The Field of the Cloth of Gold: An international reception dripping in gold and wine
Chocolate fountains have become quite cliche in recent years. When it comes to impressing guests, our ancestors did it best. Case in point: the English monarch King Henry VIII and King Francis I of France had a little rendezvous back in 1520. They spared no expense when it came to showering their guests with luxuries. The feast they prepared included music, jousting, games, and clothes made of gold silk fabric. Even the furniture was adorned with gold–all done in an effort to impress the other king!
This meeting was held at Balinghem in northern France (which was part of England at the time) in order to strengthen relations between the kings. The meeting lasted for two and a half weeks, and during that time, enough money was spent on food to feed entire towns for months. This extravagance earned the event its later name: the Valley of Gold.