# Vomitorium

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [May 13, 2016, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661 "2016-05-13T08:16:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 9\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bertzpoet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c68b51/32.png) [@bertzpoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bertzpoet)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/1 "2016-05-13T08:16:20Z")

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In the 1960s I spent time with Wayana Indians in Surinam. At a big festival they brewed beer (mash left in sunlight) which contained alcohol and lots of mash. They drank it by the pailful, then went off aways to vomit the mash so they could continue drinking. They got smashed. I watched with amused horror.

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**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/2 "2016-05-13T09:24:03Z")

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That’s awesome. Some Yucatec Maya communities used to do beer enemas at special events (men only, I think); I think you’d have been even more amused and horrified.

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**Author:** ![Grigalem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de0a6/32.png) [@Grigalem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grigalem)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/3 "2016-05-13T12:26:43Z")

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\<\< In his Moral Epistles the Roman philosopher Seneca writes, Cum ad cenandum discubuimus, alius sputa deterget, alius reliquias temulentorum [toro] subditus colligit, “When we recline at a banquet, one [slave] wipes up the spittle; another, situated beneath [the table], collects the leavings of the drunks.” OK, it doesn’t literally say puke, but come on. \>\>

**Well, it seems pretty obvious (to me) that the under-table slaves were there to clean up spilled wine.**

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**Author:** ![quiltguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e47774/32.png) [@quiltguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quiltguy)\
**Post date:** [May 13, 2016, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/4 "2016-05-13T15:52:38Z")

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> [@Grigalem](#):
>
> \<\< In his Moral Epistles the Roman philosopher Seneca writes, Cum ad cenandum discubuimus, alius sputa deterget, alius reliquias temulentorum [toro] subditus colligit, “When we recline at a banquet, one [slave] wipes up the spittle; another, situated beneath [the table], collects the leavings of the drunks.” OK, it doesn’t literally say puke, but come on. \>\>
> 
> **Well, it seems pretty obvious (to me) that the under-table slaves were there to clean up spilled wine.**

Urine was collected for dyers and launderers, it was liquid gold, literally. 😃

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**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/5 "2016-05-18T23:28:04Z")

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[Link to Cecil’s column.](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2421/were-there-really-vomitoriums-in-ancient-rome)

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [May 18, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/6 "2016-05-18T23:32:25Z")

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There’s a well-documented case of a young boy centuries ago who probably had a pituitary tumor; he spent every waking moment eating, and vomiting the excess. This was fed to pigs, which were later sold at market. :eek:

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**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/7 "2016-05-19T23:15:18Z")

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What’s the shock for, the fact that the pigs were fed vomit, the fact that those pigs were then sold to market? Seems to me if he is constantly eating and vomiting, a lot of that is undigested, with some stomach acid. While refeeding it to the kid would be wrong, feeding it to pigs sounds like a perfectly sensible way to keep that food from being a pure waste of money and food.

And if pigs are being raised for market anyway, I don’t see how this makes a difference.

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**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\
**Post date:** [May 19, 2016, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/8 "2016-05-19T23:47:31Z")

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That’s true. I’m very aware that many animals eat other animals’ stomach contents, whether they are prey or my male cat, who views my female cat’s vomit as a pre-chewed treat. :smack:

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**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\
**Post date:** [May 22, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vomitorium/754661/9 "2016-05-22T01:03:17Z")

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\*\*Vomitorium  
\*\*

Isn’t that pretty much any frat house on a Saturday night?