In the fateful year of 79 AD, the ‘lost’ city of Pompeii (Italy) was a thriving metropolis of approximately 20,000 inhabitants, located near modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania. A cosmopolitan and bustling city at the height of the Roman Empire, Pompeii was a popular vacation destination for wealthy Romans on holiday. Sadly, the city became petrified proof that geography is destiny, after the glittering city was completely destroyed and buried in lava after a catastrophic two day eruption of the nearby volcano Mount Vesuvius. The raging Vesuvius left the once-great city submerged under a whopping 66 ft. of ash and pumice, where it remained ‘lost’ for an astonishing 1,600 years before its accidental rediscovery is 1592. Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily detailed insight into the life of a city at the height of the Roman Empire.

While excavating an entire neighborhood block in Pompeii in 2007, a group of British archaeologists noticed an unusual dearth of tableware and formal dining or kitchen areas within the residents’ homes. Instead they found only a few isolated plates, many of which were located on the floor of sleeping quarters. These findings indicate that the decadent image of wining and dining that we associate with ancient Romans mostly just applied to the elite (shocking!).

The archaeologists did find some clues about the culinary lives of “ordinary” denizens of the city, including multiple small barbecue type fire boxes that indicate that they enjoyed firing up the grill (just like any self-respecting, red-blooded and salt-of-the-earth American does). Moreover, a number of what appear to be fondue-style pots were also unearthed, providing more evidence that the 1970’s were not a particularly culturally original decade (except for film of course). In addition, they discovered what appeared to be numerous fast food style restaurants in the lost city, described by one of the archeologists as “a cross between Burger King and a British pub or tapas bar.” Thus, it appears that ‘grabbing food on the go,’ better suited the hectic lifestyles of the typical Pompeian.

It is hard to ignore the striking similarities between the culinary proclivities of ancient Pompeii and contemporary America. Thus, I couldn’t shake the inevitable nagging question: “Were the ancient Pompeians overweight too?” After all, they gorged on fast food, ate in bed and loved barbecue and fondue too boot. I am surprised that Girl Scout cookie boycotter Meme Roth, the proudly anorexic and unabashedly psychotic founder of the National Action Against Obesity (NAAO) organization, hasn’t yet capitalized on these findings in her ceaseless crusade to rid the world of all palatable food (disguised of course, behind a mere loathing of fat people). I mean, maybe more of the ill-fated residents of Pompeii could have outrun the lava, if they had only stuck to a low-calorie diet of whole grains and salad…..

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