In his accounts of ancient Rome, Juvenal makes mention of a brilliant scheme to pacify and distract the citizenry of Rome. By offering grand spectacles like chariot races with wagering, gladiatorial combat to the death, men fighting beasts, warships fighting other warships, military battle re-enactments, and by providing the populace with free grains, exotic oils, & intoxicating wines all Romans would be compliant and forego there civic duty and certainly not dare revolt. So, You are probably wondering, how does B&C make a good restaurant name or for that matter a clever line of Tee Shirts ( that you can purchase today ) ? THE PHRASE doesn’t seem to evoke a positive feeling. Are the owners mad or are they mad ? Keep Reading . . . It also implies the erosion or ignorance of civic duty amongst the concerns of the common man The Roman plot was simplistic in nature, an almost ancient form of civic well-fare with a ‘Las Vegas Style Backdrop’, perpetrated on an unsuspecting roman citizenry with a fatal result. Bread and Circuses would be the cause celeb of the day for the wild roman mob. The events that must have transpired in the Colosseum on a daily basis, must have been truly spectacular to have witnessed. Today’s entertainment dwarfs in comparison. Imagine if the Preakness was held every day but you didn’t have to pay your admission, buy your snacks, or buy your booze. What a party ! Or if American Idol, Dances with the Stars, The Superbowl were to the death – you get the point. Who then among us would care about the coming QE3, or QE1, QE2, NATO, UN., EU.,G7, GAT., NAFTA., WTO., DMZ., WMD., OPEC., or USA ; to name a few.

CIRCUSES There were many different types of gladiatorial contest all very bloody in nature. The violence here would have made Terrantino blush. But don’t worrie we won’t ruin your meal. If your looking for great realistic imagery classics like Ben-Hur, Spartacus, Cleopatra, Gladiator, and The Fall of the Roman Empire are a must see. Legendary entertainment was held at the Circus Maximus located between the Capitoline and the Eventide Hills. The seating could handle 250,000 spectators. Four times the capacity of Johnny Unitas Arena (aka – M & T Bank Stadium). What a “chariot-gate’ party it must have been. What the chariot races lacked in violence, they made up for in crowd enthusiasm and crowd wagering. We Romans love to gamble. Actually live racing was held there up to the year 549. No simulcasting or online wagering though. Sorry.

WORLD PHENOMENA Today . . .the phrase Bread and Circuses has many references and uses. Gene Rodenberry of Star Trek fame used it for the tittle of Episode 54 in 1968 to describe a futuristic race of Romans And there corrupted planet. In 19th century Spain, Pan y Torros or Bread and Bullfighting had a similar connotation. In Russia in the time of the czar it was Bread and Spectacle. Arduous Huxley also sheds ¥ Some say we are the new Rome and our empire is waning.

THE BISTRO Finally for our proposes. Keep your healthy intellect, keep your world awareness but understand Tonight . . .be our guest; relax, eat, drink wine, and let us entertain you. Tonight let us distract you, let us divert you from things in your personal life, your family, job, city, state, country, and planet and most of all let us please you. Revel in your time Enjoy the simplicity that Bread & Circuses Bistro is – Good Food Good Fun, Good Entertainment And may be when you wake up tomorrow you can start a revolution from your bed. So thumbs up to you.

WHEN IN ROME . . . Do as the Romans. Pax Romana But where is Rome? Some ‘ivory tower intellectuals’ believe that we our the new Romans and that our empire is waning. Pax Americana is fading into history.