At a Roman dinner party your status might not just affect where you sat, it could even impact what you were served to eat! There is evidence from various Roman literary sources that some hosts would save the best food for themselves and the guests of honour, and serve lower quality options to people who were not considered to be as important.

On this page are three examples of Roman authors complaining about this practice: Juvenal, Martial and Pliny the Younger. Juvenal was a Roman satirist, an author who wrote critically about his society and the people in it. Juvenal often criticised things like social-climbing and the overly lavish lifestyles of the Roman upper classes. Martial was from Spain (a Roman colony) and moved to Rome. He often claims to be poor, but this is probably an exaggeration. He is another author known for his biting sense of humour and criticisms of the society around him. Pliny was not a poet, but a lawyer, author and magistrate. The extract here is from a 'private' letter worked up for publication. Pliny's letters give his views on Roman society, historical or contemporary events, and moral problems.  

As three different authors wrote about this practice we can infer that it was not uncommon. All three are highly critical, which might imply that such behaviour was generally thought to be rude. It can be argued, however, that if the practice was thought of so badly these men would not bother to make a fuss and raise the issue in their writing. Juvenal and Martial write from the point of view of a lower status person who is given poorer food and wine, and feels upset. Pliny is high status, but still thinks this is bad manners.

Unpicking these men's views and what claims we can make about Roman society is very difficult. Are Juvenal and Martial just bitter because they want better food and more respect? Is Pliny just trying to make himself look good?