Holidays and Riddling
Riddling events occurred mostly at dinners, and what better excuse to hold a dinner than a holiday?
Riddles by Month
Look at the graph above; you can clearly see how Conundrum Events are especially popular during the winter, and are held much less frequently in the summer.
Christmas and Twelfth Night
What about Christmas? Unsurprisingly, there are no newspapers published on Christmas day. However, the Christmas and Twelfth Night celebrations periods were some of the hottest times to hold Conundrum Events!
Halloween
How does Halloween play into riddling events? All of the events currently shown on the map were hosted around Halloween.
Dressing Up
Many people dress up for Halloween, and Conundrum Suppers were no different! One host asked all to arrive in apparel “such as Martha Washington might have worn.” You can read more here!
Cosmic Complications (1)
Humor was a large part of these riddling suppers. Imagine the surprise of receiving an unexpected dish after failing to solve the riddles on the menu!
Cosmic Complications (2)
Occasionally, hosts would rent satirical sketches or parodic paintings to entertain the guests at the table. Read more about the humor of culinary riddles here.
Literary Connections
Once in a while, a Conundrum Supper would be serious. And what can be more serious than Shakespeare?
Literary Connections
One riddling program was publicised as “A Shakespearean Luncheon,” an entire menu in Shakespeare quotes. These literary themed events were not rare. To learn more about them, click here.
Biblical Relations (1)
As many Conundrum Suppers were hosted by Churches, it is unsurprising that Biblical subjects feature prominently.
Biblical Relations (2)
Earlier EBoFs included various riddles based on Biblical stories (A Son of Noah? Ham!), and Conundrum Suppers maintained this tradition.
Discovering Riddles (1)
So far, we have uncovered over one thousand Conundrum Suppers. Yet, nobody has heard of them...
Discovering Riddles (2)
Why? One reason is that Conundrum Suppers went by many different names; they were hiding in plain sight! To read about the many names of Conundrum Suppers, click here.
The Rest of Riddling Repas (1)
This exhibition only showcases the tip of the iceberg; there are many more traditions of culinary riddles across the globe.
The Rest of Riddling Repas (2)
This exhibition only showcases the tip of the iceberg; there are many more traditions of culinary riddles across the globe.