Neighbors!

Ahem. Neighbours.

Apparently today I have my jingoism set to 'crotchety'.

Don't know Medieval Times, but I'm right with you in theory - we have the same things in London and York, and it does blow my mind. Torture/=HappyFunTimes, people! Also? IT STILL HAPPENS. And yet it's a fun-filled day out for all the family.

Medieval Times is a "dinner and tournament" place -- you go and sit around this arena, where they serve you "medieval" food (without forks) and you watch a tournament of people on horseback doing things like jousting, and each section of the place gets a specific knight to root for and wave flags in his color. I loved it when I was 10, and haven't been back since, which is probably for the best. But while you're waiting to get in, there are some exhibits to look at, one of which is a display of torture devices.

[link]

My sole experience of Medieval Times comes from the movie The Cable Guy.

yeah, Medieval Times is basically dinner theatre with jousting. You get a paper crown the same color as the knight you're supposed to root for and they frame it in a "historical" context that you are the guests of the king & queen. It's fun for the whole family and hey, while you're here, why not visit the torture museum? I was horrified at the number of children in there and had to scurry away.

I have to say, that sounds an awful lot less ghastly than The London Dungeon. In fact - wasn't it on an episode of Ugly Betty?

In fact - wasn't it on an episode of Ugly Betty?

Very likely.

Now that I think about it, I have been there since I was 10, because I remember getting a vegetarian meal there, and I became vegetarian when I was 13. The vegetarian meal is the same vegetable soup that everyone else gets, plus a plate of roasted vegetables with lots of spices. (All the vegetables and meat there have lots of spices, and the waitresses explain that the spices were preservatives.)

The torture exhibit is in a separate room off the main waiting room, with dark lighting and spooky music.

Ahem. Neighbours.

Heh. Of course.

Yep, just from the front page of their website, The London Dungeon appears to be far more ghastly than Medieval Times. This is pretty awesome. This American Life takes a medieval scholar to Medieval Times.

Medieval Times makes me laugh, torture museum and all. Of course, I've never actually been to one, as I detest dinner theater, even if it's jousting or pirates (there's a pirate-themed restaurant, very similar to MT).

The appallingness of the torture museum (fun for the kids!) only makes it funnier to me.

Fay, Lewis is singing "It's a cruel world after all... it's a cruel world after all..."

Make.

Him.

Stop.

(He made up lyrics to a verse, too, but I won't repeat those.)