An Ancient Vegan Feast

Not Palladas but Ammianus this time (A.P. 11.413):

Ὡς κῆπον τεθυκώς, δεῖπνον παρέθηκεν Ἀπελλῆς,
    οἰόμενος βόσκειν ἀντὶ φίλων πρόβατα.
ἦν ῥαφανίς, σέρις ἦν, τῆλις, θρίδακες, πράσα, βολβοί,
    ὤκιμον, ἡδύσμον, πήγανον, ἀσπάραγος·
δείσας δ᾿ ἐκ τούτων μὴ καὶ χόρτον παραθῇ μοι,
    δειπνήσας θέρμους ἡμιβρεχεῖς, ἔφυγον.

Apelles gave us a supper as if he had butchered a garden, thinking he was feeding sheep instead of friends. There was radish, chicory, fenugreek, lettuces, leeks, onions, basil, mint, rue, asparagus. I was afraid that after these things he would put hay before me, so when I had eaten some sodden lupins I fled.

(translation adapted from W. R. Paton’s Loeb)

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