Katzentisch

If you're not a VIP, but you venture into the classiest restaurant in town without a tux and Rolex on -- where will you be seated? Likely with the kids and pets -- at what in German is known as the cats' table ("Katzentisch"). You may find yourself hidden away in some faraway corner, or right by the drafty entrance or, even worse, the bathrooms! Originally, of course, cats' tables weren't meant for people at all. Many centuries ago, a cats' table was a miniature table with short legs where the cats and sometimes small dogs in wealthy households were fed. Cats' tables were common at French courts, for instance, where they were set up away from the main dining tables, but in the same room. After all, royalty didn't want to be too far away from dear Fluffy, Max or Garfield.