Buffets: The stuff of legend

Don’t worry; the human stomach can only hold between two and four litres of fluid. So if you typically eat in moderation, the occasional trip to the buffet won’t hurt. You’ll actually be honouring a modern eating tradition, a celebration of plenty that our hunter-gatherer and farmer ancestors could only have dreamed of.

Given that a buffet should typically be an indulgence not associated with a celebration or festival, the earliest examples would have been the feasts organised in the Roman empire (1st century BCE to 5th century CE). Emperors served platters of fried dormice, peacock tongue, wild sow’s udders and stuffed snails; camel heels, parrot, venison, pheasant, rabbit, goose liver, brainstuffed sausages, flamingo, ostrich, and sea urchin. Plus, wine served by naked waiters. On a more sober note, the Sikhs introduced the communal langar in the early 1500s, to encourage people from different castes, the rich and poor, to eat together.

Those long restaurant tables groaning with food are another matter. They originated in (no surprise) Las Vegas.

Canadian publicist Herb McDonald was working at the El Rancho Vegas, one of the first hotels on the Strip, in the mid1940s, and looking to feed late-night casino punters after the kitchens were closed. His solution: A spread of breads, cheeses and cold meats, for a flat fee of $1.

The idea was a hit. Guests stuck around just for the grub. And McDonald added more and more items to the table, rebranding it the Buckaroo Buffet. It wasn’t profitable, but the hotel recovered its costs from what new patrons spent gambling. This remains the Vegas model.

Today, Indian hotels offer elaborate spreads numerous times a day. In the mid-1990s, they too set up Vegas-style late-night buffets, for clubbers not gamblers. Today, an upscale hotel buffet can have as many as 100 items and cost as much as Rs 3,000 per head.

You can’t hack a buffet. There’s only so much salmon, paneer and steak a stomach can accommodate in one sitting. The house wins, no matter what you eat. So tank up. Just this once.