grape fields or shops in exchange for their freedom. The eateries were called popina, taverna vilunalie, and caupona, while inns for sleeping over were called deversorium, and stablum.
After the 4th Century
Xenodochion
A non-profit guesthouse managed by Christians for travelers, pilgrims, the sick and the poor.

Middle Ages
With the collapse of the Western Roman empire, tavern culture in Western Europe went extinct.
Mid 8th Century
Hospices (known as "spital" in German)
Christian guesthouses were ressurected as spitals!
10th Century
Monasteries set out to make money.
11th-12th Century
Taverns and Inns
Taverns were born along with the growth of monetary economy.
Mostly either spitals or ladies' home which served homemade beer (alehouses).
*Food and drink service began alongside farming, retail, breadmaking, meat production and brewing. They became multipurpose establishments for drinking, sleeping, allsorts, unofficial gambling, ceremonies, legal matters, medical treatment and business transactions.

Present Day
Divided into multiple specialities
Taverns these days have split off into various independent social facilities, including bars, cafés, hotels, shops, casinos, wedding halls, courthouses, theaters, hospitals and banks.

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The origin of middle-age taverns: Xenodochion, Spitals and Hospices

The Roman Empire had its own various tavern cultures, but the origins of food, drink and lodging that the West experience these days goes back to the guesthouses run by Christians. I believe hospitality towards others was engraved in people's hearts in ancient times. As opposed to the romans, who morals required that they charge money for their hospitality, the Germans believe that denying hospitality to their guests would be blasphemy against God.

Built by the Christians from the 4th century onwards, guesthouses known as xenodochion offered free lodging for travelers, pilgrims, the sick and the poor. After being temporarily dissolved, they came back in the 8th century as spitals and hospices. The word "hospitality" comes from the latin word "hospiteum", and this became the basis for the word "hospice" as well as "hospital" and "hotel".
Among those of you who have read this far, some of you may be thinking this question: "How did they stay in business while offering lodging for free?"

In 1352, the year before this work takes place, the Gradbach Monastery in North Germany went bankrupt. I've heard the reason is because artistocrats repeatedly held banquets at the monastery with their clans in tow. This "burden of good will" sent the monastery's fortune plummeting. No matter how splendid your hospitality is, it's hard to make it last without monetization, huh... In fact, as early as the 10th century, monasteries began establishing taverns for the purpose of making money. Amidst this, spitals took on a character of "being accepting of travelers", eventually changing into what would become "inns" and "taverns".

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Taverns and Inns in the Middle-Ages

Up until the 12th century, with the permeation of monetization, privately owned "taverns" and "inns" providing food, drink and lodging outside of hospices and spitals began forming. As mentioned in chapter 4, these inns were considered a jack-of-all-trades with all sorts of facilities. These facilities, which attracted all sorts of people, were also added to taverns. In another case, tavernas (restaurants developed from shops) spread through Poland as courthouses during the prosperous period of the middle-ages, also serving as jails. Inns became asyl (asylums for criminals), so seeing them take on the opposite effect is very fascinating. In 18th century England, public houses also worked as an employment agency. It makes you think of the adventurer's guilds you see in fantasy works.

Nowadays, these multipurpose spaces have split off into independent public spaces with their own specialties. There's taverns for relaxation and refreshment, hotels for the weary traveler, department stores, hospitals, banks, courthouses, and infrastructures like Hello Work to support our daily lives. When reading books on the history of tavern culture, my eyes would often go over how the researchers grasped the origins of tavern culture's effect on society. What started as a space of "free hospitality" from religious goodwill eventually became an indispensible part of our lives and a core part of modern amusement culture. From the researchers' point of view, it was no exaggeration that taverns weren't simply the origin of food and drink establishment, but of society as a whole.

Job Recruitment

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What Were Inns Actually Like?

What did you all think of the inn depicted in the first half of this chapter? It was mainly drawn using reference from "Colloquies", a 16th century traveler's journal by Rotterdam's Erasmus (a humanist born in what is presently Rotterdam, Holland). As for the character whose experiences travelling across Germany appeared in "Colloquies"...

Sounds like the inns in Lyon are pretty good... In that case, I guess I'll talk about the inn I went to in Germany...
First, nobody comes to welcome you.
Ask where the stable is, and all you get is silence. None of the servants help either.
Even though I arrived at 4pm, I didn't get any dinner before 9pm or even 10pm.
It felt dangerously unclean from all the sweaty travelers.
The tablecloth was a worn out rag of poor quality.
It didn't feel like the kind of mood where I could order whatever I wanted.
The wine was also poor. It was all watery and sour.
It's not fair that I had to share the bill with someone I don't even know. Even those who didn't eat much had to pay the same amount.
There were idiots shouting and dancing. I guess Germans enjoy being rowdy...
But well, after all's said and done, the food was pretty good...

He was very critical, only praising the food. But is that a fair assessment? I imagine serving a large amount of food would take a rather long time for a small family-owned establishment, and their lack of friendliness could be attributed to it coming on the eve of their defeat in the Peasants' War. This is just my guess, but due to the language barrier, they probably had to rely on hand gestures.
He was also displeased when the master or his servants came over to ask if he liked the food, but he also accepted that the master having enough confidence in his inn's hospitality to ask was proof of his sincerity. As for the uncleanliness, this was around the time bath culture declined due to the spread of syphilis, so I don't think the countermeasures taverns took meant they didn't care about their customers.

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Tavern Masters
Most historical testimonies on tavern masters tend to be from a critical perspective. In particular, they're said to have deceived customers or treated them like the lord's stooges. On the other hand, however, they had a good understanding of the villagers.
For example, in stories and movies, you've probably seen the master up to customers, even those who don't normally go to bars or taverns, and listen to their tales in silence. Be it those who've had their identity stolen by their work, those who feel isolation born from a morbid family situation, or those who have lost their place in society, the master has human relationships with them akin to a silent psychotherapist. This spontaneous role of "social protector of regulars" that masters are burdened with has been practised for hundreds of years, and might be considered a form of magic. I believe nowadays, modern taverns, snack bars and small restaurants have inherited this culture of hospitality and quietly breathe it.

Master's Clothes
Hat with no rim
Ridiculously huge keyholder
Apron

Mistresses and Hostesses
Before getting down to business, I'd like to address a misunderstanding that, possibly due to how old the society of the middle ages' patriarchy system was, that woman weren't allowed to join zunft (craft guilds). In actuality, a lot of essential jobs prior to the end of the 15th century, and especially during the 14th century, were performed by women. Lots of jobs, including bakers, fur traders, crest knitters, leathermakers, leather artisans, rosario makers, cutters, tanners, gold thread weavers and more, were dominated by women.

Baker - Fur trader - Crest knitter - Leathermaker

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Now then, let's get back to the topic of taverns. The number of women was quite large, and although there's no precise statistics on the number of female proprietresses, by judging from the depiction of women in literature and fine arts and moral values (including critical ones), there were way more than male ones. Even in "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks", which often appears in this column, the inns frequently had female owners and female employees. Carrying on from Erasmus' "Colloquies", let's hear about tavern women from a German traveler who went to Lyon in France.

Most travelers stay in Lyon for about 2-3 days. The ladies at the inn treated me even better than my own family.
There were ladies next to my table. First, the mistress gave me a friendly greeting, followed by her daughter. The mother and daughter were rather busy so the waitress took over, but even she would do anything for a bit of fun! It was nothing but kind ladies since pulling up to the stable...
I hope you find this to your liking... Please, enjoy!

The Culture May Vary Depending on the Time and Place, But the Fundamental Heart Remains the Same
Now then, let's talk about modern German culture for once. Taverns in German villages seem to have a custom called "stammtisch". Stammtisch means "tables reserved for regular customers", where certain villagers sit at designated tables, and on Saturday nights, they enjoy eating and playing cards while drinking beer.

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Don't customs like these give off a warm sympathetic feeling? For example, when I was young, I'd go with my father to the video rental shop on Saturday nights, rent two or three movies and watch them with the family while eating. It was a small little certainty that I loved. Artisans in the middle ages also allegedly had a custom on Saturdays where they would eat lunch, get off work early and use bath money they received from their boss to go to the public bathhouse and mingle. I think everyone has something in their heart they can relate to.

But what happens if we Asians, unfamiliar with the customs, tried to sit down on a stammisch? I'm sure they'd say "that table's reserved" and turn us down. Even if you sit somewhere else, there's a chance that table will never be filled. Alternatively, the master might focus all their attentions chatting with regulars, leaving you feeling like an outsider. If we look closer at the invisible empathy that conceals its essence and see that their hearts are as warm as ours, even through mere experiences gained from superficial sensations, maybe we can break down the invisible wall that was built by our different cultures.

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In this chapter, Ema felt homesick from witnessing a middle age tavern and witnessing the huge gap from the common sense of modern Japan. But in the end, even if our cultures seem different on the surface, our hearts are all the same, creating a warm atmosphere that melted her fears away. We often think of "hospitality" as a culture that's unique to Japan. But even the origins of hospitality and its society has been routed in Europe since ancient times, and regardless of the country or time period, we all share that same warm human nature.

And that wraps things up on taverns in middle age Europe. Out of interest, everyone, do you like getting rowdy at taverns? I'm kinda bad with it. I can't handle my drink all the well, and I'm also very shy, so large crowds tire me out. But that's not to say I prefer being alone. Whenever I see large groups wandering around town for a tavern at night, happy families going around the supermarket, or elderly people enjoying their walk shoulder to shoulder, the sights of society being at ease makes my heart feel at peace. And even if you're alone by choice, that doesn't mean you're lonely.
As I've said many times already, the origins of society lie in "taverns" and the hospitality that gave birth to them. Even just by living naturally, we are surely being given hospitality by someone, somewhere. Even if we've never exchange words, or our cultures are different, I believe all of us in this world are sharing a silent friendship with someone else.

Warning