Omelet wrote:

>> The service was composed of the corn meal being literally spread out
>> onto the entire surface of the long dinner table with the tomato
>> sauce spread on top. The family then sat and ate this off of the
>> table.

> The corn meal stuff is called "Polenta" and the tomato sauce could be
> any number of recipes, my favorite of which is Marinara.

Probably correct. SOmetimes it can also be of a whitish colour, but it's
usually yellow as the corn it's made from.

> I've never seen anyone serve it spread all over the TABLE tho'!

It's the old way to serve polenta. In the mountainous areas of the north it
is made in a copper pot and then the pot gets turned upside-down on the
table, and that polenta is so thick and firm that you can cut slices in it
as if it was a pie. When served on the table, or on an appropriate
woodboard, it usually gets cut with a string: just pull the two ends of the
string and cut through the polenta. Obviously, cutting is only done when
people use dishes: if polenta is dressed and served on the table, people
usually eats directly from the table.
Very afro: many african dishes are made to be consumed that way, everybody
eating from the same "big dish", be it the table or a bowl.
--
Vilco
Think pink, drink rose'