[Avodah] Mezonos Becomes HaMotzi

[Isaac Balbin via Avodah]

On 22 Sep. 2016, at 7:46 pm, Micha Berger <micha at aishdas.org> wrote:
> You're skipping WAY ahead in history. I am talking about how people ate
> when Chazal set up the idea of kevi'as se'udah.

> As a matter of historical fact, in Chazal's mileau, kevi'as se'udah on
> bread was very literally true. That's how people ate. And when you read
> the gemaros with that cultural awareness, you see how in these sugyos,
> they are referring to that style of eating; such as when they refer to
> hamotzi and bentching covering lefes and not demanding separate berakhos.
...

This does not gel nicely with the Halachos of Pas Akum/Palter. As I
recall everyone who discusses these Dinim talks of bread as a STAPLE
eg how long/far does one wait/go before consuming Pas Palter. Indeed,
it is ironic that when the Gezera was first made it was not accepted
because of the importance of bread to their diet. The irony is that they
tell you to stay away from carbs like bread if you want to lose weight. I
guess though that supports the notion. Granted meat was in short supply
and expensive at times, but potatoes and the like would have been there.