My mother has turned 60 today and had a (comparatively) big party with friends and family at a restaurant in the area that advertises for holding "medieval banquets".

In spirit of the whole thing, I wore part of my LARP outfit (even though I was the only one in "period clothing"), and expected-- I don't know. The organizers and waitstaff to do the same? The location to be a castle? The music to be medieval?

No on all accounts. I don't consider traditional Bavarian dress to be historical clothing, nor an accordion to be a period instrument, nor a regular restaurant (even one supposedly several hundred years old) to be the right setting.

The food was good, though.

A short suggestion to the organizers? You can buy a more-than-okay-looking modern replica of a set of medieval clothing on eBay for less than 100 euros. Considering the price per capita and thus for the entirety of one of such banquets that you demand from your guests, investing in proper clothing shouldn't be a hard decision or too much to expect.

/rant

Also, having to intone a short ditty praising the merits of alcohol before being allowed to take a sip of my non-alcoholic beverage just kind of-- sticks in my craw on principle, I admit. How oh-so medieval. Argh.