,note3 ,images of the original pages are available through ,internet ,archive_/,american ,libraries4 ,see http3_/_/archive4org_/details_/feastsofa utolycu#jjpenn ,,the ,,feasts ,,of ,,autolycus ,the ,diary of a ,greedy ,woman ,illustration ,edited by ,,elizabeth ,,robins ,,pennell ,akron1 ,o4 ,the ,saalfield ,publishing ,company ,chicago ,new ,york #aijj ,copyright1 #ahif1 by the ,merriam ,company4 ,illustration ,,note4--,these papers were first published in the ,pall ,mall ,gazette1 under the heading1 ,wares of ,autolycus4 ,it is due to the courteous permission of the editors of that ,journal that they are now re-issued in book form4 ,,introduction ,i have always wondered that woman could be so glib in claiming equality with man4 ,in such trifling matters as politics and science and industry1 ,i doubt if there be much to choose between the two sexes4 ,but in the cultivation and practice of an art which concerns life more seriously1 woman has hitherto proved an inferior creature4 ,for centuries the kitchen has been her appointed sphere of action4 ,and yet1 here1 as in the studio and the study1 she has allowed man to carry off the laurels4 ,vatel1 ,carme1 ,ude1 ,dumas1 ,gouff1 ,etienne1 these are some of the immortal cooks of history3 the kitchen still waits its ,sappho4 ,mrs ,glasse1 at first1 might be thought a notable exception2 but it is not so much the merit of her book as its extreme rarity in the first edition which has made it famous4 ,woman1 moreover1 has eaten with as little distinction as she has cooked4 ,it seems almost--much as ,i deplore the admission--as if she were of coarser clay than man1 lacking the more artistic instincts1 the subtler1 daintier emotions4 ,i think1 therefore1 the great interest of the following papers lies in the fact that they are written by a woman--a greedy woman4 ,the collection1 evidently1 does not pretend to be a ,cook's ,manual1 or a ,housewife's ,companion3 already the diligent1 in numbers1 have catalogued recipes1 with more or less exactness4 ,it is rather a guide to the ,beauty1 the ,poetry1 that exists in the perfect dish1 even as in the masterpiece of a ,titian or a ,swinburne4 ,surely hope need not be abandoned when there is found one woman who can eat1 with understanding1 the ,feasts of ,autolycus4 ,,elizabeth ,,robins ,,pennell4 ,,contents4 ,,page ,,the ,,virtue ,,of ,,gluttony1 #i ,a ,,perfect ,,breakfast1 #ag ,,two ,,breakfasts1 #be ,,the ,,subtle ,,sandwich1 #cc ,a ,,perfect ,,dinner1 #dc ,,an ,,autumn ,,dinner1 #ea ,a ,,midsummer ,,dinner1 #ei ,,two ,,suppers1 #fg ,,on ,,soup1 #ge ,,the ,,simple ,,sole1 #hi ,,bouillabaisse1 #ig ,,the ,,most ,,excellent ,,oyster1 #aje ,,the ,,partridge1 #aag ,,the ,,archangelic ,,bird1 #abe ,,spring ,,chicken1 #ace ,,the ,,magnificent ,,mushroom1 #adc ,,the ,,incomparable ,,onion1 #aee ,,the ,,triumphant ,,tomato1 #aga ,a ,,dish ,,of ,,sunshine1 #agi ,,on ,,salads1 #aia ,,the ,,salads ,,of ,,spain1 #bje ,,the ,,stirring ,,savoury1 #bae ,,indispensable ,,cheese1 #bbc ,a ,,study ,,in ,,green ,,and ,,red1 #bca ,a ,,message ,,from ,,the ,,south1 #bci ,,enchanting ,,coffee1 #bdi ,,the ,,virtue ,,of ,,gluttony ,gluttony is ranked with the deadly sins2 it should be honoured among the cardinal virtues4 ,it was in the ,dark ,ages of asceticism that contempt for it was fostered4 ,selfish anchorites1 vowed to dried dates and lentils1 or browsing ,nebuchadnezzar-like upon grass1 thought by their lamentable example to rob the world of its chief blessing4 ,cheerfully1 and without a scruple1 they would have sacrificed beauty and pleasure to their own superstition4 ,if the vineyard yielded wine and the orchard fruit1 if cattle were sent to pasture1 and the forest abounded in game1 they believed it was that men might forswear the delights thus offered4 ,and so food came into ill repute and foolish fasting was glorified1 until a healthy appetite passed for a snare of the devil1 and its gratification meant eternal damnation4 ,poor deluded humans1 ever so keen to make the least of the short span of life allotted to them6 ,with time1 all superstitions fail2 and asceticism went the way of many another ingenious folly4 ,but as a tradition1 as a convention1 somehow1 it lingered longer among women4 ,and the old ,christian duty became a new feminine grace4 ,and where the fanatic had fasted that his soul might prove comelier in the sight of ,god1 silly matrons and maidens starved1 or pretended to starve1 themselves that their bodies might seem fairer in the eyes of man4 ,and dire1 indeed1 has been their punishment4 ,the legend was that swooning ,angelina or tear-stained ,amelia1 who1 in company1 toyed tenderly with a chicken wing or unsubstantial wafer1 later retired to the pantry to stuff herself with jam and pickles4 ,and thus gradually1 so it is asserted1 the delicacy of women's palate was destroyed2 food to her perverted stomach was but a mere necessity to stay the pangs of hunger1 and the pleasure of eating she looked upon as a deep mystery1 into which only man could be initiated4 ,in this there is much exaggeration1 but still much truth4 ,to-day women1 as a rule1 think all too little of the joys of eating4 ,they hold lightly the treasures that should prove invaluable4 ,they refuse to recognise that there is no less art in eating well than in painting well or writing well1 and if their choice lay between swallowing a bun with a cup of tea in an arated bread shop1 and missing the latest picture show or doing without a new book1 they would not hesitate2 to the stodgy bun they would condemn themselves1 though that way madness lies4 ,is it not true that the woman who would economise1 first draws her purse-strings tight in the market and at the restaurant8 ,with her milliner's bill she may find no fault1 but in butcher's book1 or grocer's1 every halfpenny is to be disputed4 ,the loss is hers1 but the generous-hearted can but regret it4 ,therefore let her be brought face to face with certain fundamental facts1 and the scales will fall quickly from her eyes1 and she will see the truth in all its splendour4 ,first1 then1 let her know that the love of good eating gives an object to life4 ,she need not stray after false gods2 she will not burden herself with silly fads1 once she realizes that upon food she may concentrate thought and energy1 and her higher nature--which to her means so much--be developed thereby4 ,why clamour for the suffrage1 why labour for the redemption of brutal man1 why wear1 with noisy advertisement1 ribbons white or blue1 when three times a day there is a work of art1 easily within her reach1 to be created8 ,all his life a ,velasquez devoted to his pictures1 a ,shakespeare to his plays1 a ,wagner to his operas3 why should not the woman of genius spend hers in designing exquisite dinners1 inventing original breakfasts1 and be respected for the nobility of her self-appointed task8 ,for in the planning of the perfect meal there is art2 and1 after all1 is not art the one real1 the one important thing in life8 ,and the object she thus accepts will be her pleasure as well4 ,for the gourmande1 or glutton1 duty and amusement go hand in hand4 ,her dainty devices and harmonies appeal to her imagination and fancy2 they play gently with her emotions2 they develop to the utmost her pretty sensuousness4 ,mind and body alike are satisfied4 ,and so long as this pleasure endures it will never seem time to die4 ,the ancient philosopher thought that time had come when life afforded more evil than good4 ,the good of a pleasantly planned dinner outbalances the evil of daily trials and tribulations4 ,here is another more intimate1 personal reason which the woman of sense may not set aside with flippancy or indifference4 ,by artistic gluttony1 beauty is increased1 if not actually created4 ,listen to the words of ,brillat-,savarin1 that suave and sympathetic gourmet3 ,it has been proved by a series of rigorously exact observations that by a succulent1 delicate1 and choice regimen1 the external appearances of age are kept away for a long time4 ,it gives more brilliancy to the eye1 more freshness to the skin1 more support to the muscles2 and as it is certain in physiology that wrinkles1 those formidable enemies of beauty1 are caused by the depression of muscle1 it is equally true that1 other things being equal1 those who understand eating are comparatively four years younger than those ignorant of that science4 ,surely he should have called it art1 not science4 ,but let that pass4 ,rejoice in the knowledge that gluttony is the best cosmetic4 ,and more than this3 a woman not only grows beautiful when she eats well1 but she is bewitchingly lovely in the very act of eating4 ,listen again1 for certain texts cannot be heard too often3 ,there is no more pretty sight than a pretty gourmande under arms4 ,her napkin is nicely adjusted2 one of her hands rests on the table1 the other carries to her mouth little morsels artistically carved1 or the wing of a partridge1 which must be picked4 ,her eyes sparkle1 her lips are glossy1 her talk cheerful1 all her movements graceful2 nor is there lacking some spice of the coquetry which accompanies all that women do4 ,with so many advantages she is irresistible1 and ,cato1 the censor himself1 could not help yielding to the influence4 ,and who shall say that woman1 declaiming on the public platform1 or spanking progressive principles into the child-man1 makes a prettier picture8 ,another plea1 and one not to be scorned1 is the new bond of union love of eating weaves between man and wife4 ,a wedded pair with this taste in common have once a day at least a pleasant opportunity of meeting4 ,sport has been pronounced a closer tie than religion1 but what of food8 ,what1 indeed8 ,let men and women look to it that at table delicious sympathy makes them one1 and marriage will cease to be a failure4 ,if they agree upon their sauces and salads1 what matter if they disagree upon mere questions of conduct and finance8 ,accept the gospel of good living and the sexual problem will be solved4 ,she who first dares to write the great ,food ,novel will be a true champion of her sex4 ,and yet women meet and dine together1 and none has the courage to whisper the true secret of emancipation4 ,mostly fools6 ,alas6 that it should have to be written6 ,and think--that is1 if you know how to think--of the new joy added to friendship1 the new charm to casual acquaintanceship1 when food is given its due1 and is recognised as something to be talked of4 ,the old platitudes will fade and die4 ,the maiden will cease to ask ,what do you think of the ,academy8 ,the earnest one will no longer look to ,ibsen for heavy small talk4 ,pretence will be wiped away1 conversational shams abolished1 and the social millennium will have come4 ,eat with understanding1 and interest in the dishes set before you must prove genuine and engrossing1 as enthusiasm over the last new thing in art or ethics has never been--never can be4 ,the sensation of the day will prove the latest arrangement in oysters1 the newest device in vegetables4 ,the ambitious will trust to her kitchen to win her reputation2 the poet will offer lyrics and pastorals with every course2 the painter will present in every dish a lovely scheme of colour4 ,gross are they who see in eating and drinking nought but grossness4 ,the woman who cannot live without a mission should now find the path clear before her4 ,let her learn first for herself the rapture that lies dormant in food2 let her next spread abroad the joyful tidings4 ,gluttony is a vice only when it leads to stupid1 inartistic excess4 ,a ,,perfect ,,breakfast ,breakfast means many things to many men4 ,ask the ,american1 and he will give as definition3 ,shad1 beefsteak1 hash1 fried potatoes1 omelet1 coffee1 buckwheat cakes1 waffles1 corn bread1 and 7if he be a ,virginian7 batter pudding1 at #h o'clock ,a4,m4 sharp4 ,ask the ,englishman1 and he will affirm stoutly3 ,tea1 a rasher of bacon1 dry toast1 and marmalade as the clock strikes nine1 or the half after4 ,and both1 differing in detail as they may and do1 are alike barbarians1 understanding nothing of the first principles of gastronomy4 ,seek out rather the ,frenchman and his kinsmen of the ,latin race4 ,they know3 and to their guidance the timid novice may trust herself without a fear4 ,the blundering ,teuton1 however1 would lead to perdition2 for he1 insensible to the charms of breakfast1 does away with it altogether1 and1 as if still swayed by nursery rule1 eats his dinner at noon--and may he long be left to enjoy it by himself6 ,therefore1 in this1 as in many other matters that cater to the higher pleasures1 look to ,france for light and inspiration4 ,upon rising--and why not let the hour vary according to mood and inclination8--forswear all but the petit djeuner3 the little breakfast of coffee and rolls and butter4 ,but the coffee must be of the best1 no chicory as you hope for salvation2 the rolls must be crisp and light and fresh1 as they always are in ,paris and ,vienna2 the butter must be pure and sweet4 ,and if you possess a fragment of self-respect1 enjoy this petit djeuner alone1 in the solitude of your chamber4 ,upon the early family breakfast many and many a happy marriage has been wrecked2 and so be warned in time4 ,at noon once more is man fit to meet his fellow-man and woman4 ,appetite has revived4 ,the day is at its prime4 ,by every law of nature and of art1 this1 of all others1 is the hour that calls to breakfast4 ,when soft rains fall1 and winds blow milder1 and bushes in park or garden are sprouting and spring is at hand1 grace your table with this same sweet promise of spring4 ,let rosy radish give the touch of colour to satisfy the eye1 as chairs are drawn in close about the spotless cloth3 the tiny1 round radish1 pulled in the early hours of the morning1 still in its first virginal purity1 tender1 sweet1 yet peppery1 with all the piquancy of the young girl not quite a child1 not yet a woman4 ,in great bunches1 it enlivens every stall at ,covent ,garden1 and every greengrocer's window2 on the breakfast-table it is the gayest poem that uncertain ,march can sing4 ,do not spoil it by adding other hors d'oeuvres2 nothing must be allowed to destroy its fragrance and its savour4 ,bread and butter1 however1 will serve as sympathetic background1 and enhance rather than lessen its charm4 ,vague poetic memories and aspirations stirred within you by the dainty radish1 you will be in fitting humour for oeufs aux saucissons1 a dish1 surely1 invented by the ,angels in ,paradise4 ,there is little earthly in its composition or flavour2 irreverent it seems to describe it in poor halting words4 ,but if language prove weak1 intention is good1 and should others learn to honour this priceless delicacy1 then will much have been accomplished4 ,without more ado1 therefore1 go to ,benoist's1 and buy the little truffled ,french sausages which that temple of delight provides4 ,fry them1 and fry half the number of fresh eggs4 ,next1 one egg and two sausages place in one of those irresistible little ,french baking-dishes1 dim green or golden brown in colour1 and1 smothering them in rich wine sauce1 bake1 and serve--one little dish for each guest4 ,above all1 study well your sauce2 if it fail1 disaster is inevitable2 if it succeed1 place laurel leaves in your hair1 for you will have conquered4 ,a woman who has mastered sauces sits on the apex of civilisation4 ,without fear of anti-climax1 pass suavely on from oeufs aux saucissons to rognons sauts4 ,in thin elegant slices your kidneys should be cut1 before trusting them to the melted butter in the frying pan2 for seasoning1 add salt1 pepper1 and parsley2 for thickening1 flour2 for strength1 a tablespoonful or more of stock2 for stimulus1 as much good claret2 then eat thereof and you will never repent4 ,dainty steps these to prepare the way for the breakfast's most substantial course1 which1 to be in loving sympathy with all that has gone before1 may consist of ctelettes de mouton au naturel4 ,see that the cutlets be small and plump1 well trimmed1 and beaten gently1 once on each side1 with a chopper cooled in water4 ,dip them into melted butter1 grill them1 turning them but once that the juice may not be lost1 and thank kind fate that has let you live to enjoy so delicious a morsel4 ,pommes de terre sautes may be deemed chaste enough to appear--and disappear--at the same happy moment4 ,with welcome promise of spring the feast may end as it began4 ,order a salad to follow3 cool1 quieting1 encouraging4 ,when in its perfection cabbage lettuce is to be had1 none could be more submissive and responsive to the wooing of oil and vinegar4 ,never forget to rub the bowl with onion1 now in its first youth1 ardent but less fiery than in the days to come1 strong but less imperious4 ,no other garniture is needed4 ,the tender green of the lettuce leaves will blend and harmonise with the anemones and tulips1 in old blue china or dazzling crystal1 that decorate the table's centre2 and though grey may be the skies without1 something of ,may's softness and ,june's radiance will fill the breakfast-room with the glamour of romance4 ,what cheese1 you ask8 ,suisse1 of course4 ,is not the month ,march8 ,has not the menu1 so lovingly devised1 sent the spring rioting through your veins8 ,suisse with sugar1 and prolong the sweet dreaming while you may4 ,what if work you cannot1 after thus giving the reins to fancy and to appetite8 ,at least you will have had your hour of happiness4 ,breakfast is not for those who toil that they may dine2 their sad portion is the midday sandwich4 ,wine should be light and not too many4 ,the true epicure will want but one1 and he may do worse than let his choice fall upon ,graves1 though good ,graves1 alas6 is not to be had for the asking4 ,much too heavy is ,burgundy for breakfast4 ,if your soul yearns for red wine1 be aristocratic in your preferences1 and1 like the ,stuarts1 drink ,claret--a good ,st4 ,estphe or ,st4 ,julien4 ,coffee is indispensable1 and what is true of coffee after dinner is true as well of coffee after breakfast4 ,have it of the best1 or else not at all4 ,for liqueur1 one of the less fervent1 more maidenly varieties1 ,maraschino1 perhaps1 or ,prunelle1 but make sure it is the ,prunelle1 in stone jugs1 that comes from ,chalon-sur-,sane4 ,bring out the cigarettes--not the ,egyptian or ,turkish1 with suspicion of opium lurking in their fragrant recesses--but the cleaner1 purer ,virginian4 ,then smoke until1 like the ,gypsy in ,lenau's ballad1 all earthly trouble you have smoked away1 and you master the mysteries of ,nirvana4 ,,two ,,breakfasts ,spring is the year's playtime4 ,who1 while trees are growing green and flowers are budding1 can toil with an easy conscience8 ,later1 mere use and wont accustoms the most sensitive to sunshine and green leaves and fragrant blossoms4 ,it is easy to work in the summer4 ,but spring1 like wine1 goes to the head and gladdens the heart of man1 so that he is fit for no other duty than the enjoyment of this new gladness4 ,if he be human1 and not a mere machine1 he must and will choose it for the season of his holiday4 ,this is why in the spring the midday breakfast appeals with most charm4 ,it may be eaten in peace1 with no thought of immediate return to inconsiderate desk or tyrannical easel4 ,a stroll in the park1 a walk across the fields1 or over the hills and far away1 should be the most laborious labour to follow4 ,it would be a crime1 indeed1 to eat a dainty breakfast1 daintily designed and served1 in the bustle and nervous hurry of a working day4 ,but when the sunny hours bring only new pleasure and new capacity for it1 what better than to break their sweet monotony with a light1 joyous feast that worthily plays the herald to the evening's banquet8 ,it must be light1 however3 light as the sunshine that falls so softly on spotless white linen and flawless silver2 gay and gracious as the golden daffodils in their tall glass4 ,the table's ornaments should be few3 would not the least touch of heaviness mar the effect of spring8 ,why1 then1 add to the daffodils8 ,see1 only1 that they are fresh1 just plucked from the cool green woodland1 the morning dew still wet and shining on their golden petals1 and make sure that the glass1 though simple1 is as shapely as ,venice or ,whitefriars can fashion it4 ,daffodils will smile a welcome1 if radishes come to give them greeting2 radishes1 round and rosy and crisp2 there is a separate joy in the low sound of teeth crunching in their crispness4 ,vienna rolls 7and ,london can now supply them7 and rich yellow butter from ,devon dairies carry out the scheme of the first garden-like course4 ,sweeter smiles fall from the daffodils1 if now they prove motive to a fine symphony in gold2 as they will if omelette aux rognons be chosen as second course4 ,do not trust the omelet to heavy-handed cook1 who thinks it means a compromise between piecrust and pancake4 ,it must be frothy1 and strong in that quality of lightness which gives the keynote to the composition as a whole4 ,enclosed within its melting gold1 at its very heart1 as it were1 lie the kidneys elegantly minced and seasoned with delicate care4 ,it is a dish predestined for the midday breakfast1 too beautiful to be wasted on the early1 dull1 morning hours2 too immaterial for the evening's demands4 ,its memory will linger pleasantly1 even when pilaff de volaille l',indienne succeeds1 offering a new and more stirring symphony in the same radiant gold4 ,for golden is the rice1 stained with curry1 as it encircles the pretty1 soft mound of chicken livers1 brown and delicious4 ,here the breakfast reaches its one substantial point2 but meat more heavy would seem vulgar and gross4 ,the curry must not be too hot1 but rather gentle and genial like the lovely ,may sunshine4 ,now1 a pause and a contrast4 ,gold fades into green4 ,as are the stalks to the daffodils1 so the dish of petits pois aux laitues to pilaff and omelette4 ,the peas are so young that no device need be sought to disguise their age2 later on1 like faded beauty1 they may have recourse to many a trick and a pose1 but not as yet4 ,the lettuce1 as unsophisticated1 will but emphasise their exquisite youth4 ,it is a combination that has all the wonderful charm of infant leaves and tentative buds on one and the same branch of the spring-fired bush4 ,no sweet4 ,would not the artifice of jellies and cream pall after such a succession of ,nature's dear tributes8 ,surely the menu should finish as it began1 in entrancing simplicity4 ,port ,salut is a cheese that smells of the dairy2 that1 for all its monastic origin1 suggests the pink and white ,hetty or ,tess with sleeves well uprolled over curved1 dimpling arms4 ,eat it with ,bath ,oliver biscuits1 and sigh that the end should come so soon4 ,where the need to drag in the mummy at the close of the feast8 ,the ancients were wise2 with the last course does it not ever stare at you cruelly1 with mocking reminder that eating1 like love1 hath an end8 ,graves is the wine to drink with daffodil-crowned feast--golden ,graves1 light as the breakfast1 gay as the sunshine1 gladdening as the spring itself4 ,coffee completes the composition nobly1 if it be black and strong4 ,and for liqueur1 ,benedictine1 in colour and feeling alike1 enters most fittingly into the harmony4 ,smoke cigarettes from ,virginia1 that southern land of luxuriant spring flowers4 ,there is no monotony in spring sunshine2 why1 then1 let spring's breakfast always strike the same monotonous note8 ,another day1 another mood1 and so1 as logical consequence1 another menu4 ,from your own garden gather a bunch of late tulips1 scarlet and glowing1 but cool in their shelter of long tapering leaves4 ,fill a bowl with them3 it may be a rare bronze from ,japan1 or a fine piece of old ,delft1 or anything else1 provided it be somewhat sumptuous as becomes the blossoms it holds4 ,open with that triumph of colour which would have enchanted a ,titian or a ,monticelli3 the roseate salmon of the ,rhine1 smoked to a turn1 and cut in thin slices1 all but transparent4 ,it kindles desire and lends new zest to appetite4 ,after so ardent a preparation1 what better suited for ensuing course than oeufs brouills aux pointes d'asperges8 the eggs golden and fleecy as the clouds in the sunset's glow2 the asparagus points imparting that exquisite flavour which is so essentially their own4 ,cloudlike1 the loveliness gradually and gracefully disappears1 as in a poet's dream or a painter's impression1 and spring acquires a new meaning1 a new power to enchant4 ,who1 with a soul1 could pass on to a roast or a big heating joint8 ,more to the purpose is ris de veau la ,toulouse1 the sweetbreads broiled with distinction1 and then1 in pretty fluted caissons1 surrounded with ,bchamel sauce and ravishing ragot of mushrooms and cock's combs4 ,they are light as a feather1 but still a trifle flamboyant in honour of the tulips1 while the name carries with it gaiety from the gay southern town of the ,jeux ,floraux4 ,next1 a salad is not out of place4 ,make it of tomatoes1 scarlet and stirring1 like some strange tropical blossoms decking the shrine of the sun4 ,just a suspicion of shallot in the bowl2 the perfect dressing of vinegar and oil1 pepper and salt2 and the luxuriant tropics could not yield a richer and more fragrant offering4 ,it is a salad that vies with ,cleopatra in its defiance to custom4 ,love for it grows stronger with experience4 ,the oftener it is enjoyed the greater the desire to enjoy it again4 ,why1 then1 venture to destroy the impression it leaves with the cloying insipidity of some ill-timed sweet8 ,it is almost too early for strawberries worth the eating1 save in a macdoine1 and they alone would come next in order1 without introducing an element of confusion in the well-proportioned breakfast of spring4 ,a savoury1 too1 would1 at this special juncture1 have its drawbacks4 ,cheese again best fulfils the conditions imposed4 ,but now1 something stronger1 something more definite than ,port ,salut is called for2 if ,camembert prove the cheese of your choice1 there will be no chance for criticism4 ,one warning3 see that it is ripe2 for the ,camembert that crumbles in its dryness is nothing short of iniquitous4 ,tulips and tomatoes point to ,claret as the wine to be drunk4 ,burgundy is for the evening1 when candles are lighted1 and the hours of dreaming have begun4 ,st4 ,estphe1 at noon1 has infinite merit1 and responds to the tulip's call with greater warmth than any white wine1 whether from the vineyards of ,france or ,germany1 of ,hungary or ,italy4 ,coffee1 as a matter of course1 is to the elegantly-designed breakfast what the ,butterfly is to the ,nocturne4 ,and when all is said1 few liqueurs accord with it so graciously as ,cognac2 that is1 if the dishes to precede it have tended to that joyful flamboyancy born of the artist's exuberance in moments of creation4 ,eat either breakfast1 or both2 and be thankful that spring comes once a year4 ,,the ,,subtle ,,sandwich ,if things yield themselves unto our mercy why should we not have the fruition of them1 or apply them to our advantage8 ,from evil1 good may come2 from the little1 springs greatness4 ,a reckless gamester1 to defy the pangs of hunger1 which might drag him from his beloved cards1 brings to the gaming table slices of bread with ham between4 ,if other men despise--or deplore1 according to their passing mood--his folly1 to their own pleasure and profit can they still turn his invention4 ,the sandwich has become a universal possession for all time1 though for a century the earl who created it has lain dead4 ,his foibles should be forgotten1 his one redeeming virtue remembered4 ,for him a fair and spacious niche in the world's ,valhalla4 ,a hero indeed is he who left the sandwich as an heirloom to humanity4 ,it truly is the staff of life1 a substantial meal for starving traveller or bread-winner2 but none the less an incomparable work of art1 a joy to the gourmand of fancy and discretion4 ,the very name has come to be a pregnant symbol of holiday-making for all with souls to stir at the thought of food and drink4 ,it is an inexhaustible stimulus to the imagination2 to the memory a tender guide to the past's happiest days and hours4 ,for1 in fancy1 between the slices of bread1 place thick1 uncompromising pieces of beef or mutton1 and to the ,alps you are at once transported4 ,again1 on the short1 fragrant grass you sit2 from its temporary snow-grave a little above1 ,perren or ,imboden fetches the bottle of wine1 ordinary enough in reality1 nectar as you drink it there2 ,seiler's supplies you take from the faithful knapsack1 opening paper package after paper package2 and your feast of big1 honest1 no-nonsense-about-them sandwiches you devour with the appetite of a schoolboy1 and the zeal of the convert to plain living and high mountain climbing4 ,or1 thin the slices1 make them the covering for ham and tongue1 or--if you be greatly favoured--for sardines and anchovies2 and then memory will spread for you the banquet in the pleasant pastures that border the ,cam1 the willows bowering you from the ,august sun with shade1 your boat moored to the cool bank2 and with ,claret cup1 poured1 mayhap1 into old college tankards1 you quench your thirst1 while lazily you listen to the distant plashing of oars and lowing of kine1 and all life drifts into an idle dream4 ,or1 the ham of ,bayonne1 the pt de foie gras of ,prigueux1 you bury in the deep recesses of a long1 narrow1 crisp petit pain1 and then1 quick in a ,french railway carriage will you find yourself3 a bottle of wine is at your side2 the ,echo de ,paris lies spread on the seat before you2 out of the window long lines of poplars go marching with you toward ,paris1 whither you are bound to make the feast4 ,grim and gruesome1 it may be1 are some of the memories evoked3 ill-considered excursions to the bar of the ,english railway station1 hasty lunches in chance bun shops1 foolish testings of ham and beef limitations4 ,but1 henceforth1 take heed to chasten your experience with the sandwich1 that remembrance may not play you such scurvy tricks4 ,treat it aright with understanding and respect1 and it will keep you in glad holiday humour1 in the eating thereof as in the memory4 ,life1 alas6 is not all play in ,thames sunshine and keen ,alpine air1 or in hopeful journeying through the pleasant land of ,france4 ,but in the everyday of stern work and doleful dissipation the sandwich is an ally of infallible trustworthiness and infinite resources4 ,in the hour of need it is never found wanting4 ,to dine well1 authorities have proclaimed in ex cathedr utterance1 you must lunch lightly2 but not1 therefore1 does it follow that the light luncheon should be repellently prosaic4 ,let it be dainty--a graceful lyric--that it may fill you with hope of the coming dinner4 ,and lyrical indeed is the savoury sandwich1 well cut and garnished1 served on rare faence or old silver2 a glass1 or perhaps two1 of ,bordeaux of some famous vintage1 to strengthen its subtle flavour4 ,an ally again at afternoon tea it proves1 if at five o'clock drink tea you must2 a mistake1 surely1 if you value your dinner4 ,to belittle the excellence of crumpets and muffins well toasted1 would be to betray a narrow mind and senseless prejudice2 but these buttery1 greasy delicacies in private should be eaten1 where the ladies of ,cranford sucked their oranges4 ,and at the best their excellence is homely4 ,in the sandwich well devised is something exotic and strange1 some charm elusive and mysterious4 ,but let not the sandwich be of ham1 except rarely1 for the etherealized luncheon1 the mystic tea4 ,reserve this well-meaning1 but unpoetic1 viand for the journey and the day of open-air sport1 to which so admirably it is fitted4 ,nor so reserving it1 will you be hampered in making what ,dumas calls tartines l',anglaise4 ,infinity is at your disposal1 if you be large and liberal enough to grasp the fact4 ,one hundred numbered the varieties known to that genius of ,glasgow1 who1 for his researches1 has been honoured by a place in dictionary and ,encyclopdia4 ,to these you may add1 if time and leisure you find for a trip to ,budapest and the famous ,kgler's1 where1 with your tea1 will be served such exquisite sandwiches1 so original and many in their devices that you can but come away marvelling1 in all eagerness to emulate the artist who designed them4 ,for the luncheon sandwich1 choose from the countless treasures of the sea4 ,rapture is in the sardine1 not the oiled from ,france1 but the smoked from ,norway2 tunny fish or anchovies are dreams of delight2 caviar1 an ecstacy1 the more delicious if a dash of lemon juice be added4 ,and1 if you would know these in perfection1 use brown bread instead of white4 ,salmon is not to be scorned1 nor turbot to be turned from in contempt2 they become triumphs if you are not too niggardly with cayenne pepper2 triumphs not unknown to ,cheapside4 ,nor are the various so-called creams--of shrimps1 of lobster1 of salmon--altogether to be despised1 and they1 too1 the better prove for the judicious touch of cayenne4 ,but confine not your experiments to the conventional or the recommended4 ,overhaul the counter of the fishmonger4 ,set your wits to work4 ,cultivate your artistic instincts4 ,invent6 ,create6 ,many are the men who have painted pictures3 few those who have composed a new and perfect sandwich4 ,upon the egg1 likewise1 you may rely for inspiration--the humble hen's egg1 or the lordly plover's4 ,hard-boiled1 in thin slices 7oh6 the memories of ,kgler's1 and the ,russian railway station1 and the hor d'oeuvres1 ,tartar-guarded sideboard1 now awakened67 or well grated2 by itself1 or in endless combinations1 the egg will ever repay your confidence4 ,upon sausage1 also1 you may count with loving faith4 ,butterbrod mit ,wurst--,wurst and philosophy1 these are the ,german masterpieces4 ,and here1 you may visit the delicatessen shop to good purpose4 ,goose-liver1 ,brunswick1 garlic1 ,bologna1 truffled--all fulfil their highest destiny1 when in thinnest of thin slices1 you lay them between slices no less thin of buttered bread--brown or white1 as artistic appropriateness suggests--a faint suspicion of mustard to lend them piquancy4 ,beef and mutton1 when not cut in ,alpine chunks1 are comforting1 and with mustard duly applied1 grateful as well4 ,fowl and game1 galantine and tongue1 veal and brawn--no meat there is1 whether fresh or boned or potted1 that does not adapt itself gracefully to certain occasions1 to certain needs4 ,and here1 again1 be not slow to arrange new harmonies1 to suggest new schemes4 ,it should be your endeavor always to give style and individuality to your sandwiches4 ,cheese in shavings1 or grated1 has great merit4 ,greater still has the cool cucumber1 fragrant from its garden ground1 the unrivalled tomato1 the crisp1 sharp mustard and cress4 ,scarce a green thing growing that will not lend itself to the true artist in sandwich-making4 ,lettuce1 celery1 watercress1 radishes--not one may you not test to your own higher happiness4 ,and your art may be measured by your success in proving the onion to be the poetic soul of the sandwich1 as of the salad bowl4 ,for afternoon tea the dainty green sandwich is the daintiest of them all4 ,if to sweets your taste incline1 then easily may you be gratified1 though it be a taste smacking of the nursery and the schoolroom4 ,jams and marmalades you may press into service2 chocolate or candied fruit4 ,and sponge cake may take the place of bread1 and1 with strawberries between1 you have the ,american strawberry short-cake4 ,but1 whatever your sandwich1 above all things see that its proportions be delicate and symmetrical2 that it please the eye before ever the first fragment has passed into the mouth4 ,a ,,perfect ,,dinner ,fashion and art have little in common4 ,save for chance1 they would remain always as the poles apart4 ,the laws of the one are transitory1 of the other eternal2 and as irreconcilable are they in the observance4 ,make then your choice between them1 since no man may serve two masters4 ,know that if ever the noble art of cookery be wrecked1 it will be upon the quicksands of ,fashion4 ,in many ways is it threatened by the passing mode1 but1 above all others1 one danger looms up before it1 grim1 relentless1 tragic3 the more awful because1 to the thoughtless1 at first it seems sweet as siren's singing4 ,it is an evil born of the love of display and of the keen competition between ,fashion's votaries4 ,for they who would pose as delicate diners1 think to eclipse their rivals by number of courses and bewildering variety4 ,how to prolong the menu1 rather than how to perfect it1 is their constant study4 ,in excess they would emulate the banquets of the ancients1 though they are too refined by far to revive the old vomitories--the indispensable antidote4 ,dish follows dish1 conceit is piled upon conceit2 and with what result8 ,before dinner is half over1 palates are jaded1 fine shades can no more be appreciated1 every new course awakens fear of the morrow's indigestion4 ,or else1 pleasure is tempered by caution1 a melancholy compromise2 nothing is really eaten1 the daintiest devices are but trifled with1 and dinner is degraded into a torture fit for ,tantalus4 ,surely1 never was there a more cruel1 fickle mistress than ,fashion6 ,sad1 immeasurably sad1 the fate of her worshippers4 ,art despises show1 it disdains rivalry1 and it knows not excess4 ,a ,velasquez or a ,whistler never overloads his canvas for the sake of gorgeous detail4 ,to the artist in words1 superfluous ornament is the unpardonable sin4 ,and so with the lovers of ,gasterea1 the tenth and fairest of the ,muses4 ,better by far ,omar ,khayyam's jug of wine and loaf of bread1 if both be good1 than all the ill-regulated banquets of a ,lucullus4 ,who would hesitate between the feasts of ,heliogabalus and the frugal fowl and the young kid1 the raisins1 figs1 and nuts of ,horace8 ,it matters not how many courses between oysters and coffee ,fashion may decree1 if1 turning your back upon her and her silly pretensions1 you devise a few that it will be a privilege for your guests to eat1 a joy for them to remember4 ,bear in mind the master's model luncheon and its success4 ,no menu could have been simpler2 none more delicious4 ,the table was laid for three1 a goodly number1 for all the slurs cast upon it4 ,at each plate were two dozen oysters with a bright golden lemon2 at each end of the table stood a bottle of ,sauterne1 carefully wiped all except the cork1 which showed unmistakably that it was long since the wine had been bottled4 ,after the oysters roasted kidneys were served2 next1 truffled foie-gras2 then the famous fondue1 the beautiful arrangement of eggs beaten up with cheese1 prepared over a chafing-dish at table1 stimulating appetite by all the delights of anticipation4 ,fruit followed1 and coffee2 and last1 two liqueurs1 one a spirit1 to clear1 and the other an oil1 to soothe4 ,be not content to read1 but go and do likewise6 ,imagine a dinner planned on the same pattern1 and the conventional banquet of the day soon will seem to you the monstrosity it is4 ,observe two all-important rules and you may not wander far wrong4 ,one is to limit the number of courses2 the other to serve first the substantial dishes1 then those that are lighter1 first the simpler wines1 afterwards those of finer flavours4 ,the hors d'oeuvre1 however1 is an exception4 ,if too substantial it would defeat its end4 ,it must whet the appetite1 not blunt it4 ,in its flavour must its strength lie2 at once keen and subtle1 it should stimulate1 but never satisfy4 ,an anchovy salad touches perfection2 the anchovies--the boneless species from ,france--the olives skilfully stoned1 the capers in carefully studied proportions1 the yellow of the egg well grated1 the parsley1 chopped fine1 must be arranged by an artist with a fine feeling for decorative effect1 and the dressing of oil1 vinegar1 pepper1 and salt1 poured gently over the design so as not to destroy the poetry of line and colour4 ,a crisp ,vienna roll1 with sweet fresh butter1 makes an excellent accompaniment1 but one to be enjoyed in moderation4 ,crme ,soubise is the soup to follow4 ,thick1 creamy1 onion-scented1 the first spoonful enchants1 and a glamour is at once cast over dinner and diners4 ,sufficing in itself1 it needs neither ,parmesan nor toast to enhance its merits4 ,like a beautiful woman1 unadorned it is adorned the most4 ,admirably1 it prepares the way for oysters1 deftly scalloped1 with shallots and fragrant bouquet garni to lend them savour1 and bread crumbs to form a rich golden-brown outer covering4 ,if not unmindful of the eye's pleasure1 you will make as many shells as there are guests serve the purpose of a single dish4 ,without loitering or dallying with useless entres1 come at once to the one substantial course of the pleasant feast--and see that it be not too substantial4 ,avoid the heavy1 clumsy1 unimaginative joint4 ,decide rather for idyllic1 ,tournedos aux ,champignons2 the fillet tender and saignant1 as the ,french say1 the mushrooms1 not of the little button variety1 suggesting tins or bottles1 but large and black and fresh from the market4 ,rapture is their inevitable sauce3 rapture too deep for words4 ,to share the same plate pommes souffles may be found worthy4 ,none but the irreverent would seek to blur their impressions by eating other meats after so delectable a dish4 ,order1 rather1 a vegetable salad1 fresh and soothing3 potatoes1 cauliflower1 carrots1 celery1 a suspicion of garlic1 and a sprinkling of parsley4 ,eat slowly2 foolish is the impatient man who gallops through his pleasures in hot haste4 ,and now1 be bold1 defy convention1 and do away with sweets4 ,after so tender a poem1 who could rejoice in the prose of pudding8 ,but a last course at dinner1 wanting cheese1 is like a pretty woman with only one eye4 ,therefore1 unless you be blind to beauty1 let cheese be served4 ,port ,salut will do as well as another2 neither too strong nor too mild1 it has qualities not to be prized lightly4 ,fruit is the sweet envoy to the ,ballade of ,dinner4 ,and of all winter's fruits1 the fragrant1 spicy little ,tangerine orange is most delicious and suggestive4 ,its perfume alone1 to those who have dined discreetly1 is a magic pass to the happy land of dreams4 ,conversation rallies1 wit flashes1 confidences are begotten over walnuts and almonds1 and so1 unless in surly1 taciturn mood--as who could be after so exquisite a dinner8--let these have a place upon your menu4 ,see that your wines are as perfect of their kind as your courses4 ,too many would be a dire mistake4 ,a good ,sauterne1 a light ,burgundy will answer well if of the first quality4 ,cheap1 or of a poor vintage1 they will ruin the choicest dish4 ,upon coffee1 too1 much depends4 ,it must be strong1 it must be rich1 it must be hot4 ,but strength and richness may not be had unless it be fresh roasted and ground4 ,worse a hundredfold you may do than to mix ,mocha with ,mysore2 theirs is one of the few happy unions4 ,if romance have charm for you1 then finish with a little glass of green ,chartreuse--the yellow is for the feeble and the namby-pamby2 powerful1 indeed1 is the spell it works1 powerful and ecstatic4 ,and having thus well and wisely dined1 the cares of life will slip from you2 its vexations and annoyances will dwindle into nothingness4 ,serene1 at peace with yourself and all mankind1 you may then claim as your right the true joys of living4 ,,an ,,autumn ,,dinner ,why sigh if summer be done1 and already grey skies1 like a pall1 hang over fog-choked ,london town8 ,the sun may shine1 wild winds may blow1 but every evening brings with it the happy dinner hour4 ,with the autumn days foolish men play at being pessimists1 and talk in platitudes of the cruel fall of the leaf and death of love4 ,and what matter8 ,may they not still eat and drink8 ,may they not still know that most supreme of all joys1 the perfect dish perfectly served8 ,small indeed is the evil of a broken heart compared to a coarsened palate or disordered digestion4 ,therefore have we cause to be merry6--and to cast away all care4 ,autumn has less to distract from the pleasure that never fails4 ,the glare of foolish sunlight no longer lures to outdoor debauches1 the soft breath of the south wind no longer breathes hope of happiness in ,arcadian simplicity4 ,we can sit in peace by our fireside1 and dream dreams of a long succession of triumphant menus4 ,the touch of frost in the air is as a spur to the artist's invention2 it quickens ambition1 and stirs to loftier aspiration4 ,the summer languor is dissipated1 and with the re-birth of activity is re-awakened desire for the delicious1 the piquante1 the fantastic4 ,let an autumn dinner then be created6 dainty1 as all art must be1 with that elegance and distinction and individuality without which the masterpiece is not4 ,strike the personal note2 forswear commonplace4 ,the glorious1 unexpected overture shall be soupe aux moules4 ,for this great advantage it can boast3 it holds the attention not only in the short--all too short--moment of eating1 but from early in the morning of the eventful day2 nor does it allow itself to be forgotten as the eager hours race on4 ,at eleven--and the heart leaps for delight as the clock strikes--the pot-au-feu is placed upon the fire2 at four1 tomatoes and onions--the onions white as the driven snow--communing in all good fellowship in a worthy saucepan follow2 and at five1 after an hour's boiling1 they are strained through a sieve1 peppered1 salted1 and seasoned4 ,and now is the time for the mussels1 swimming in a sauce made of a bottle of white wine1 a bouquet-garni1 carrot1 excellent vinegar1 and a glass of ordinary red wine1 to be offered up in their turn1 and some thirty minutes will suffice for the ceremony4 ,at this critical point1 bouillon1 tomatoes1 and mussels meet in a proper pot well rubbed with garlic1 and an ardent quarter of an hour will consummate the union4 ,as you eat1 something of the ardour becomes yours1 and in an ecstasy the dinner begins4 ,sad indeed would it prove were imagination exhausted with so promising a prelude4 ,each succeeding course must lead to new ecstasy1 else will the dinner turn out the worst of failures4 ,in turbot au gratin1 the ecstatic possibilities are by no means limited4 ,in a chaste silver dish1 make a pretty wall of potatoes1 which have been beaten to flour1 enlivened with pepper and salt1 enriched with butter and cream--cream thick and fresh and altogether adorable--seasoned with ,parmesan cheese1 and left on the stove for ten minutes1 neither more nor less2 let the wall enclose layers of turbot1 already cooked and in pieces1 of melted butter and of cream1 with a fair covering of bread-crumbs2 and rely upon a quick oven to complete the masterpiece4 ,after so pretty a conceit1 where would be the poetry in heavy joints or solid meats8 ,ris de veau aux truffes surely would be more in sympathy2 the sweetbreads baked and browned very tenderly1 the sauce fashioned of truffles duly sliced1 marsala1 lemon juice1 salt and paprika1 with a fair foundation of benevolent bouillon4 ,and with so exquisite a dish no disturbing vegetable should be served4 ,and after8 ,if you still hanker for the roast beef and horseradish of ,old ,england1 then go and gorge yourself at the first convenient restaurant4 ,would you interrupt a symphony that the orchestra might play ,god save the ,queen8 ,would you set the chorus in ,atalanta in ,calydon to singing odes by ,mr ,alfred ,austen8 ,there is a place for all things1 and the place for roast beef is not on the ecstatic menu4 ,grouse1 rather1 would meet the diner's mood--grouse with memories of the broad moor and purple heather4 ,roast them at a clear fire1 basting them with maternal care4 ,remember that they1 as well as pheasants and partridges1 should have gravy in the dish and bread-sauce in a cup4 ,their true affinity is less the vegetable1 however artistically prepared1 than the salad1 serenely simple1 that discord may not be risked4 ,not this the time for the bewildering macdoine1 or the brilliant tomato4 ,choose1 instead1 lettuce2 crisp cool ,romaine by choice4 ,sober restraint should dignify the dressing2 a suspicion of chives may be allowed2 a sprinkling of well-chopped tarragon leaves is indispensable4 ,words are weak to express1 but the true poet strong to feel the loveliness now fast reaching its climax4 ,it is autumn1 the mood is fantastic3 a sweet1 if it tend not to the vulgarity of heavy puddings and stodgy pies1 will introduce an amusing1 a sprightly element4 ,omelette souffle claims the privilege4 ,but it must be light as air1 all but ethereal in substance1 a mere nothing to melt in the mouth like a beautiful dream4 ,and yet in melting it must yield a flavour as soft as the fragrance of flowers1 and as evanescent4 ,the sensation must be but a passing one that piques the curiosity and soothes the excited palate4 ,a dash of orange-flower water1 redolent of the graceful days that are no more1 another of wine from ,andalusian vineyards1 and the sensation may be secured4 ,by the law of contrasts the vague must give way to the decided4 ,the stirring1 glorious climax after the brief1 gentle interlude1 will be had in canap des olives farcies1 the olives stuffed with anchovies and capers1 deluged with cayenne1 prone on their beds of toast and girded about with astonished watercress4 ,fruit will seem a graceful afterthought2 pears all golden1 save where the sun1 a passionate lover1 with his kisses set them to blushing a rosy red2 grapes1 purple and white and voluptuous2 figs1 overflowing with the exotic sweetness of their far southern home2 peaches1 tender and juicy and desirable4 ,to eat is to eschew all prose1 to spread the wings of the soul in glad poetic flight4 ,what matter1 indeed1 if the curtains shut out stormy night or monstrous fog8 ,rejoice that no blue ribbon dangles unnecessarily and ignominiously at your buttonhole4 ,wine1 rich wine to sing in the glass with odorous music1 the autumn dinner demands4 ,burgundy1 rich red ,burgundy1 it should be2 ,beaune or ,pomard as you will1 to fire the blood and set the fancy free4 ,and let none other but yourself warm it2 study its temperature as the lover might study the frowns and smiles of his beloved4 ,and the ,spirit of ,wine will sing in your hearts that you too may triumph ,in the savour and scent of his music1 ,his magnetic and mastering song4 ,and the ,burgundy will make superfluous ,port and ,tokay1 and all the dessert wines1 sweet or dry1 which unsympathetic diners range before them upon the coming of the fruit4 ,drink nothing else until wineglass be pushed aside for cup of coffee1 black and sweet of savour1 a blend of ,mocha and ,mysore4 ,rich1 thick1 luxurious1 ,turkish coffee would be a most fitting epilogue4 ,but then1 see that you refuse the more frivolous1 feminine liqueurs4 ,cognac1 old and strong-hearted1 alone would meet the hour's emotions--,cognac1 the gift of the gods1 the immortal liquid4 ,lean back and smoke in silence1 unless speech1 exchanged with the one kind spirit1 may be golden and perfect as the dinner4 ,a ,,midsummer ,,dinner ,at midsummer1 the gourmand subsists chiefly on hope of the good time coming4 ,the #abth ushers in season of glorious plenty4 ,but1 for the moment1 there is a lull in the market's activity4 ,green things there are in abundance2 but upon green things alone it is not good for man to live4 ,consult the oracle2 turn to the immortal1 infallible ,almanack1 and confirmation of this sad truth will stare you in the face plainly1 relentlessly4 ,sucking-pig is sole consolation offered by benevolent ,de la ,reynire to well-nigh inconsolable man4 ,but what a poem in the sucking-pig that gambols gaily over his pages3 a delicious roasted creature1 its little belly stuffed full of liver and truffles and mushrooms1 capers1 anchovies1 aromatic pepper1 and salt1 all wrought together into one elegant farce2 while in dish apart1 as indispensable acolyte1 an orange sauce waits to complete the masterpiece6 ,en daube1 this amiable little beast is not to be despised1 nor en ragot need it be dismissed with disdain1 though1 let man of letters beware6 ,the ,society of ,authors1 with his welfare at heart1 should warn him while still there is time4 ,what zest might be given to the savourless ,author1 their organ1 were its columns well filled with stately and brilliant discourses upon food and good eating4 ,how the writer of delicate perceptions should eat3 is that not1 as subject1 prettier and more profitable far than how much money he can make by publishing here and lecturing there8 ,the poor gourmand1 in sorry plight during midsummer's famine1 may seek blessed light also from ,filippini1 ,delmonico's cook4 ,out of the fulness of his heart he speaketh1 leaving not one of ,august's thirty-one shortening days without elaborate menu4 ,but ,london must fast while ,new ,york feasts4 ,at ,delmonico's1 happy diners may smile gracious welcome to ,lima beans and sweet corn1 to succotash and egg-plant1 to chicken l'okra and clam chowder1 but what hope for the patrons of ,verrey's and ,nichol's8 ,what hope1 unless1 forthwith1 they emigrate to that promised land beyond the broad ,atlantic8 ,for the rest1 ,filippini reveals not the originality1 the invention that one would have hoped from him1 even at the season when men are struck dead by the sun in the streets of his dear town of adoption4 ,roast turkey1 with cranberry sauce1 is suggestive of ,november's drear days2 ,brussels sprouts sum up greengrocers' resources in midwinter4 ,but why falter8 ,hope need never be abandoned by the wise1 whose faith is strong in himself4 ,the season presents difficulties1 but the beautiful dinner may still be designed4 ,to meet ,august's flaming mood1 it should be rich1 and frankly voluptuous4 ,let flowers that bespeak autumn's approach and the fulness of harvest give the dinner its keynote4 ,in ,delft bowl1 of appropriate coarseness1 heap the late summer's first dahlias1 all scarlet and gold as ,london's sunset at the fall of the year4 ,to the earth's ripeness and fertility their bold1 unabashed hues bear loud and triumphant witness4 ,let the soup be at once tribute and farewell to spring that has gone4 ,regret will be luxuriously expressed in pure de petits pois2 spinach added to the fresh peas to lend flavour and colour1 a dash of sugar for sweetness' sake1 a pinch of paprika to counteract it1 a suspicion of onion to strengthen it4 ,arrowroot1 in discreet measure1 will answer for thickening1 and impart more becoming consistency even than flour4 ,pleasure in the eating will be tempered by sorrow in the prospect of parting1 and therefore intensified a hundredfold4 ,where the joy in possession but for the ever-present fear of loss8 ,with the second course1 banish regret4 ,forget yesterday2 be indifferent to to-morrow2 revel riotously in to-day4 ,hure de saumon la ,cambacrs will point out the way to supreme surrender4 ,close to the head1 the delicate silver-rose of the fish must be cut in lavish proportions2 braised gently1 its removal to the dish that is waiting is signal to surround it with truffles and mushrooms and stoned olives--garland beyond compare2 a sauce of drawn butter1 seasoned with paprika and lemon juice and parsley1 is essential accompaniment4 ,and now the present truly has conquered6 ,the third course must not betray the second's promise4 ,gay and fantastic1 it must be well able to stand the dread test of comparison4 ,rognons d'agneau l'icurienne enters nobly into the breach2 the lamb's dainty kidneys are split and grilled with decorum1 their fragrant centres are adorned with sympathetic sauce ,tartare1 golden potatoes la ,parisienne insist upon serving as garniture1 and ,mr ,senn demands1 as finishing touch1 the stimulating seduction of sauce ,poivrade4 ,who now will say that ,august is barren of delicious devices8 ,to follow3 poulet saut l',hongroise1 the clash of the ,czardas captured and imprisoned in a stew-pan4 ,with the ,racoczy's wild drumming stirring memory into frenzy1 stew the fowl1 already cut into six willing pieces1 with butter1 a well-minced onion1 pepper--paprika by choice--and salt2 ten minutes will suffice--how1 indeed1 endure the strain a second longer8 ,then to the notes of the cymbal1 moisten with ,bchamel sauce and fair quantity of cream1 and rejoice in the fine ,romany rapture for just twenty minutes more4 ,decorate with crotons1 and send fancy1 without fetters1 wandering across the plains and over the mountains of song-bound ,magyarland4 ,to play the gypsy1 free as the deer in the forest1 as the bird in the air1 is not this as it should be in the month1 more than all others1 pledged to pleinairisme8 ,insipid1 as life without love1 is the dinner without imagination4 ,vegetables have no special place in the scheme of ,august's dinner4 ,but a salad will not come amiss4 ,remember1 the feast is ordered in sheer voluptuousness of spirit4 ,the fifth course calls for the scarlet splendour of tomatoes2 and the presiding dahlias1 in bowl of ,delft1 clamour for the gold of mayonnaise sauce to carry out the exulting trumpeting harmony4 ,a hint1 here1 to the earnest1 ambitious gourmand2 if cream be worked1 deftly and slowly1 into the thickening sauce1 sublime will be the results4 ,a sweet1 at this juncture1 would err if over-chaste in conception4 ,picture to yourself the absurd figure cut by tapioca pudding or apple dumpling on conscientiously voluptuous menu8 ,a macdoine mringue would have more legitimate claim to close the banquet with distinction4 ,august supplies fruit without stint3 plums and greengages and apricots and nectarines and peaches and pears and grapes and bananas2 all join together to sweet purpose1 with ecstatic intent2 a large wineglass of ,claret1 a generous sprinkling of ,cognac will guard against puerility4 ,the protecting mringue should be crisp and pale golden brown2 and later it will need the reinforcement of thick luscious cream4 ,a sweet fails to delight1 unless a savoury comes speedily after4 ,caviar de ,russie en crpes is worthy successor of macdoine mringue4 ,mingle cream with the caviar1 and none who eats will have cause to complain4 ,it reconciles to the barbarous1 even where ,tolstoi and ,marie ,bashkirtseff may have failed4 ,to dally with fruit is graceful excuse to linger longer over wine4 ,plums and greengages1 their bloom still fresh1 their plump roundness never yet submitted to trial by fire1 figs--pale northern ghosts1 alas6--peaches1 grapes1 make exquisite interlude--between dinner and coffee4 ,refrain not3 abstinence1 of all follies created by man1 is the most wicked1 the most unpardonable4 ,drink ,chambertin1 that the song in your heart may be fervent and firm4 ,drink1 that your courage may be strong for the feasting4 ,shake off the shackles of timidity4 ,be fearless and brave1 turning a deaf ear to the temptations of the temperate4 ,to be moderate at midsummer is to disregard the imperative commands of immoderate nature4 ,coffee1 made as the ,turks make it1 will bring languorous1 irresistible message from the sensuous ,east4 ,fine ,champagne will add the energy of the fiery ,west4 ,adorable combination6 ,oh1 ,east is ,east1 and ,west is ,west2 but the twain the day of the ,august dinner shall meet4 ,,two ,,suppers ,tradition is a kindly tyrant4 ,why then strive to shake off its shackles8 ,to bow the neck gladly beneath the yoke is at times to win rich reward1 first in charm of association1 and then in pleasantness of actual fact4 ,is there not a tradition in ,england that supper is more appropriate to the quiet of ,sunday evenings than dinner8 ,no use to ask whence it arose or whither it leads4 ,there it is1 though many would evade it as senseless makeshift4 ,to forswear dinner for all time and eternity would be worse than folly2 it is life's most solemn1 most joyous ceremony4 ,but once and again1 for dear sake of contrast1 to find a seducing substitute is wisdom in a world where all pleasures fail1 and man is constant to one thing never4 ,and now that summer has come and holds the green earth in its ardent embrace1 now that days are long1 and sweetest hours are those when the sun sinks low1 there is new delight in the evening meal that leaves one free to dream in the twilight1 that does not summon one indoors just as all outdoors is loveliest4 ,supper on every day in the week would be a mistake2 but on one in seven it may well be commended1 especially when the month is ,june4 ,in the afternoon1 tea is served in the garden1 or whatever ,london can offer in the garden's stead4 ,there are a few strawberries in a pretty old porcelain dish to lend an air of dainty substance1 and there is rich cream in which they may hide their pretty blushes2 and there is gay talk and happy silence4 ,indolent hours follow4 ,is it not ,sunday1 and are not all weekly cares pigeon-holed out of sight8 ,nor do the advantages of the occasional supper end here4 ,it is excellent excuse for the ice-cold banquet which in the warm summer-time has its own immeasurable virtues4 ,a supper should be cold2 else it deteriorates into mere sham dinner4 ,never do cold dishes seem more delicious than when cruel thermometer is at fever heat4 ,you see8 ,there is logic in the ,sunday evening supper1 at this season of all seasons for love1 and eating1 and drinking4 ,but supper does not mean1 necessarily1 veal and ham pie1 above which ,british imagination dares not soar4 ,it is not limited to the half-demolished joint--sad wreck of midday's meal4 ,it may be as fair and harmonious as dinner itself1 as noble a tribute to the artist1 as superb a creation4 ,only the thoughtless and prosaic will dismiss it carelessly in the ordering1 believing that any odds and ends will answer4 ,whatever is left over is to many the one possible conception of the late evening meal4 ,but the gourmand1 exulting in his gluttony1 makes of it a work of art1 good in the eating1 good in the remembrance thereof4 ,summer allows wide scope for his fertile fancy4 ,he may begin with salmon1 refreshing to the eye in its arrangement of pale silver and rose1 cold as the glaciers of ,greenland after its long hours of repose on voluptuous bed of ice4 ,a mayonnaise sauce1 creamy and rich1 turning the silver to gold1 like a fairy godmother of legend1 is the cherished accompaniment4 ,the feeling of wonder1 aroused in the hours of watching under the trees1 being still upper-most1 it will seem as if the soft hues of the afterglow had been embodied in this exquisite prologue1 with its rose and citron1 its gold and soft grey tints4 ,tender spring chickens may then give greeting to the summer-time4 ,they also will have spent hours in close communion with solid blocks of ice1 and will be as cool as the breezes that blow over the high snow fields of ,switzerland4 ,for1 be it noted in passing1 without a refrigerator the perfect supper is sheer impossibility4 ,success depends largely upon temperature4 ,lukewarm supper would be as detestable as a lukewarm dinner4 ,with the innocent chickens1 chilling and chaste1 a green salad will be as appropriate as edelweiss on ,alpine slopes4 ,it should be made of the hearts of the youngest of young cabbage lettuces1 touched with onions1 and fatigued with the one most admirable salad dressing that man ever devised4 ,linger as long as may be1 for this surely is one of the beautiful moments that repay the artist for his toiling and his intervals of despair4 ,asparagus will prove most seemly successor4 ,let it also be cold beyond suspicion4 ,a sauce of vinegar and oil1 pepper and salt1 force it to yield its most subtle sweetness4 ,it will prove another course to call for lingering4 ,unless happiness be realised1 of what use is it to be happy8 ,he who is not conscious of pleasure when he eats is not worthy to sit at table with the elect4 ,like the animals1 he is content to feed1 and the art of the cook is1 alas6 lost upon him4 ,a savoury at this banquet would be superfluous4 ,the presence of cheese would be but deference to convention1 and faithfulness to tradition does not demand as its price sacrifice of all freedom in detail4 ,the asparagus would be dishonoured were it to give place to aught more substantial than strawberries4 ,sometimes in the day's menu1 as in a decorative scheme1 loveliness is enhanced by repetition4 ,as a second curve emphasises the grace of the first1 so strawberries at supper carry out with great elegance the strawberry scheme of afternoon tea4 ,pretty hillocks of sugar1 and deep pools of cream1 make a rich setting for this jewel among fruits4 ,the wine1 clearly1 should be white1 and it1 too1 should be iced--remember the month is ,june4 ,few ,rhine wines could consistently refuse to be pressed into service4 ,but ,french vineyards have greater charm than ,german1 though the ,lorelei may sing in near waters1 and to ,graves1 or ,barsac1 preference will be wisely proffered4 ,be fearful of striking a false note4 ,see that the coffee1 black and strong though it be1 is as cold as wine and salmon1 chicken and salad4 ,and pour the green ,chartreuse into glasses that have been first filled with crushed ice4 ,and as you smoke your cigarette1 ask yourself if the ,sunday evening supper tradition be not one crying for preservation at all costs4 ,when another week has rolled by and disappeared into the ,ewigkeit1 vary the menu4 ,an element of the bizarre1 the strange1 the unaccustomed1 often lends irresistible piquancy4 ,be faithful to the refrigerator1 however fickle to other loves4 ,open the banquet with a stirring salad fashioned of red herring and potatoes1 and1 perhaps1 a few leaves of lettuce4 ,it savours of the sensational1 and stimulates appetite4 ,that disappointment may not ensue1 desert well-trodden paths1 and1 borrowing from ,germany1 serve a dish of meat1 amusing in its quaint variety4 ,slices of lamb may provide a pretty centre1 surrounding them1 scatter slices of the sausage of ,brunswick and ,bologna1 here and there set in relief against a piece of grey ,leberwurst4 ,as garniture1 encircle the dish with a garland of anchovies1 curled up into enchanting little balls1 and gherkins1 and hard-boiled eggs cut in delicate rounds4 ,memories will crowd fast upon you as you eat2 memories of the little ,german towns and their forgotten hilltops1 visited in summers long since gone1 of the little ,german inn1 and the friendly land-lord1 eager to please2 of the foaming mugs of beer1 and the tall1 slender goblets of white wine4 ,before supper is done1 you will have travelled leagues upon leagues into the playtime of the past4 ,cheese now is as essential as it would have been intrusive in the other menu4 ,gruyre should be your choice1 and if you would have it of fine flavour1 seek it not at the ,english cheesemonger's1 but at the little ,german delicatessen shop4 ,brown bread would best enter into the spirit of the feast4 ,as epilogue1 fruit can never be discordant1 and what fruit in early ,june insists upon being eaten with such sweet persistency as the strawberry4 ,but1 on your ,german evening1 fatigue it with ,kirsch1 leave it on its icy couch until the very last minute1 and memories of the ,laprouse will mingle with those of the smoky inn of the ,fatherland4 ,is there any question that ,hock is the wine1 when sausage and red herring and ,gruyre cheese figure so prominently in the menu's composition8 ,drink it from tall slender glass1 that it may take you fully into its confidence4 ,coffee need not be iced4 ,in fact1 it should positively be hot--can you doubt it8 ,and ,cognac now will prove more responsive to your mood than ,chartreuse4 ,there is no written law to regulate these matters4 ,but the true artist needs no code to guide him4 ,he knows instinctively what is right and what is wrong1 and doubts can never assail him4 ,,on ,,soup ,when all around the wind doth blow1 draw close the curtains1 build up a roaring fire1 light lamp and candles1 and begin your dinner with a good--good1 mind you--dish of soup4 ,words of wisdom are these1 to be pondered over by the woman who would make her evening dinner a joyful anticipation1 a cherished memory4 ,soup1 with so much else good and great1 is misunderstood in an ,england merrier than dainty in her feasting4 ,better is this matter ordered across the ,border4 ,for the healthy-minded1 ,scotch mists have their compensation in ,scotch broth2 odoriferous and appetising is its very name4 ,but in ,england1 soup long since became synonymous with turtle1 and the guzzling alderman of legend4 ,richness is held its one essential quality--richness1 not strength4 ,too often1 a thick1 greasy mess1 that could appeal but to the coarsest hunger1 will be set before you1 instead of the dish that can be comforting and sustaining both1 and yet meddles not with the appetite4 ,it should be but a prelude to the meal--the prologue1 as it were1 to the play--its excellence1 a welcome forecast of delights to follow1 a welcome stimulus to light talk and lighter laughter4 ,over ,julienne or bisque frowns are smoothed away1 and guests who sat down to table in monosyllabic gloom will plunge boldly into epigrammatic or anecdotic gaiety ere ever the fish be served4 ,magical1 indeed1 is the spell good soup can cast4 ,of its services as medicine or tonic1 why speak8 ,beef tea gives courage to battle with pain and suffering2 consomm cheers the hours of convalescence4 ,let all honour be done to it for its virtues in the sick-room2 but with so cheerful a subject1 it is pleasanter to dwell on its more cheerful aspects4 ,more legitimate is it to consider the happy part it plays in the traveller's programme4 ,and for this--it must be repeated1 as for all the best things in the gourmand's life--one journeys to ,france4 ,but first remember--that contrast may add piquancy to the ,french menu--the fare that awaits the weary1 disconsolate traveller at ,english railway station3 the stodgy bun1 ,bath and penny varieties both1 and the triangular sandwich2 the tea drawn overnight1 and the lukewarm bovril1 hopelessly inadequate substitute for soup freshly made from beef or stock4 ,at a luncheon bar thus wickedly equipped1 eating becomes what it never should be6--a sad1 terrible necessity1 a pleasureless safeguard against pangs of hunger1 a mere animal function1 and therefore a degradation to the human being educated to look upon food and drink--even so might the painter regard his colours1 the sculptor his clay and marble--as means only to a perfect artistic end4 ,or1 consider also1 to make the contrast stronger1 the choicest banquet ,american railways1 for all the famed ,american enterprise1 provide4 ,to journey by the ,pullman vestibuled train from ,new ,york to ,chicago is luxury1 if you will4 ,upon your point of view depends the exact amount of enjoyment yielded by meals eaten while you dash through the world at the rate of eighty miles an hour1 more or less1 and generally less4 ,there is charm in the coloured waiters1 each with gay flower in his buttonhole1 and gayer smile on his jolly1 black face2 there is pretence in the cheap1 heavy1 clumsy ,limoges off which you eat1 out of which you drink1 in the sham silver case in which your ,champagne bottle is brought1 if for ,champagne you are foolish enough to call4 ,but bitterness is in your wine cup1 for the wine is flat2 heaviness is in your breakfast or dinner1 for bread is underdone and sodden1 and butter is bad1 and the endless array of little plates discourages with its suggestion of vulgar plenty and artless selection2 and all is vanity and vexation1 save the corn bread--the beautiful golden corn bread1 which deserves a chapter to itself--and the fruit3 the bananas and grapes1 and peaches and oranges1 luscious and ravishing as they seldom are on any but ,american soil4 ,nor will you mend matters by bestowing your patronage upon the railway restaurants of the big towns where you stop3 the dirty1 fly-bitten lunch counters4 ,pretentious1 gorgeous1 magnificent1 they maybe2 but good1 no6 ,all1 even the privilege of journeying at the rate of eighty miles an hour1 would you give for one bowl of good soup at the ,amiens buffet4 ,for1 when everything is said1 it is the soup which makes travelling so easy and luxurious in ,france4 ,a breakfast1 or a dinner1 of courses1 well-cooked1 and well-served into the bargain1 you may eat at many a wayside station4 ,wine1 ordinary as its name1 perhaps1 but still good and honest1 is to be had for a paltry sum whenever the train may stop4 ,crisp rolls1 light brioches tempt you to unwise excesses4 ,not a province1 scarce a town1 but has its own special dainty2 nougat at ,montlimart1 sausages at ,arles1 pt de foie gras at ,prigueux2 and so you might go on mapping out the country according to1 not its departments1 but its dishes4 ,these1 however1 the experienced traveller would gladly sacrifice for the delicate1 strong1 refreshing1 inspiriting bouillon1 served at every buffet4 ,this it is which helps one to forget fatigue and dust and cinders1 and the odious ,frenchman who will have all the windows shut4 ,bouillon1 and not wine1 gives one new heart to face the long night and the longer miles4 ,with it the day's journey is well begun and well ended4 ,it sustains and nourishes2 and1 better still1 it has its own sthetic value2 perfect in itself1 it is the one perfect dish for the place and purpose4 ,no wonder1 then1 that it has kindled even ,mr ,henry ,james into at least a show of enthusiasm2 his bowls of bouillon ever remain in the reader's memory1 the most prominent pleasures of his ,little ,tour in ,france4 ,equally desirable in illness and in health1 during one's journeys abroad and one's days at home1 why is it then that soup has never yet been praised and glorified as it should8 ,how is it that its greatness has inspired neither ode nor epic2 that it has been left to a parody--clever1 to be sure1 but cleverness alone is not tribute sufficient--in a child's book to sing its perfections4 ,it should be extolled1 and it has been vilified2 insults have been heaped upon it2 ingratitude from man has been its portion4 ,the soup tureen is as poetic as the loving cup2 why should it suggest but the baldest prose to its most ardent worshippers8 ,thick or clear8 whispers the restaurant waiter in your ear1 as he points to the soups on the bill of fare4 ,thick or clear1--there you have the two all-important divisions4 ,in that simple phrase is expressed the whole science of soupmaking2 face to face with first principles it brings you4 ,but whether you elect for the one or the other1 this great fundamental truth there is1 ever to be borne in mind3 let fresh meat be the basis of your consomm as of your bisque1 of your gumbo as of your ptes d',italie4 ,true1 in an emergency1 ,liebig1 and all its many offshoots1 may serve you--and serve you well4 ,but if you be a woman of feeling1 of fancy1 of imagination1 for this emergency alone will you reserve your ,liebig4 ,who would eat tinned pineapple when the fresh fruit is to be had8 ,would you give bottled tomatoes preference when the gay pommes d'amour1 just picked1 ornament every stall in the market8 ,beef extract in skilful hands may work wonders2 the soup made from it may deceive the connoisseur of great repute4 ,but what then8 ,have you no conscience1 no respect for your art1 that you would thus deceive8 ,tinned soups also there be in infinite variety1 ox-tail1 and mock-turtle1 and ,julienne1 and gravy1 and chicken broth1 and many more than one likes to think of4 ,but dire indeed must be your need before you have recourse to them4 ,they1 too1 will answer in the hour of want4 ,but at the best1 they prove but make-shifts1 but paltry make-believes to be avoided1 even as you steer clear of the soup vegetables and herbs--bits of carrot and onion and turnip and who knows what8--bottled ingeniously1 pretty to the eye1 without flavour to the palate4 ,one does not eat to please the sense of sight alone6 ,when1 heroically1 you have forsworn the ensnaring tin and the insinuating bottle1 the horizon widens before you4 ,thick and clear3 the phrase suggests but narrow compass2 broad beyond measure is the sphere it really opens4 ,of all the ,doges of ,bobbio1 but one--if tradition be true--sickened of his hundred soups4 ,three hundred and sixty-five might have been their number with results no more disastrous4 ,given a cook of good instincts and gay imagination1 and from one year's end to the other never need the same soup be served a second time4 ,a word1 first1 as to its proper place on the menu4 ,the conservative ,briton might think this a subject upon which the last word long since had been spoken4 ,if soup at all1 then must it appear between hors d'oeuvre and fish3 as well for ,catholic to question the doctrine of infallibility as for self-respecting man to doubt the propriety of this arrangement4 ,but they don't know everything down in ,great ,britain1 and other men there be of other minds4 ,order a dinner in the ,american ,west1 and a procession of smiling1 white-robed blacks--talking1 alas6 no more the good old darkey1 but pure ,american--swoop down upon you1 bringing at once1 in disheartening medley1 your blue-points1 your gumbo1 your terrapin1 your reed birds1 and your apple pie4 ,what sacrilege6 ,in the pleasantest little restaurant in all ,rome1 close to the ,piazza ,colonna1 within sound of the ,corso1 was once to be seen any evening in the week--may be still1 for that matter--a bemedalled major finishing his dinner with his minestra instead of his dolce4 ,but if a fat1 little grey-haired man once consent to wear a coat scarce longer than an ,eton jacket1 may not1 in reason1 worse enormities be expected of him8 ,truth to tell1 the ,british convention1 borrowed from ,france1 is the best4 ,if1 in good earnest1 you would profit by your potage1 give it place of honour at the top of the menu4 ,leave light and frivolous sweets to lighter1 more frivolous moments1 when1 hunger appeased1 man may unbend to trifles4 ,what the great ,alexandre calls the grand consomm is the basis of all soup--and sauce making4 ,study his very word with reverence2 carry out his every suggestion with devotion4 ,among the ingredients of this consummate bouillon his mighty mind runs riot4 ,not even the adventures of the immortal ,musketeers stimulated his fancy to wilder flights4 ,his directions1 large and lavish as himself1 would the economical housewife read with awe and something of terror4 ,veal and beef and fowl--a venerable cock will answer--and rabbit and partridges of yester-year2 these be no more than the foundation4 ,thrown into the marmite in fair and fitting proportions1 then must they be watched1 anxiously and intelligently1 as they boil2 spoonfuls of the common bouillon should be poured upon them from time to time2 there must be added onions and carrots1 and celery and parsley1 and whatever aromatic herbs may be handy1 and oil1 if you have it2 and after four hours of boiling slowly and demurely over a gentle fire1 and1 next1 straining through coarse linen1 you may really begin to prepare your soup4 ,if to these heights the ordinary man--or woman--may not soar1 then will the good1 substantial1 everyday bouillon1 or pot-au-feu--made of beef alone1 but ever flavoured with vegetables--fulfil the same purpose1 not so deliciously1 but still fairly well4 ,in households where soup is1 as it should be1 a daily necessity1 stock may be made and kept for convenience4 ,but if you would have your pot-au-feu in perfection1 let the saucepan1 or marmite--the ,english word is commonplace1 the ,french term charms--be not of iron1 but of earthenware3 rich tawny brown or golden green in colour1 as you see it in many a ,french market-place1 if the least feeling for artistic fitness dwells within your soul4 ,seven hours are needed pour faire sourire le pot-au-feu--the expression is not to be translated4 ,where soups are concerned the ,english language is poor1 and cold1 and halting2 the speech of ,france alone can honour them aright4 ,with good bouillon there is naught the genius may not do4 ,into it the ,french chef puts a few small slices of bread1 and1 as you eat1 you wonder if terrapin or turtle ever tasted better4 ,with the addition of neatly-chopped carrots and onions1 and turnips and celery1 you have ,julienne2 or1 with dainty asparagus tops1 sweet fresh peas1 tiny stinging radishes1 delicate young onions1 printanier1 with its suggestions of spring and blossoms in every mouthful4 ,this last1 surely1 is the lyric among soups4 ,decide upon cheese instead1 and you will set a ,daudet singing you a poem in prose3 ,oh6 la bonne odeur de soupe au fromage6 ,ptes d',italie1 vermicelli1 macaroni1 each will prove a separate ecstasy1 if you but remember the grated ,parmesan that must be sprinkled over it without stint--as in ,italy4 ,days there be when nothing seems so in keeping as rice3 others1 when cabbage hath charm1 that is1 if first in your simmering bouillon a piece of ham--whether of ,york1 of ,strasbourg1 or of ,virginia--be left for three hours or more2 again1 to thicken the golden liquid with tapioca may seem of all devices the most adorable4 ,and so may you ring the changes day after day1 week after week1 month after month4 ,if of these lighter soups you tire1 then turn with new hope and longing to the stimulating list of pures and crmes4 ,let tomatoes1 or peas1 or beans1 or lentils1 as you will1 be the keynote1 always you may count upon a harmony inspiriting and divine2 a rapture tenfold greater if it be enjoyed in some favourite corner at ,marguery's or ,voisin's1 where the masterpiece awaits the chosen few4 ,or if1 when ,london fogs are heavy and life proves burdensome1 comfort is in the very name of broth1 then put it to the test in its mutton1 ,scotch1 chicken1 or dozen and more varieties1 and may it give you new courage to face the worst6 ,but if for pleasure solely you eat your soup1 as you should1 unless illness or the blue devils have you firm in their grasp1 a few varieties there be which to all the rest are even as is the rose to lesser flowers1 as is the onion to vegetables of more prosaic virtue4 ,clams are a joy if you add to them but salt and pepper--cayenne by preference--and a dash of lemon juice3 as a chowder1 they are a substantial dream to linger over2 but made into soup they reach the very topmost bent of their being3 it is the end for which they were created4 ,of oysters this is no less true4 ,veal stock or mutton broth may pass as prosaic basis of the delicacy2 but better depend upon milk and cream1 and of the latter be not sparing4 ,mace1 in discreet measure1 left flowing in the liquid will give the finishing1 the indispensable touch4 ,oh1 the inexhaustible resources of the sea6 ,with these delights rank bisque1 that priceless pure1 made of crayfish--in this case a pinch of allspice instead of mace--and if in its fullest glory you would know it1 go eat it at the ,laprouse on the ,quai des ,grands ,augustins2 eat it1 as from the window of the low room in the entresol1 you look over toward the towers of ,notre ,dame4 ,be a good ,catholic on ,fridays1 that1 with potages maigres--their name1 too1 is legion--your soups may be increased and multiplied1 and thus infinity become your portion4 ,,the ,,simple ,,sole ,have you ever considered the sole3 the simple1 unassuming sole1 in ,quaker-like garb1 striking a quiet grey note in every fishmonger's window1 a constant rebuke to the mackerel that makes such vain parade of its green audacity1 of the lobster that flaunts its scarlet boldness in the face of the passer-by8 ,by its own merits the sole appeals2 upon no meretricious charm does it base its claim for notice4 ,flat and elusive1 it seems to seek retirement1 to beg to be forgotten4 ,and yet1 year by year1 it goes on1 unostentatiously and surely increasing in price2 year by year1 it establishes1 with firm hold1 its preeminence upon the menu of every well-regulated table d'hte4 ,but here pause a moment1 and reflect4 ,for it is this very table d'hte which bids fair to be the sole's undoing4 ,if it has been maligned and misunderstood1 it is because1 swaddled in bread-crumbs1 fried in indifferent butter1 it has come to be the symbol of hotel or pension dinner1 until the frivolous and heedless begin to believe that it cannot exist otherwise1 that in its irrepressible bread-crumbs it must swim through the silent sea4 ,the conscientious gourmand knows better1 however4 ,he knows that bread-crumbs and frying-pan are but mere child's play compared to its diviner devices4 ,it has been said that the number and various shapes of fishes are not more strange or more fit for contemplation than their different natures1 inclinations1 and actions4 ,but fitter subject still for the contemplative1 and still more strange1 is their marvellous1 well-nigh limitless1 culinary ambition4 ,triumph after triumph the most modest of them all yearns to achieve1 and if this sublime yearning be ever and always suppressed and thwarted and misdoubted1 the fault lies with dull1 plodding1 unenterprising humans4 ,not one yearns to such infinite purpose as the sole2 not one is so snubbed and enslaved4 ,a very ,nora among fish1 how often must it long to escape and to live its own life--or1 to be more accurate1 to die its own death6 ,not that bread-crumbs and frying-pan are not all very well in their way4 ,given a discreet cook1 pure virginal butter1 a swift fire1 and a slice of fresh juicy lemon1 something not far short of perfection may be reached4 ,but other ways there are1 more suggestive1 more inspiring1 more godlike4 ,turn to the ,french chef and learn wisdom from him4 ,first and foremost in this glorious repertory comes sole la ,normande1 which1 under another name1 is the special distinction and pride of the ,restaurant ,marguery4 ,take your sole--from the waters of ,dieppe would you have the best--and place it1 with endearing1 lover-like caress1 in a pretty earthenware dish1 with butter for only companion4 ,at the same time1 in sympathetic saucepan1 lay mussels to the number of two dozen1 opened and well cleaned1 as a matter of course2 and let each rejoice in the society of a stimulating mushroom2 when almost done1 but not quite1 make of them a garland round the expectant sole2 cover their too seductive beauty with a rich white sauce2 re-kindle their passion in the oven for a few minutes2 and serve immediately and hot4 ,joy is the result2 pure1 uncontaminated joy4 ,if this be too simple for your taste1 then court elaboration and more complex sensation after this fashion3 from the first1 unite the sole to two of its most devoted admirers1 the oyster and the mussel--twelve1 say1 of each--and let thyme and fragrant herbs and onion and white wine and truffles be close witnesses of their union4 ,seize the sole when it is yet but half cooked2 stretch it out gently in another dish1 to which oysters and mussels must follow in hot1 precipitate flight4 ,and now the veiling sauce1 again white1 must have calf's kidney and salt pork for foundation1 and the first gravy of the fish for fragrance and seasoning4 ,mushrooms and lemon in slices may be added to the garniture4 ,and if at the first mouthful you do not thrill with rapture1 the ,thames will prove scarce deep and muddy enough to hide your shame4 ,put to severest test1 the love of the sole for the oyster is never betrayed4 ,would you be convinced--and it is worth the trouble--experiment with sole farcie aux hutres1 a dish so perfect that surely1 like manna1 it must have come straight from ,heaven4 ,in prosaic practical language1 it is thus composed3 you stuff your sole with forcemeat of oysters and truffles1 you season with salt and carrot and lemon1 you steep it in white wine--not sweet1 or the sole is dishonoured--you cook it in the oven1 and you serve the happy fish on a rich ragot of the oysters and truffles4 ,or1 another tender conceit that you may make yours to your own great profit and enlightenment1 is sole farcie aux crevettes4 ,in this case it is wise to fillet the sole and wrap each fillet about the shrimps1 which have been well mixed and pounded with butter4 ,a rich ,bchamel sauce and garniture of lemons complete a composition so masterly that1 before it1 as before a fine ,velasquez1 criticism is silenced4 ,sole au gratin1 though simpler1 is none the less desirable4 ,let your first care be the sauce1 elegantly fashioned of butter and mushrooms and shallots and parsley2 pour a little--on your own judgment you have best rely for exact quantity--into a baking-dish2 lay the sole upon this liquid couch2 deluge it with the remainder of the sauce1 exhilarating white wine1 and lemon juice2 bury it under bread-crumbs1 and bake it until it rivals a ,rembrandt in richness and splendour4 ,in antiquarian moments1 fricasey soals white1 and admit that your foremothers were more accomplished artists than you4 ,what folly to boast of modern progress when1 at table1 the ,englishman of to-day is but a brute savage compared with his ancestors of a hundred years and more ago6 ,but take heart3 be humble1 read this golden book1 and the day of emancipation cannot be very far distant4 ,make your fricasey as a step in the right direction4 ,according to the infallible book1 skin1 wash1 and gut your soals very clean1 cut off their heads1 dry them in a cloth1 then with your knife very carefully cut the flesh from the bones and fins on both sides4 ,cut the flesh long ways1 and then across1 so that each soal will be in eight pieces2 take the heads and bones1 then put them into a saucepan with a pint of water1 a bundle of sweet herbs1 an onion1 a little whole pepper1 two or three blades of mace1 a little salt1 a very little piece of lemon peel1 and a little crust of bread4 ,cover it close1 let it boil till half is wasted1 then strain it through a fine sieve1 put it into a stew-pan1 put in the soals and half a pint of white wine1 a little parsley chopped fine1 a few mushrooms cut small1 a piece of butter as big as an hen's egg1 rolled in flour1 grate a little nutmeg1 set all together on the fire1 but keep shaking the pan all the while till the fish is done enough4 ,then dish it up1 and garnish with lemon4 ,and now1 what think you of that8 ,if for variety you would present a brown fricasey1 an arrangement in browns as startling as a poster by ,lautrec or ,anquetin1 add anchovy to your seasoning1 exchange white wine for red1 and introduce into the mixture truffles and morels1 and mushrooms1 and a spoonful of catchup4 ,the beauty of the colour none can deny2 the subtlety of the flavour none can resist4 ,another step in the right direction1 which is the old1 will lead you to sole pie1 a dish of parts4 ,eels must be used1 as is the steak in a pigeon's pie for instance2 and nutmeg and parsley and anchovies must serve for seasoning4 ,it is a pleasant fancy1 redolent of the days gone by4 ,,bouillabaisse2 ,a ,symphony in ,gold ,hear ,wagner in ,baireuth 7though illusions may fly like dust before a ,march wind72 see ,velasquez in ,madrid2 eat ,bouillabaisse in ,marseilles4 ,and eat1 moreover1 with no fear of disenchantment2 the saffron's gold has richer tone1 the ail's aroma sweeter savour1 under hot blue southern skies than in the cold sunless north4 ,how much ,thackeray is swallowed with your ,bouillabaisse8 asks the cynical ,american1 vowed to all eternity to his baked shad and soft-shelled crab2 how much ,thackeray8 echoes the orthodox ,englishman1 whose salmon1 cucumberless1 smacks of heresy1 and whose whiting1 if it held not its tail decorously in its bread crumbed mouth1 would be cast for ever into outer darkness4 ,sentiment there may be3 not born1 however1 of ,thackeray's verse1 but of days spent in ,provenal sunshine1 of banquets eaten at ,provenal tables4 ,call for ,bouillabaisse in the ,paris restaurant1 at the ,laprouse or ,marguery's 7you might call for it for a year and a day in ,london restaurants and always in vain72 and if the dish brought back something of the true flavour1 over it is cast the glamour and romance of its far southern home1 of the land of troubadours and of ,tartarin4 ,but order it in ,marseilles1 and the flavour will all be there1 and the sunshine and the gaiety1 and the song as well2 fact outstrips the imagination of even the meridional2 the present defies memory to outdo its charm4 ,and it must be in the ,marseilles that glitters under midsummer's sun and grows radiant in its light4 ,those who have not seen ,marseilles at this season know it not4 ,the peevish finder of fault raves of drainage and dynamite1 of dirt and anarchy4 ,but turn a deaf ear and go to ,marseilles gaily and without dread4 ,walk out in the early morning on the quays2 the summer sky is cloudless2 the sea as blue as in the painter's bluest dream2 the hills but warm purple shadows resting upon its waters4 ,the air is hot1 perhaps1 but soft and dry1 and the breeze blows fresh from over the ,mediterranean4 ,already1 on every side1 signs there are of the day's coming sacrifice4 ,in sunlight and in shadow are piled high the sea's sweetest1 choicest fruits3 mussels in their sombre purple shells2 lobsters1 rich and brown2 fish1 scarlet and gold and green4 ,lemons1 freshly plucked from near gardens1 are scattered among the fragrant pile1 and here and there trail long sprays of salt1 pungent seaweed4 ,the faint smell of ail comes to you gently from unseen kitchens1 the feeling of ,bouillabaisse is everywhere1 and tender anticipation illumines the faces of the passers-by4 ,great is the pretence of activity in the harbour and in the streets2 at a glance1 mere paltry traffic might seem the city's one and only end4 ,but ,marseilles' true mission1 the sole reason for its existence1 is that man may know how goodly a thing it is to eat ,bouillabaisse at noon on a warm summer day4 ,but when the hour comes1 turn from the hotel1 however excellent2 turn from the ,provenal version of the ,parisian ,duval1 however cheap and nasty2 choose rather the native headquarters of the immortal dish4 ,under pleasant awning sit out on the pavement1 behind the friendly trees in tubs that suggest privacy1 and yet hide nothing of the view beyond4 ,for half the joy in the steaming1 golden masterpiece is in the background found for it2 in the sunlit harbour and forest of masts2 in the classic shores where has disembarked so many a hero1 from ancient ,phenician or ,greek1 down to valiant ,tartarin1 with the brave camel that saw him shoot all his lions6 ,a coup de vin1 and1 as you eat1 as you watch1 with eyes half blinded1 the glittering1 glowing picture1 you begin to understand the meaning of the southern galjade4 ,your heart softens1 the endless beggars no longer beg from you in vain1 while only the slenderness of your purse keeps you from buying out every boy with fans or matches1 every stray ,moor with silly slippers and sillier antimacassars2 your imagination is kindled1 so that later1 at the gay caf1 where still you sit in the open street1 as you look at the ,turks and sailors1 at the ,arabs and ,lascars1 at the ,eastern women in trousers and niggers in rags1 in a word1 at ,marseilles' ,congress of ,nations1 that even ,barnum in his most ambitious moments never approached1 far less surpassed1 you1 too1 believe that had ,paris but its ,canebire1 it might be transformed into a little ,marseilles on the banks of the ,seine4 ,so potent is the influence of blessed ,bouillabaisse6 ,or1 some burning ,sunday1 you may rise with the dawn and take early morning train for ,martigues1 lying1 a white and shining barrier1 between the ,etangs de ,berre and ,caronte4 ,and there1 on its bridges and canal banks1 idly watching the fishing-boats1 or wandering up and down its olive-clad hill-sides1 the morning hours may be gently loafed away1 until the ,angelus rings a joyful summons to ,m4 ,bernard's hotel in the shady ,place4 ,dark and cool is the spacious dining-room2 eager and attentive the bewildered ,dsire4 ,be not a minute late1 for ,m4 ,bernard's ,bouillabaisse is justly famed1 and not only all ,marseilles1 but all the country near hastens thither to eat it on ,sundays1 when it is served in its dition de luxe4 ,pretty ,arlsiennes in dainty fichus1 cyclists in knickerbockers1 rich ,marseillais1 painters from ,paris join in praise and thanksgiving4 ,and from one end of the world to the other1 you might journey in vain in search of an emotion so sweet as that aroused by the first fragrant fumes of the dish set before you1 the first rapturous taste of the sauce-steeped bread1 of the strange fish so strangely seasoned4 ,but why1 in any case1 remain content with salmon alone when ,bouillabaisse can be made1 even in dark and sunless ,england8 ,quite the same it can never be as in the land of sunburnt mirth and jollity4 ,the light and the brilliancy and the gaiety of its background must be ever missing in the home of fog and spleen4 ,the gay little fish of the ,mediterranean never swim in the drear1 unresponsive waters that break on the white cliffs of ,england and the stern rocks of the ,hebrides4 ,but other fish there be1 in great plenty1 that1 in the absence of the original1 may answer as praiseworthy copies4 ,after all1 to cut turbot and whiting and soles and trout in small pieces1 to cook them all together1 instead of each separately1 is not the unpardonable sin1 however the ,british housewife may protest to the contrary4 ,and as to the other ingredients1 is not good olive oil sold in bottles in many a ,london shop8 ,are sweet herbs and garlic unknown in ,covent ,garden8 ,are there no ,french and ,italian grocers in ,soho1 with whom saffron is no less a necessity than mustard or pepper8 ,and bread8 who would dare aver that ,england has no bakers8 ,it is not a difficult dish to prepare4 ,its cooks may not boast of secrets known only to themselves1 like the maker of process blocks or patent pills4 ,their methods they disclose without reservation1 though alas6 their genius they may not so easily impart4 ,first of all1 then1 see to your sauce3 oil1 pure and sweet1 is its foundation2 upon ail and herbs of the most aromatic it depends for its seasoning4 ,in this1 place your fish selected and mixed as fancy prompts2 a whiting1 a sole--filleted of course--a small proportion of turbot1 and as much salmon1 if solely for the touch of colour it gives--the artist never forgets to appeal to the eye as to the palate4 ,boil thoroughly1 sprinkling at the last moment sympathetic saffron on the sweet-smelling offering4 ,have ready thick slices of bread daintily arranged in a convenient dish2 just before serving pour over them the greater part of the unrivalled sauce1 now gold and glorious with its saffron tint2 pour the rest1 with the fish1 into another dish--a bowl1 would you be quite correct--and let as few seconds as possible elapse between dishing this perfect work of art and eating it4 ,upon its smell alone man might live and thrive4 ,its colour is an inspiration to the painter1 the subtlety of its flavour a text to the poet4 ,montenard and ,dauphin may go on1 year after year1 painting olive-lined roads and ports of ,toulon3 the true ,provenal artist will be he who fills his canvas with the radiance and richness of ,bouillabaisse4 ,would you emulate ,m4 ,bernard and make a ,bouillabaisse de luxe it may prove a tax upon your purse1 but not upon your powers4 ,for when thus lavishly inclined1 you but add lobster or crab or crayfish and the needed luxury is secured4 ,it is a small difference in the telling1 but in the eating1 how much1 how unspeakable is this little more6 ,easily satisfied indeed must be the prosaic mortal who1 having once revelled in ,bouillabaisse de luxe1 would ever again still his cravings with the simpler arrangement4 ,,the ,,most ,,excellent ,,oyster ,if1 in cruel ,december1 the vegetable fails us1 in another direction we may look for and find--if we be wise and liberal--novelty without stint4 ,from the oyster1 when it is understood aright1 spring perpetual joy and rapturous surprises4 ,but1 sad to tell1 in ,england men have slighted it and misdoubted its greatness4 ,englishmen eat it and declare it good2 but1 as with salad1 they know not how to prepare it4 ,because it is excellent in its rawness1 they can imagine no further use for it1 unless1 perhaps1 to furnish a rich motive for sauce1 or sometimes for soup4 ,even raw--again like salad--they are apt to brutalise it4 ,to drown it in vinegar is the height of their ambition2 an imperial pint was the quantity needed by ,mr ,weller's friend to destroy the delicacy of its flavour1 the salt sweetness of its aroma4 ,the ,greeks knew better3 according to ,athenus1 boiled and fried they served their oysters1 finding them1 however1 best of all when roasted in the coals till the shells opened4 ,as early as the seventeenth century1 the ,french1 preparing them en tuve and en fricasse1 included them in their ,dlices de la campagne4 ,the ,american to-day exhausts his genius for invention in devising rare and cunning methods by which to extract their full strength and savour4 ,why should ,englishmen tarry behind the other peoples on the earth in paying the oyster the tribute of sympathetic appreciation8 ,its merit when raw1 no man of sensibility and wisdom will deny4 ,base-minded1 indeed1 must be he who thinks to enhance its value by converting it into a defence against influenza or any other human ill4 ,the ancients held it indigestible unless cooked2 but to talk of it as if it were a drug for our healing1 a poison for our discomforting1 is to dishonour1 without rhyme or reason1 the noblest of all shell-fish4 ,who would not risk an indigestion1 or worse1 for the pleasure raw oysters have it in their power to give8 ,was there one1 among the wedding guests at the ,marriage of ,hebe1 who feared the course of oysters with closed shells1 which are very difficult to open but very easy to eat8 ,easy to eat1 yes2 but first you must decide which1 of the many varieties of oyster the sea offers1 you had best order for your own delight4 ,there are some men who1 with ,thackeray1 rank the dear little juicy green oysters of ,france above the great white flaccid natives in ,england1 that look as if they had been fed on pork4 ,to many1 the coppery taste of this ,english native passes for a charm--poor deluded creatures6 ,to others it seems the very abomination of desolation4 ,but the true epicure1 who may not have them1 as had oyster-loving ,greeks of old1 from ,abydus or ,chalcedon1 will revel most of all in the ,american species3 the dainty little ,blue-,point1 or its long1 sweet1 plump brother of the north--to swallow it was like swallowing a baby1 ,thackeray thought4 ,once your oysters are on the half shell1 let not the vinegar bottle tempt you2 as far as it is concerned1 be not only temperate1 but a total abstainer4 ,a sprinkling of salt1 a touch of ,cayenne1 a dash of lemon juice1 and then eat1 and know how good it is for man to live in a world of oysters4 ,for a light lunch or the perfect midnight supper1 for an inspiring hors d'oeuvre1 without rival is this king of shell-fish4 ,if for the midnight meal you reserve it1 you may be kindled into ecstasy by the simple addition of a glass of fine old ,chablis or ,sauterne--be not led astray by vulgar praise of stout or porter--and brown bread and butter cut in slices of ethereal thinness4 ,linger over this banquet1 exquisite in its simplicity1 long and lovingly1 that later you may sleep with easy conscience and mind at rest4 ,with raw oysters alone it were folly to remain content4 ,if you would spread a more sumptuous feast1 fry the largest1 plumpest grown in sea or river1 and the gates of earthly paradise will be thrown wide open in the frying4 ,no more familiar cry is there in ,american restaurants than that for an oyster fry6 ,dark little oyster cellars1 reached by precipitous steps1 there are1 and friendly seedy little oyster shops in back streets1 where the frying of oysters has been exalted into a holy cult4 ,and if you will1 in paper boxes1 the long1 beautiful1 golden-brown masterpieces you may carry away with you1 to eat with gayer garnishing and in more sympathetic surroundings4 ,and in winter1 scarce a beer saloon but1 at luncheon time1 will set upon the counter a steaming dish of fried oysters2 and with every glass of no matter what1 crackers at discretion and one fried oyster on long generous fork will be handed by the white-robed guardian4 ,but mind you take but one3 else comes the chucker-out4 ,thus1 only the very thirsty1 in the course of a morning1 may gain a free lunch4 ,but1 in ,england1 what is known of the fried oyster8 ,it requires no great elaboration1 though much rare skill in the cooking4 ,for this purpose the largest oysters must be selected3 the fattest and most juicy4 ,in the half-shell they may be fried1 after seventeenth-century fashion1 a touch of butter and pepper on each2 verjuice or vinegar1 and grated nutmeg added once they are served4 ,or else1 taken from the shell1 they may be dipped into a marvellous preparation of vinegar1 parsley1 laurel leaves1 onion1 chives1 cloves1 basil1 and in the result the mighty imagination of the great ,alexandre would rejoice4 ,or1 again1 in simpler ,american fashion1 enveloped in unpretentious batter of eggs and bread crumbs1 fry them until they turn to an unrivalled1 indescribable golden-brown1 and in the eating thereof the gods might envy you4 ,if a new sensation you court1 grill or broil your oyster1 and you will have cause to exult in a loud triumphant magnificat4 ,no bread crumbs are needed1 neither laurel nor sweet spice4 ,with but a bit of butter for encouragement1 it will brown gently in the grilling1 and become a delicious morsel to be eaten with reverence and remembered with tenderness4 ,or1 stew them and be happy4 ,but of rich milk1 and cream1 and sweet fresh butter1 as ,dumas would put it1 must your stew be made3 thickened1 but scarce perceptibly1 with flour1 while bits of mace float in golden sympathy on the liquid's surface4 ,it is the dish for luncheon1 or for the pleasant1 old-fashioned high tea--no such abomination as meat tea known then1 if you please--of ,philadelphia's pleasant1 old-fashioned citizens4 ,and a worse accompaniment you might have than waffles1 light as a feather1 or beaten biscuits1 the pride of ,maryland's black cooks4 ,men and women from the ,quaker city1 when in cruel exile1 will be moved to sad tears at the very mention of ,jones's oyster stews in ,eleventh-street6 ,but the glory of ,penn's town is the oyster croquette--from ,augustine's by preference4 ,a symphony in golden brown and soft fawn grey1 it should be crisp without1 within of such delicate consistency that it will melt in the mouth like a dream4 ,pyramidal in shape1 it is of itself so decorative that only with the rarest blue and white china1 or the most fairy-like ,limoges1 will it seem in perfect harmony4 ,it would be discourteous1 indeed1 to serve so regal a creation on any stray dish or plate4 ,exquisite pleasure lurks in scalloped oysters1 or oysters au gratin1 whichever you may choose to call this welcome variation of the oyster motive4 ,layers of judiciously seasoned bread-crumbs alternate with layers of the responsive shell-fish1 and the carefully-studied arrangement is then browned until it enchants by colour no less than by fragrance4 ,and1 if you would seek further to please the eye1 let the dish to hold so fine a work of art be a shell1 with a suggestion of the sea in its graceful curves and tender tints4 ,or1 if imagination would be more daring1 let the same shell hold hutres farcies1 cunningly contrived with eels and oysters1 and parsley and mushrooms1 and spices and cream1 and egg and aromatic herbs4 ,so fantastic a contrivance as this touches upon sublimity4 ,in more homely and convivial mood1 roast your oysters1 as the ,greeks loved them4 ,but to enjoy them to the utmost1 roast them yourself in the coals of your own fire1 until the ready shells open4 ,a dash of salt and cayenne upon the sweet morsel within1 and you may eat it at once1 even as you take it from off the coals1 and drink its salt1 savoury liquor from the shell4 ,a dish of anchovy toast will not seem amiss4 ,but let no other viands coarsen this ideal supper4 ,for supper it should be1 and nothing else4 ,the curtains must be drawn close1 while the fire flames high2 one or two congenial friends--not more2 a dim religious light from well-shaded lamps and candles2 a bottle of good old ,chablis1 and others waiting in near wine-cellar or sideboard2 and thus may you make your own such unspeakable happiness as seldom falls to the lot of mortals4 ,or if to the past your fancy wanders1 prepare your oysters1 seventeenth century-fashion1 en tuve1 boiled in their own liquor1 flavoured with ingredients so various as oranges and chives1 and served with bread-crumbs2 or else1 en fricasse1 cooked with onion and butter1 dipped in batter1 and sprinkled with orange juice4 ,or again1 in sheer waywardness1 curry or devil them1 though in this disguise no man may know the delicacy he is eating4 ,another day1 bake them2 the next1 put them in a pie or a patty2 the third1 let them give substance to a vol-au-vent4 ,hesitate at no experiment2 search the cookery-books1 old and new4 ,be sure that the oyster1 in its dictionary1 knows no such word as fail4 ,if in sheer recklessness you were1 like young ,mr ,grigg in the ,cave of ,harmony1 to call for a mashed oyster and scalloped 'taters1 no doubt the mashed would be forthcoming4 ,as basis of soup or sauce1 the oyster is without rival4 ,who would not abstain on ,fridays all the year round1 if every ,friday brought with it oyster soup to mortify the flesh6 ,but alas6 four months there be without an ,r1 when oysters by the wise must not be eaten4 ,and is not turbot1 or boiled capon1 or a tender loin-steak but the excuse for oyster sauce8 in which1 if you have perfection for your end1 let there be no stint of oysters4 ,then1 too1 in the stuffing of a fowl1 oysters prove themselves the worthy rival of mushrooms or of chestnuts4 ,it is a grave mistake1 however1 to rank the oyster as the only shell-fish of importance4 ,the ,french know better4 ,so did the ,greeks1 if ,athenus can be trusted4 ,mussels1 oysters1 scallops1 and cockles led the list1 according to ,diocles1 the ,carystian4 ,thus are they enumerated by still another authority3-- ,a little polypus1 or a small cuttle-fish1 ,a crab1 a crawfish1 oysters1 cockles1 ,limpets and solens1 mussels and pinnas2 ,periwinkles1 too1 from ,mitylene4 ,the mussel is still the delight of the ,french table d'hte breakfast4 ,charming to look at is the deep dish where1 floating in parsley-strewn sauce1 the beautiful purple shells open gently to show the golden-grey treasures within4 ,well may the commercial in the provinces heap high his plate with the food he loves1 while about him hungry men stare1 wondering how much will be left for their portion4 ,but who in ,england eats mussels8 ,only a little lower the ,greeks ranked periwinkles1 which now1 associated as they are with ',arriet and her pin1 the fastidious affect to despise4 ,it has been written of late1 by a novelist seeking to be witty1 that there is no poetry in periwinkles2 but schylus could stoop to mention them in his great tragedies4 ,the degradation of the lower classes the same weak wit attributes to overindulgence in winkles4 ,with as much reason might the art and philosophy of ,greece be traced to periwinkles from ,mitylene4 ,cooked in the good sauce of ,france1 the humble winkle might take rank with the ,whitstable native at three-and-six the dozen1 and thus would the lowly be exalted4 ,the snail1 likewise1 we might cultivate to our own immeasurable advantage4 ,,the ,,partridge ,with ,september1 the gourmand's fancy gaily turns to thoughts of partridges4 ,for his pleasure sportsmen1 afar in autumn's cool country1 work diligently from morn to eve2 or1 it may be1 he himself plays the sportsman by day that he may prove the worthier gourmand by night4 ,and the bird is deserving of his affections4 ,it has been honoured alike in history and romance4 ,among moderns1 a ,daudet is found to study and consider its emotions under fire2 among ancients1 few neglected it1 from ,aristophanes to ,aristotle1 who declared it a very ill-disposed and cunning animal2 much devoted1 moreover1 to amatory enjoyment4 ,with such a character1 its two hearts count for little2 far gone1 indeed1 must be the sentimentalist of our moral age who would stay its slayer's hand4 ,what if it be true1 as ,chamleon of ,pontus said of old1 that from listening to its singing in desert places man arrived at the art of music8 ,alive it may have an sthetic value2 but if it be without morals should it not perish8 ,in eating it1 therefore1 does not man perform a solemn duty8 ,nay1 should not the ,new ,woman exult in flaunting its sober feathers in her masculine hat8 ,so might reason the apostle of social purity4 ,but the gourmand questions nothing save the daintiness of the bird's flesh1 the merit of its flavour4 ,and the practical answer to this questioning silences all doubts4 ,clearly the partridge was created that he might eat it and find it good4 ,it is because of the rare excellence of the pretty bird1 in autumn making a feathered frieze in every poulterer's window1 that too much consideration cannot be given to its treatment in the kitchen4 ,its virtues can be easily marred by the indifferent1 or unsympathetic chef4 ,left hanging too short a time1 left cooking too long1 and it will sink into commonplace1 so that all might wonder wherefore its praises have been ever loudly sung4 ,hang it in a cool place1 and leave it there until the last moment possible--you understand8 ,now that winds are cold1 and a feeling of frost is in the air1 to banish it a fortnight would not be unwise4 ,to roast a partridge may seem a sadly simple device when so many more ingenious schemes are at your disposal4 ,but for all that1 none can be recommended with enthusiasm more keenly felt4 ,for in the roasting none of its sweet savour is lost1 none of its natural tenderness sacrificed on the one hand1 exaggerated on the other4 ,the process requires less intelligence than an artistic touch4 ,truss your birds in seemly fashion1 when1 as if in birdlike emulation of ,hedda ,gabler1 they cry for vine leaves on their breast4 ,over the vine leaves tie less romantic1 but more succulent1 bacon1 cut in slices of the thinnest4 ,then1 in front of a quick1 clear fire baste prodigally with butter4 ,a little flour1 judiciously sprinkled1 will add richness to the nut-brown colour the susceptible birds develop in the roasting4 ,now they are ready to serve1 remember that partridges should have gravy in the dish1 and bread-sauce in a cup--it is ,mrs ,glasse who has said it4 ,it would be no crime to add watercress1 or parsley1 as garniture1 or toast as a soft bed for the happy victims4 ,and to eat with them1 prepare a crisp lettuce salad1 to which the merest suspicion of tarragon leaves1 well chopped1 has been added4 ,and the gods themselves might envy you your joy and gladness in the eating4 ,a word as to the carving1 or dissection of the partridge1 as it was called in days when ,england understood and gloried in the arts of the kitchen4 ,thus was the ,grand ,escuyer ,tranchant--the ,great ,master carver1 that is--instructed3 ,a partridge is for the most part carved and served whole1 like a pigeon2 but yet he may be served in pieces2 but when you will carve him to serve whole1 you must only cut the joints and lay them abroad2 but if you serve him by pieces1 you must begin to serve with a wing4 ,why not carve and serve according to tradition1 and so lend new dignity to your feasting8 ,if of roast partridge you weary1 and from ,france would take a hint1 seek novelty and happiness in ,perdrix aux choux4 ,for this1 birds of an older generation will answer as well as their more tender young1 since for two hours1 in a wrapping of bacon and buttered paper1 they must simmer gently on their couch of cabbage4 ,to evolve the required flavour1 into the same pot must go a saveloy1 and perhaps salt pork in slices1 a bunch of fragrant herbs1 onions and carrots and cloves and salt and butter discrtion4 ,the birds must be drained before they pass from the pot to the dish2 around them the cabbage1 likewise drained1 must be set as a garland1 and the saveloy1 in pretty pieces1 may be placed here and there4 ,behold another of the many good gifts ,france has presented to us4 ,perdrix l',espagnole may again vary anew the delicious monotony4 ,in this variety the partridges are boiled1 covered with a rich gravy1 and plentifully adorned with green peppers4 ,it was in a moment of divine inspiration the ,spaniard invented so piquant an arrangement4 ,but the resources of boiled partridges1 apt to be forgotten or overlooked1 are well-nigh limitless1 and as charming as they are many4 ,very important is it that the birds be well boiled1 quickly1 in much water4 ,the rest depends upon the sauce4 ,this may be of cream and butter alone2 or else of celery and cream1 seasoned with mace and pepper4 ,or else of mushrooms and cream1 or of the livers and parsley and butter2 or of white wine2 or of any and every good thing that goes to the making of superlative sauce4 ,what a chance1 too1 to exercise your imagination1 to reveal your ingenuity6 ,five long months are before you2 see that you make the most of them4 ,if your soul delight in the fantastic1 let few days pass before you have tested the quaint joys of ,partridge ,mettenes4 ,the recipe shall be printed word for word as written by the ,master ,cook1 ,giles3 ,take ,partridges and roast them1 then take ,cream--these with capitals1 observe--and ,grapes1 with ,bread1 scorched against the ,fire1 and beat all this together2 but first steep your ,bread in ,broth or ,claret-,wine2 then strain all this through a strainer with ,spice1 ,cinnamon1 and a little ,mustard2 set all a-boyling with a pretty deal of ,sugar1 but take heed that it doth not burn too1 and when you would serve away your ,partridge1 put them into a ,dish1 and your ,sauce under them1 and garnish your ,dish with ,sweetmeats and ,sugarplums4 ,here is another device1 fantastic chiefly in name3 ,partridges l'eau bniste or ,holy ,water4 ,it has the virtue of simplicity4 ,take partridges and rost them1 and when they are rosted1 cut them into little pieces1 and put them into a ,dish with a little fair ,water and ,salt1 and make them boyl a little1 and so serve them away4 ,or else1 ,o pleasant alternative6 you may make a ,sauce with ,rose-water and ,wine1 the ,juice of ,apples and ,oranges1 but there must be three times as much ,rose-water as ,wine4 ,reading this1 who will dare deny that ,master ,cook ,giles is an authority to be respected1 of whose recipes the poor prosaic modern kitchen may not receive too many8 ,space1 therefore1 must be yielded to at least one more3 ,partridges la ,tonnelette4 ,take a partridge and rost it1 then put it into a ,pot2 this done1 take white ,bread and scortch or toste it very brown1 but not burn it1 and put it a-steeping in good ,claret-wine1 and when it is well steep'd strain it through a strainer with some good ,broth1 and a few ,onions fryed in ,lard1 with a little ,cinnamon1 ,cloves1 and ,nutmegs1 and other small ,spices1 and a little ,sugar1 and put into it a handful of ,currants1 and make that which you have strained out boyl all together1 and when it is time to serve your ,partridges1 put your ,sauces into a ,dish1 and lay your ,partridges upon it1 and so serve it4 ,such pretty fancies1 it were a shame to follow with bald prose4 ,yet1 bear in mind that partridges may be braised with mushrooms or truffles2 that they may be broiled or baked2 that they disgrace neither pie nor pudding2 and that they offer welcome basis for a salmi and pure4 ,lay this to heart4 ,,the ,,archangelic ,,bird ,michaelmas is a season of sad associations4 ,the quarter's rent is due1 alas6 ,the quarter's gas1 alas6 and1 alas a hundred times6 the half-yearly rates4 ,bank accounts dwindle2 spirits sink2 life seems but a blank and dreary desert4 ,into the gloom1 settling down thicker and more throttling than ,november's fog1 there flutters and waddles a big white bird1 a saviour of men4 ,it is the noble goose1 the goose1 ridiculed and misunderstood1 that comes chivalrously and fearlessly to the rescue2 the goose that once saved ,rome's ,capitol1 the goose still honoured as most alert of sentinels within ,barcelona's cathedral precincts1 the goose that1 followed by a goose-girl1 is the beloved of artists4 ,because of its nobility of character1 its devotion1 wherein it rivals benevolent mastiff and kindly terrier1 its courage1 its strength1 ,st ,michael1 glorious and effulgent archangel1 took it for his own bird of birds1 to be so intimately connected with him that now to show respect to the ,saint is to eat the goose4 ,the ,feast of ,michaelmas1 to the right-minded and the orthodox1 means roast goose and apple sauce4 ,soulless authorities1 burrowing in mouldy records1 can find no better reason for this close relationship than that1 at ,september's close1 great is the number of geese cackling in homely barnyard1 great their perfection4 ,numerous generations since ,england's fourth ,edward sat upon the throne 7and who can say how many before his time871 have held the cooking of the goose for dinner as no less sacred a ceremony on the ,angel's feast day than the morning's service in church4 ,and this1 would the pugnacious ,michael have permitted for such gross material considerations8 ,never2 let it be said once and for all3 never4 ,he knew the goose for the bird that lays the golden egg2 he knew full well its dignity and might that make it still a terror to be met on lonely common by them who use its name as symbol of silliness2 he knew that strong as well as faint hearted hesitate to say ,bo discourteously to any goose1 whether it be a wanderer in ,french pastures or one of the dust-raising flock1 in the twilight1 cackling homeward over ,transylvanian highways4 ,in a word1 ,michael knew his bird2 and our duty it is to believe in it a dish for ,michaelmas with the blind1 unquestioning allegiance of perfect faith4 ,coarse its flesh may be in comparison with the dainty duck and tender chicken2 commonplace in comparison with the glorious grouse and proud partridge4 ,the modest1 respectable bourgeois it may seem among poultry4 ,and yet1 if the ,archangel has chosen it for his own1 who shall say him nay8 ,study rather to disguise its native coarseness1 to enliven its excellent dulness4 ,to roast it is the simplest form the ,michaelmas celebration allows4 ,see first that your fire be very good2 take care to singe the sacrificial goose with a piece of white paper1 and baste it with a piece of butter2 drudge it 7the word is ,mrs ,glasse's7 with a little flour1 and when the smoke begins to draw to the fire1 and it looks plump1 baste it again and drudge it with a little flour1 and take it up4 ,in sober mood1 stuff it with sage and onion2 in more flamboyant moments1 let your choice rest upon chestnuts4 ,tradition insists upon a little good gravy in a basin by itself1 and some apple-sauce in another2 but sauce of gooseberries1 not to be had fresh1 however1 for ,michaelmas1 is the gourmet's choice4 ,a hint as to carving4 ,how many a beautiful bird1 or majestic joint1 has been shamelessly insulted by ill-trained carver6 ,of old the master of the household accepted the dissection of a goose after the ,high ,dutch fashion and the ,italian both1 his own predilections leaning rather toward the ,high ,dutch1 for they cut the breast into more pieces1 and so by consequence fill more ,plates--good thrifty burghers that they were4 ,learn then1 and master the order how they carve and how they send it away2 as 7#a71 on the first ,plate a thigh2 7#b71 another thigh2 7#c71 a side of the rump1 with a piece of the breast2 7#d71 the other side of the rump1 with another piece of the breast2 7#e71 a wing2 7#f71 the other wing2 7#g71 the rest of the stomach1 upon which1 if there be little of the brawn left1 you may joyn the two small forked bones2 to the eighth1 the merry-thought1 with the rest of the rump1 and any else1 at your discretion4 ,if you will1 you may join some of the breast with the best piece which you always present to the most considerable person at the table first1 and take notice too1 by the bye1 the brawn of the breast ought to be for the most part served out first4 ,give heed unto these directions1 and far wrong you may not go4 ,days are when simple expression of faith is all too inadequate4 ,the devout yearns for something more ornate1 something more elaborate4 ,let the outcome of this yearning be oie la chipolata1 and ,michael in ,paradise will smell the sweet savour and smile4 ,it is difficult1 but delicious4 ,cover the bottom of your stew-pan with lard2 place upon it two or three slices of beef and ham1 a bouquet of parsley and chives1 three carrots and two or three onions1 a touch of garlic1 a few cloves1 thyme1 laurel leaves1 basil1 and salt1 and thus you will have prepared a sweet1 soft bed for your goose4 ,immediately disturb the bird's slumbers by pouring over it a glass of good ,madeira1 a bottle of white wine1 a glass of cognac1 and two or three spoonfuls of strong bouillon made of fowls4 ,now put your pan on the fire1 stew your goose for an hour1 lift it out1 arrange it on a fair dish1 and envelop it in the very richest chipolata it is in your power to make4 ,and what is a chipolata8 ,an ,italian creation half sauce1 half ragot2 fashioned of carrots and turnips1 and chestnuts and onions1 and sausage and mushrooms1 and artichokes and celery1 and strong veal gravy4 ,archangelic smiles must broaden into silent laughter at the mere mention of a ,potage of ,green ,geese4 ,it is a conceit redolent of the olden time1 when gaiety was still ranked among the cardinal virtues1 and men ate their fill with no fear of a dyspeptic to-morrow4 ,since it is an ancient masterpiece1 in the ancient words must it be explained1 or else it will be dishonoured in the telling4 ,take your ,green-geese and boyl them the usual way1 and when they are boyled take them up and fry them whole in a frying-pan to colour them1 either with the fat of bacon or hog's-lard1 called nowadays mange de pork2 then take ginger1 long pepper1 and cloves2 beat all this together1 and season them with this spice2 a little parsley and sage1 and put them into a little of the same broth that they were boyled in1 and sprinkle a little grated cheese over them1 and let them have a little stew1 and then dish them up with sipets under them4 ,a brave disguise1 truly1 for humblest goose4 ,in a pie likewise--unless the fashioning thereof be entrusted to the indiscreet cook--it presents a brave appearance4 ,walls of crust line a spacious dish2 a pickled dried tongue is boiled2 a fowl and a goose are boned2 seasoning is wrought of mace1 beaten pepper1 and salt2 and then1 ,oh the marvel of it6 fowl is lain in the goose1 tongue in the fowl1 goose in the dish4 ,a half a pound of butter separates bird from pastry cover4 ,and1 hot or cold1 pleasure may be had in the eating4 ,not the highest pleasure1 perhaps1 but still pleasure not to be scorned4 ,if you would boil a goose1 see1 as you respect your stomach1 that it be first salted for a week4 ,with onion sauce it may be becomingly adorned1 or again1 with simple cabbage1 boiled1 chopped small1 and stewed in butter4 ,or1 plunge gaily into the rococo style1 and decorate it l' ,arlsienne2 stuffed with onions and chestnuts1 boiled in company with carrots and celery and onions and parsley and cloves1 floated in tomato sauce1 it is as chock full of playful surprises as the ,cartuja of ,granada4 ,another device to be recommended is the grilling of the legs and the serving them with laitues farcies--and ,michael will laugh outright2 or la ,provenale1 and words fail2 or aux tomates1 the love-apples that not the hardest heart can resist4 ,of the great and good ,carme these are the suggestions2 treasure them up1 therefore1 where memory may not rust or aspiration decay1 for the dinner may come when you will be glad to have them at hand4 ,of the giblets and liver of the goose is there not a long1 exultant chapter yet to be written8 ,in far ,strasburg geese1 in perpetual darkness and torture1 fatten with strange morbid fat1 that the sensitive1 who shrink from a bull fight and cry out against the cruelty of the cockpit1 may revel in pt de foie gras4 ,so long as the world lives1 may there still be this delectable pt to delight4 ,but why not be honest3 admit that between the torture of the bull that we may see1 and the torture of the goose that we may eat1 difference there is none8 ,give sensitiveness full play1 and sordid vegetarianism is the logical result4 ,,spring ,,chicken ,gluttony1 it has been written--and with wisdom--deserves nothing but praise and encouragement4 ,for two reasons4 ,physically1 it is the result and proof of the digestive organs being perfect4 ,morally1 it shows implicit resignation to the commands of nature1 who1 in ordering man to eat that he may live1 gives him appetite to invite1 flavour to encourage1 and pleasure to reward4 ,but there is a third reason1 too often overlooked even by the professional glutton3 love of good eating is an incentive to thought1 a stimulus to the imagination4 ,the man of the most active mind and liveliest fancy is he who eats well and conscientiously considers each dish as it is set before him4 ,the test seldom fails4 ,run through the list of poets and painters of your acquaintance2 do not they who eat best write the finest verse and paint the strongest pictures8 ,those who pretend indifference and live on unspeakable messes are betrayed in the foolish affectation and tedious eccentricity of their work2 those who feel indifference are already beyond hope and had better far be selling tape across counters or adding up figures in loathsome ledgers4 ,memory1 borrowing from her store-house of treasures1 lingers with tender appreciation and regret upon one unrivalled breakfast1 exquisitely cooked1 exquisitely served1 and exquisitely eaten1 when lilacs were sweet and horse-chestnuts blossoming in the boulevards and avenues of ,paris4 ,and he upon whose table the banquet was spread is an artist who towers head and shoulders above the pigmies of his generation4 ,it were rash1 indeed1 to maintain that because he eats daintily therefore he paints like the master he is2 but who1 on the other hand1 would dare aver that because he paints supremely well therefore is he the prince of gourmets8 ,here cause and effect are not to be defined by cold logic1 not to be labelled by barren philosophy4 ,one thing alone is certain2 if love of good eating will not create genius it can but develop it4 ,consequently1 it would be impossible to think too much of what you are eating to-day and purpose to eat to-morrow4 ,it is your duty above all things to see that your food is in harmony with place and season4 ,the question now is1 what beast or bird is fitting holocaust for the first warm months of spring8 ,beef is too heating1 too substantial2 mutton too monotonous1 veal too prosaic4 ,lamb hath charm1 but a charm that by constant usage may be speedily exhausted4 ,does not mint sauce1 pall at times8 ,place1 then1 your trust in the poultry-yard that your pleasure may be long in the spring4 ,to begin with1 poultry pleases because of its idyllic and pastoral associations4 ,the plucked birds1 from shop windows1 flaunting their nakedness in the face of the world1 recall the old red-roofed farmhouse among the elms1 and the pretty farmer's daughter in neat1 fresh gingham1 scattering grain in the midst of her feathered favourites2 they suggest the first cool light of dawn and the irrepressible cock crowing the glad approach of day2 in a word1 they are reminders of the country's simple joys--unendurable at the time1 dear and sacred when remembered in town4 ,the gentle little spring chicken is sweet and adorable above all its kindred poultry4 ,it is innocent and guileless as ,bellini's angels1 dream-like and strange as ,botticelli's4 ,it is the very concentration of spring2 as your teeth meet in its tender1 yielding flesh1 you think1 whether you will or no1 of violets and primroses1 and hedgerows white with may2 you feel the balmy breath of the south wind2 the world is scented for you with lilac and narcissus2 and1 for the time being1 life is a perfect poem4 ,but--why is there always a but8--your cook has it in her power to ruin the rhythm1 to make of melodious lyric the most discordant prose4 ,no less depends upon the being who cooks the chicken than upon the hen who laid the egg4 ,if hitherto you have offended through heedlessness1 see now that you approach the subject with a determination to profit4 ,of all ways of cooking a spring chicken1 frying is first to be commended2 and of all ways of frying the ,american is most sympathetic4 ,fried chicken6 ,to write the word is to be carried back to the sunny ,south2 to see1 in the mind's eye1 the old1 black1 fat1 smiling mammie1 in gorgeous bandana turban1 and the little black piccaninnies bringing in relays of hot muffins4 ,oh1 the happy days of the long ago6 ,it is easy to give the recipe1 but what can it avail unless the mammie goes with it8 ,another admirable device is in broiling4 ,one fashion is to divide your chicken down the back and flatten it1 seeing1 as you have a heart within you1 that no bones be broken4 ,set it lovingly on a trivet placed for the purpose in a baking-tin into which water1 to the depth of an inch1 has been poured4 ,cover your tin2 bake the sweet offering for ten minutes or so2 take it from the oven2 touch it delicately with the purest of pure olive oil1 and for another ten minutes broil it over a good brisk fire4 ,and if in the result you do not taste heaven1 hasten to the hermit's cell in the desert1 and1 for the remainder of your days1 grow thin on lentils and dates4 ,or1 if you would broil your chicken after the fashion of infallible ,mrs ,glasse1 slit it as before1 season it with pepper and salt1 lay it on a clear fire at a great distance1 broil first the inside1 then the out1 cover it with delicate bread-crumbs1 and let it be of a fine brown1 but not burnt4 ,and keep this note carefully in your mind3 ,you may make just what sauce you fancy4 ,to roast a spring chicken will do no harm1 but let it not be overdone4 ,twenty minutes suffice for the ceremony4 ,bacon1 in thinnest of thin slices1 gracefully rolled1 is not unworthy to be served with it4 ,in boiling1 something of its virginal flavour may be sacrificed1 but still there is compensating gain2 it may be eaten with white mushroom sauce1 made of mushrooms and cream1 and seasoned with nutmeg and mace4 ,here is a poem1 sweeter far than all songs of immortal choirs or the weak pipings of our minor singers4 ,as the chicken outgrows the childish state1 you may go to ,monte ,carlo in search of one hint at least1 for its disposal4 ,there you will learn to cut it into quarters1 to stew it in wine and shallots1 to add1 at the psychological moment1 tomatoes in slices1 and to serve a dish that baffles description4 ,or you may journey to ,spain1 and find that country's kitchen slandered when you eat poulet au ris l' ,espagnole1 chicken cooked in a marmite with rice1 artichokes1 green and red chillies1 and salad oil1 and served1 where the artist dwells1 in the blessed marmite itself--in unimaginative ,london1 even1 you may buy one1 green or brown1 whichever you will1 at a delightful shop in ,shaftsbury-avenue4 ,again1 you may wander to ,holland--it is a short journey1 and not disagreeable by way of ,harwich--and be ready to swear that no fashion can surpass the ,dutch of boiling chickens with rice or vermicelli1 spicing them with pepper and cloves1 and1 at table1 substituting for sauce sugar and cinnamon4 ,but to omit these last two garnishments will not mean a mortal sin upon your conscience4 ,in more festive mood hasten at once to ,france1 and there you will be no less certain that the way of ways is to begin to broil your chicken1 already quartered1 but1 when half done1 to put it in a stew-pan with gravy1 and white wine1 salt and pepper1 fried veal balls1 onions1 and shallots1 and1 according to season1 gooseberries or grapes4 ,do you not grow hungry as you read8 ,but wait3 this is not all4 ,as the beautiful mixture is stewing--on a charcoal fire if possible--thicken the liquor with yolks of eggs and the juice of lemon1 and for ever after bless ,mrs ,glasse for having initiated you into these noble and ennobling mysteries4 ,braise your chicken1 fricassee it1 make it into mince1 croquettes1 krameskies2 eat it cold2 convert it into galantine2 bury it in aspic2 do what you will with it1 so long as you do it well1 it can bring you but happiness and peace4 ,,the ,,magnificent ,,mushroom ,from remote ages dates the triumph of the mushroom--the majestic1 magnificent mushroom4 ,glorious ,greeks feasted on it and were glad4 ,what say ,poliochus and ,antiphanes8 ,what ,athenus8 ,in verse only1 could be duly praised those fragrant mushrooms of old1 which were roasted for dinner and eaten with delicate snails caught in the dewy morning1 and olives tenderly pounded2 washed down with wine1 good if not over strong or of famous vintage4 ,o the simple1 happy days of long ago6 ,there are times when the classic simplicity and dignity of the ,greek you may emulate1 and your amusement find in mushrooms dressed with vinegar1 or honey and vinegar1 or honey1 or salt4 ,but then1 all other courses must be in keeping4 ,the snails and olives must not be omitted4 ,maize there must be1 well winnowed from the chaff1 and rich1 ripe purple figs4 ,and1 who knows8 the full flavour thereof might not be yielded to the most earnest adventurer were couches not substituted for stiff1 ungainly chairs4 ,by many a lesser trifle has digestion been1 if not ruined1 influenced for ill4 ,but the classic experiment1 if repeated too often1 might seem very odious4 ,the modern gourmand1 or artist1 is a romanticist1 whether he will or no4 ,no screaming red waistcoat marks the romantic movement in the kitchen1 and yet there it has been stronger even than in art and literature4 ,the picturesque must be had at any cost4 ,simplicity is not spurned1 far from it2 but it must be seasoned with becoming sprinkling of romance4 ,what could be simpler than the common mushroom grilled1 so self-sufficient in its chaste severity that it allows but salt and pepper and butter to approach it1 as it lies1 fragrant and delicious1 on its gridiron1 calling1 like another ,st ,lawrence1 to be turned when one side is fairly done4 ,and yet when1 ready to be served1 its rich brown beauty is spread upon the paler brown of the toast1 and above rests butter's brilliant gold1 have you not an arrangement as romantic in conception as the ,ernani of the master1 or the pastoral of ,corot8 ,paltry meats and undesirable vegetables should not be allowed to dispute supremacy with it4 ,serve it alone1 as you respect yourself4 ,do not make your breakfast or dinner table as preposterous a blunder as the modern picture gallery4 ,should simplicity pall upon you--and moments there are when it cannot fail to pall--enrich your grilled mushrooms with a sauce of melted butter and onions and parsley1 and a single note of garlic1 and the result will be enchanting mushrooms la bourdelaise4 ,if au beurre you would eat them1 to accord with your passing mood of suave serenity1 stew them gently and considerately in daintiest stew-pan your kitchen can provide1 and let cayenne and powdered mace exult1 as the romantic elements of the stirring poem4 ,a still more poetic fancy may be met and sweetly satisfied by ragot of mushrooms4 ,listen reverently1 for it is food fit to be set before the angels4 ,over the mushrooms1 first boiled on a quick fire1 pour a gill of pure red wine--and the best ,burgundy thus used will not be wasted2 then scatter spices1 mace1 and nutmeg1 with a discreet hand2 boil once more2 pour the marvellous mixture upon five or six--or more1 if wanted--yolks of eggs1 hard-boiled2 garnish the dish with grilled mushrooms1 and bless the day that you were born1 predestined1 as you were1 from all eternity for this one interval of rapture4 ,possibility of rapture there is likewise in a white fricasse of mushrooms1 which1 if you have your own happiness at heart1 you cannot afford to despise4 ,secure then1 without delay--for who would play fast and loose with happiness8--a quart of fresh mushrooms4 ,clean them with hands as tender as if bathing a new-born babe4 ,in three spoonfuls of water1 and three of milk1 let them boil up three times4 ,see that temptation leads you not to violate the sanctity of this thrice-three4 ,nutmeg1 mace1 butter1 a pint of rich thick cream alone1 at this juncture1 will appease the saucepan's longings4 ,shake well2 and all the time1 mind you4 ,be careful there is no curdling1 or else--damnation4 ,the masterpiece once triumphantly achieved and set upon a table covered with a fair white cloth1 great will be the rejoicing in the ,earthly ,paradise of your dining-room4 ,another sensation1 another thrill awaits you in mushrooms au gratin4 ,here1 indeed1 is romanticism gone mad4 ,grated bacon1 shallots1 a bouquet garni1 mace1 pepper and salt1 eggs and butter share the baking-dish with the mushrooms2 bread-crumbs complete the strange1 subtle combination1 upon which you may break your fast1 dine1 sup and sleep1 as ,valentine upon the very naked name of love4 ,a sorry plight were yours if love1 fickle and fading1 could be preferred to a dish of mushrooms fashioned so fantastically4 ,and oh6 what lovely1 beautiful eating there is in this world6 ,it is ,heine who said it--,heine who1 for a good dinner1 would have given twice the three hundred years of eternal fame offered by ,voltaire for a good digestion4 ,but lovely and beautiful are but feeble words when it is a question of the mess of mushrooms1 for which who would not sacrifice eternal fame for ever1 in all cheerfulness and glee8 ,the reigning sultana in the mushroom's harem is the brilliant golden egg4 ,sweet symphonies in brown and gold are the dishes their union yields4 ,o,eufs brouills aux champignons--has not the very name a pretty sound8 ,it is a delight best suited to the midday breakfast2 a joyous course to follow the anchovy salad1 the eel well smoked1 or whatever dainty hors d'oeuvre may stimulate to further appetite4 ,the eggs1 scrambled and rivalling the buttercup's rich gold1 are laid delicately on crisp toast1 and present a couch1 soft as down1 for a layer of mushrooms4 ,let ,ruskin rave of ,turner's sunsets1 let the glory of the ,venetians be a delight among art critics2 but when did ,turner or ,titian or ,tintoret invent a finer scheme of colour than egg and mushroom thus combined for the greater happiness of the few8 ,a silver dish or one of rarest porcelain should be frame for a picture so perfect4 ,borrow a hint from the ,hungarians1 and vary the arrangement to your own profit4 ,make a pure of the mushrooms1 as rich as cream permits1 and offer it as foundation for eggs poached deftly and swiftly3 a harmony in soft dove-like greys and pale yellow1 the result4 ,it is an admirable contrivance1 a credit to ,szomorodni-drinking ,magyars4 ,and there is no known reason why it should not be eaten on ,thames side as on the banks of the ,danube4 ,szomorodni1 in its native splendour1 alas6 is not to be had in ,london town4 ,but1 without sacrilege1 ,chablis or ,graves1 or ,sauterne may take its place4 ,to drink red wine would be to strike a false note in the harmony4 ,another day1 another dish1 which you cannot do better than make omelette aux champignons4 ,and if you will1 you may eat it even as it was prepared for ,royal ,stuarts by ,master ,cook ,rose1 who wrote almost as prettily as he cooked4 ,thus3--,stove your champignons between two dishes1 season them with salt1 pepper1 and nutmeg1 then make an omelette with a dozen of eggs1 and when he is ready cover him over with your champignons1 and fold him up1 triangle-wise1 and serve him with the juice of lemons over him4 ,a royal dish1 indeed4 ,creatures of infinite resources1 eggs and mushrooms meet in cases to produce a new and distinct joy4 ,the mushrooms1 stewed in milk thickened with the yolks of raw eggs and bread-crumbs1 line the little fluted china cases2 into each a fresh egg is broken2 then more mushrooms and bread-crumbs are spread gently above2 a shallow pan1 its bottom just covered with hot water1 receives the cases1 and ten minutes in the oven will complete a triumph which1 once tasted1 you may well remember all the days of your life4 ,the kidney is loved by the mushroom scarce less tenderly than the egg4 ,rognons aux champignons1 fragrant rich1 ravishing1 may also be claimed by the happy midday hour4 ,and like so many a noble dish1 it lavishes upon you the pleasures of anticipation4 ,for the kidneys1 cut in slices and laid in thickened gravy1 must stew slowly1 slowly--never boiling1 unless you would have them vie with leather in consistency4 ,at an early stage the mushrooms1 also in pieces1 may be added1 and pepper and salt according to inclination4 ,and slowly1 slowly let the stewing continue4 ,at the last supreme moment pour in a glass of generous red wine1 or if it please you more1 ,marsala1 and serve without delay4 ,chambertin1 or ,nuits1 at peace in its cradle1 is surely the wine decreed by fate to drink with so sublime a creation4 ,with the tender filet1 mushrooms prove irresistible2 with the graceful cutlet they seem so ravishing that even sauce ,soubise1 the once inseparable1 may for the moment be easily forgotten4 ,and veal is no less susceptible to its charms3 let noisettes de veau aux champignons be the entre of to-morrow's dinner1 and you will return thanks to your deliverer from the roast6 ,as sauce1 mushroom is the chosen one of fowl and fish alike4 ,join your mushrooms to ,bchamel1 one of the great mother sauces1 and you will have the wonder that ,carme1 its creator1 served first to the ,princesse de ,b4 ,how resist so aristocratic a precedent8 ,grasse1 or maigre1 you can make it1 as the season demands4 ,or to a like end you may devote that other marvel1 pure de champignons la ,laguipierre1 whose patron was the great ,louis de ,rohan1 and into whose mysteries ,carme was initiated by the ,grand ,m4 ,dunan4 ,ham1 tomato1 nutmeg1 pepper1 lemon juice1 are the chief ingredients that enter into its composition4 ,who1 after testing it1 will dare find naught but vexation and vanity in the reign of the ,sixteenth ,louis8 ,subtle variation may be had by substituting as foundation1 sauce la rgence or sauce la princesse for sauce ,bchamel2 while a sensation apart springs from the lofty alliance between oysters and mushrooms4 ,how natural that for masterpieces in mushrooms royalty so often has stood sponsor6 ,upon the ,prince of ,wurtemberg rests the glorious responsibility of ,seine shad la pure de champignons4 ,if history records not his name1 a prince--in spirit at least--must also have been the first happy man to eat red mullets aux champignons1 or eels aux hutres et aux champignons2 show yourself as princely before you are a week older4 ,while a king was he who first smiled upon that kingly ragot of mushrooms1 mussels1 and shrimps4 ,be you a king in your turn--there are few pleasures equal to it4 ,for white fowls of all sort1 ,mrs ,glasse recommends her mushroom sauce1 thus giving loose reins to the artist's fancy4 ,the fowl may be boiled1 and then rich with cream must be the sauce that redeems it from insipidity4 ,it may be roasted1 and then let the mushrooms be somewhat more in evidence4 ,or it may be broiled1 and then mayhap it would be wise to grill the mushrooms whole1 instead of converting them into sauce4 ,or--here is another suggestion1 and be thankful for it--mince your chicken1 which toast will receive gladly as a covering and set upon it1 as already upon oeufs brouills1 the mushrooms grilled in butter4 ,long might you live1 far might you wander1 before chancing upon another delicacy so worthy4 ,though1 truth to tell--and where gastronomy is the subject it is always best to be honest--croquettes de poulet aux champignons seem well-nigh worthier4 ,if you would decide for yourself1 try both1 and joy go with you in the trying4 ,an afterthought3 dress livers with mushroom sauce1 and this is the manner in which it should be done4 ,take some pickled or fresh mushrooms1 cut small--both if you have them--and let the livers be bruised fine1 with a good deal of parsley chopped small1 a spoonful or two of catchup1 a glass of white wine1 and as much good gravy as will make sauce enough2 thicken it with a piece of butter rolled in flour4 ,this does for either roast or boiled4 ,for the rest1 how count the innumerable ways in which the mushroom adds to the gaiety of the gourmand8 ,what would the vol-au-vent be without it8 ,what the ,fine ,pye1 made otherwise of carps and artichokes and crayfishes' feet and lobster claws and nutmeg and cloves alone8 ,what1 according to the ,complete ,court ,cook1 so proper for the second course as the patty all of mushrooms8 ,what garniture fairer for ragoo or fricasse1 according to the same authority1 than mushroom farcis8 ,but1 however they may be served and eaten1 mushrooms you must make yours at any cost4 ,to say that you do not like them is confession of your own philistinism4 ,learn to like them2 will to like them1 or else your sojourn on this earth will be a wretched waste4 ,you will have lived your life in vain if1 at its close1 you have missed one of its finest emotions4 ,,the ,,incomparable ,,onion ,too often the poet sees but the tears that live in an onion2 not the smiles4 ,and yet the smiles are there1 broad and genial1 or subtle and tender4 ,rose among roots1 its very name revives memories of pleasant feasting2 its fragrance is rich forecast of delights to come4 ,without it1 there would be no gastronomic art4 ,banish it from the kitchen1 and all pleasure of eating flies with it4 ,its presence lends colour and enchantment to the most modest dish2 its absence reduces the rarest dainty to hopeless insipidity1 and the diner to despair4 ,the secret of good cooking lies in the discreet and sympathetic treatment of the onion4 ,for what culinary masterpiece is there that may not be improved by it8 ,it gives vivacity to soup1 life to sauce2 it is the poetic soul of the salad bowl2 the touch of romance in the well-cooked vegetable4 ,to it1 sturdiest joint and lightest stew1 crisp rissole and stimulating stuffing look for inspiration and charm--and never are they disappointed6 ,but woe betide the unwary woman who would approach it for sacrilegious ends4 ,if life holds nothing better than the onion in the right hand1 it offers nothing sadder and more degrading than the onion brutalised4 ,wide is the gulf fixed between the delicate sauce of a ,prince de ,soubise1 and the coarse1 unsavoury sausage and onion mess of the ,strand4 ,let the perfection of the first be your ideal2 the horrid coarseness of the latter shun as you would the devil4 ,the fragrance of this wine-scented esculent not only whets the appetite2 it abounds in associations glad and picturesque4 ,all ,italy is in the fine1 penetrating smell2 and all ,provence2 and all ,spain4 ,an onion or garlic-scented atmosphere hovers alike over the narrow calli of ,venice1 the cool courts of ,cordova1 and the thronged amphitheatre of ,arles4 ,it is only the atmosphere breathed by the ,latin peoples of the ,south1 so that ever must it suggest blue skies and endless sunshine1 cypress groves and olive orchards4 ,for the traveller it is interwoven with memories of the golden canvases of ,titian1 the song of ,dante1 the music of ,mascagni4 ,the violet may not work a sweeter spell1 nor the carnation yield a more intoxicating perfume4 ,and some men there have been in the past to rank the onion as a root sacred to ,aphrodite3 food for lovers4 ,to the poetry of it none but the dull and brutal can long remain indifferent4 ,needless1 then1 to dwell upon its more prosaic side3 upon its power as a tonic1 its value as a medicine4 ,medicinal properties it has1 as the drunkard knows full well4 ,but why consider the drunkard8 ,leave him to the tender mercies of the doctor4 ,gourmandise1 or the love of good eating1 here the one and only concern1 is opposed to excess4 ,every man who eats to indigestion1 or makes himself drunk1 runs the risk of being erased from the list of its votaries4 ,the onion is but the name for a large family1 of which shallots1 garlic1 and chives are chief and most honoured varieties4 ,moreover1 country and climate work upon it changes many and strange4 ,in the south it becomes larger and more opulent1 like the women4 ,and yet1 as it increases in size1 it loses in strength--who shall say why8 ,and the loss truly is an improvement4 ,our own onion often is strong even unto rankness4 ,therefore1 as all good housewives understand1 the ,spanish species for most purposes may be used instead1 and great will be the gain thereby4 ,still further south1 still further east1 you will journey but to find the onion fainter in flavour1 until in ,india it seems but a pale parody of its ,english prototype4 ,and again1 at different seasons1 very different are its most salient qualities4 ,in great gladness of heart everyone must look forward to the dainty little spring onion3 adorable as vegetable cooked in good white sauce1 inscrutable as guardian spirit of fresh green salad1 irreproachable as pickle in vinegar and mustard4 ,garlic is one of the most gracious gifts of the gods to men--a gift1 alas6 too frequently abused4 ,in the vegetable world1 it has something of the value of scarlet among colours1 of the clarionet's call in music4 ,brazen1 and crude1 and screaming1 when dragged into undue prominence1 it may yet be made to harmonise divinely with fish and fowl1 with meat1 and other greens4 ,thrown wholesale into a salad1 it is odious and insupportable2 but used to rub the salad bowl1 and then cast aside1 its virtue may not be exaggerated4 ,for it1 as for lovers1 the season of seasons is the happy spring time4 ,its true home is ,provence4 ,what would be the land of the troubadour and the ,flibre without the ail that festoons every greengrocer's shop1 that adorns every dish at every banquet of rich and poor alike8 ,as well rid bouillabaisse of its saffron as of its ail2 as well forget the pomme d'amour in the sauce for macaroni1 or the rosemary and the thyme on the spit with the little birds4 ,the verse of ,roumanille and ,mistral smells sweet of ail2 ,tartarin and ,numa ,roumestan are heroes nourished upon it4 ,it is the very essence of farandoles and ferrades1 of bull-fights and water tournaments4 ,a pinch of ail1 a coup de vin1 and then-- ,viva la joia1 ,fidon la tristessa6 ,and all the while we1 in the cold1 gloomy north1 eat garlic and are hated for it by friends and foes4 ,only in the hot south can life ail-inspired pass for a galejado or jest4 ,to the onion1 the shallot is as the sketch to the finished picture2 slighter1 it may be2 but often subtler and more suggestive4 ,unrivalled in salads and sauces1 it is without compare in the sumptuous seasoning of the most fantastic viands4 ,it does not assert itself with the fury and pertinacity of garlic2 it does not announce its presence with the self-consciousness of the onion4 ,it appeals by more refined devices1 by gentler means1 and is to be prized accordingly4 ,small and brown1 it is pleasant to look upon as the humble wild rose by the side of the ,gloire de ,dijon4 ,and1 though it never attain to the untempered voluptuousness of the onion1 it develops its sweetness and strength under the hottest suns of summer3 in ,july1 ,august1 and ,september1 does it mature2 then do its charms ripen2 then may it be enjoyed in full perfection1 and satisfy the most riotous gluttony4 ,shallots for summer by preference1 but chives for spring3 the delicate chives1 the long1 slim leaves1 fair to look upon1 sweet to smell1 sweeter still to eat in crisp green salad4 ,the name is a little poem2 the thing itself falls not far short of the divine4 ,other varieties there be1 other offshoots of the great onion--mother of all2 none1 however1 of greater repute1 of wider possibilities than these4 ,to know them well is to master the fundamental principles of the art of cookery4 ,but this is knowledge given unto the few2 the many1 no doubt1 will remain for ever in the outer darkness1 where the onion is condemned to everlasting companionship with the sausage--not altogether their fault1 perhaps4 ,in cookery1 as in all else1 too often the blind do lead the blind4 ,but a few years since and a delicate diner1 an authority unto himself at least1 produced upon the art of dining a book1 not without reputation4 ,but to turn to its index is to find not one reference to the onion3 all the poetry gone2 little but prose left6 ,and this from an authority6 ,the onion1 as a dish1 is excellent2 as seasoning it has still more pleasant and commodious merits4 ,the modern chef uses it chiefly to season2 the ancient cordon bleu set his wits to work to discover spices and aromatic ingredients wherewith to season it4 ,thus1 according to ,philemon1-- ,if you want an onion1 just consider ,what great expense it takes to make it good2 ,you must have cheese1 and honey1 and sesame1 ,oil1 leeks1 and vinegar1 and assafoetida1 ,to dress it up with2 for by itself the onion ,is bitter and unpleasant to the taste4 ,a pretty mess1 indeed2 and who is there brave enough to-day to test it8 ,honey and onion6 it suggests the ingenious contrivances of the medival kitchen4 ,the most daring experiment now would be a dash of wine1 red or white1 a suspicion of mustard1 a touch of tomato in the sauce for onions1 stewed or boiled1 baked or stuffed4 ,to venture upon further flights of fancy the average cook would consider indiscreet1 though to the genius all things are possible4 ,however1 its talents for giving savour and character to other dishes is inexhaustible4 ,there is no desire more natural than that of knowledge2 there is no knowledge nobler than that of the gullet-science4 ,the discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a planet6 ,what would be ,talleyrand's record but for that moment of inspiration when1 into the mysteries of ,parmesan with soup1 he initiated his countrymen8 ,to what purpose the ,crusades1 had ,crusaders not seen and loved the garlic on the plains of ,askalon1 and brought it home with them1 their one glorious trophy4 ,to a pudding ,richelieu gave his name2 the ,prince de ,soubise lent his to a sauce1 and thereby won for it immortality4 ,a benefactor to his race indeed he was3 worthy of a shrine in the ,temple of ,humanity4 ,for1 plucking the soul from the onion1 he laid bare its hidden and sweetest treasure to the elect4 ,scarce a sauce is served that owes not fragrance and flavour to the wine-scented root2 to it1 ,barnaise1 ,matre d',htel1 ,espagnole1 ,italienne1 ,bchamel1 ,provenale1 and who shall say how many more8 look for the last supreme touch that redeems them from insipid commonplace4 ,but ,sauce ,soubise is the very idealisation of the onion1 its very essence2 at once delicate and strong2 at once as simple and as perfect as all great works of art4 ,the plodding painter looks upon a nocturne by ,whistler1 and thinks how easy1 how preposterously easy6 ,a touch here1 a stroke there1 and the thing is done4 ,but let him try6 ,and so with ,sauce ,soubise4 ,turn to the first cookery book at hand1 and read the recipe4 ,peel four large onions and cut them into thin slices2 sprinkle a little pepper and salt upon them1 together with a small quantity of nutmeg2 put them into a saucepan with a slice of fresh butter1 and steam gently--let them smile1 the true artist would say--till they are soft4 ,but why go on with elaborate directions8 ,why describe the exact quantity of flour1 the size of the potato1 the proportions of milk and cream to be added8 ,why explain in detail the process of rubbing through a sieve8 ,in telling or the reading these matters seem not above the intelligence of a little child4 ,but in the actual making1 only the artist understands the secret of perfection1 and his understanding is born within him1 not borrowed from dry statistics and formal tables4 ,he may safely be left to vary his methods2 he may add sugar1 he may omit nutmeg2 he may fry the onions instead of boiling1 for love of the tinge of brown1 rich and sombre1 thus obtained4 ,but1 whatever he does1 always with a wooden spoon will he stir his savoury mixture2 always1 as result1 produce a godlike sauce which the mutton cutlets of ,paradise1 vying with ,heine's roast goose1 will offer of their own accord at celestial banquets4 ,what wonder that a certain famous ,french count despised the prosaic politician who had never heard of cutlets la ,soubise8 ,however1 not alone in sauce can the condescending onion come to the aid of dull1 substantial flesh and fowl4 ,its virtue1 when joined to sage in stuffing1 who will gainsay8 ,even chestnuts1 destined to stuff to repletion the yawning turkey1 cannot afford to ignore the insinuating shallot or bolder garlic2 while no meat comes into the market that will not prove the better and the sweeter for at least a suspicion of onion or of ail4 ,a barbarian truly is the cook who flings a mass of fried onions upon the tender steak1 and then thinks to offer you a rare and dainty dish4 ,not with such wholesale brutality can the ideal be attained4 ,the ,french chef has more tact4 ,he will take his gigot and sympathetically prick it here and there with garlic or with chives1 even as it is roasting2 and whoever has never tasted mutton thus prepared knows not the sublimest heights of human happiness4 ,or else he will make a bouquet garni of his own1 entirely of these aromatic roots and leaves1 and fasten it in dainty fashion to the joint2 pleasure is doubled when he forgets to remove it1 and the meat is placed upon the table1 still bearing its delicious decoration4 ,moods there be that call for stronger effects3 moods when the blazing poppy field of a ,monet pleases more than the quiet moonlight of a ,cazin2 when ,tennyson is put aside for ,swinburne4 ,at such times1 call for a shoulder of mutton1 well stuffed with onions1 and still further satiate your keen1 vigorous appetite with a bottle of ,beaune or ,pomard4 ,but here1 a warning3 eat and drink with at least a pretence of moderation4 ,remember that1 but for an excess of shoulder of mutton and onions1 ,napoleon might not have been defeated at ,leipzig4 ,but at all times1 and in all places1 onions clamour for moderation4 ,a salad of tomatoes buried under thick layers of this powerful esculent must disgust2 gently sprinkled with chopped-up chives or shallots1 it enraptures4 ,potatoes la ,lyonnaise1 curried eggs1 ,irish stew1 ,gulyas1 ragot1 alike demand restraint in their preparation1 a sweet reasonableness in the hand that distributes the onion4 ,for the delicate diner1 as for the drunkard1 onion soup has charm4 ,it is of the nature of sauce ,soubise1 and what mightier recommendation could be given it8 ,thus ,dumas1 the high priest of the kitchen1 made it3 a dozen onions--,spanish by preference--minced with discretion1 fried in freshest of fresh butter until turned to a fair golden yellow1 he boiled in three pints or so of water1 adequately seasoned with salt and pepper2 and then1 at the end of twenty full minutes1 he mixed with this preparation the yolks of two or three eggs1 and poured the exquisite liquid upon bread1 cut and ready4 ,at the thought alone the mouth waters1 the eye brightens4 ,the adventurous1 now and again1 add ham or rice1 vegetables or a bouquet garni4 ,but this as you will1 according to the passing hour's leisure4 ,only of one thing make sure--in ,dumas confidence is ever to be placed without doubt or hesitation4 ,dumas' soup for dinner2 but for breakfast the unrivalled omelette of ,brillat-,savarin4 ,it is made after this fashion3 the roes of two carp1 a piece of fresh tunny1 and shallots1 well hashed and mixed1 are thrown into a saucepan with a lump of butter beyond reproach1 and whipped up till the butter is melted1 which1 says the great one1 constitutes the speciality of the omelette2 in the meantime1 let some one prepare1 upon an oval dish1 a mixture of butter and parsley1 lemon juice1 and chives--not shallots here1 let the careless note--the plate to be left waiting over hot embers2 next beat up twelve eggs1 pour in the roes and tunny1 stir with the zeal and sympathy of an artist1 spread upon the plate that waits so patiently1 serve at once2 and words fail to describe the ecstasy that follows4 ,especially1 to quote again so eminent an authority1 let the omelette be washed down with some good old wine1 and you will see wonders1 undreamed of by haschish or opium eater4 ,when the little delicate spring onion is smelt in the land1 a shame1 indeed1 it would be to waste its tender virginal freshness upon sauce and soup4 ,rather refrain from touching it with sharp knife or cruel chopper1 but in its graceful maiden form boil it1 smother it in rich pure cream1 and serve it on toast1 to the unspeakable delectation of the devout4 ,life yields few more precious moments4 ,until spring comes1 however1 you may do worse than apply the same treatment to the older onion4 ,in this case1 as pleasure's crown of pleasure1 adorn the surface with grated ,gruyre1 and1 like the ancient hero1 you will wish your throat as long as a crane's neck1 that so you might the longer and more leisurely taste what you swallow4 ,onions farcis are beloved by the epicure4 ,a nobler dish could scarce be devised4 ,you may make your forcemeats of what you will1 beef or mutton1 fowl or game2 you may1 an' you please1 add truffles1 mushrooms1 olives1 and capers4 ,but know one thing2 tasteless it will prove1 and lifeless1 unless bacon lurk unseen somewhere within its depths4 ,ham will answer in a way1 but never so well as humbler bacon4 ,the onion that lends itself most kindly to this device is the ,spanish4 ,one word more4 ,as the ite missa est of the discourse let this truth--a blessing in itself--be spoken4 ,as with meat1 so with vegetables1 few are not the better for the friendly companionship of the onion1 or one of its many offshoots4 ,peas1 beans1 tomatoes1 egg-plant are not indifferent to its blandishments4 ,if honour be paid to the first pig that uprooted a truffle1 what of the first man who boiled an onion8 ,and what of the still mightier genius who first used it as seasoning for his daily fare8 ,every gourmet should rise up and call him blessed4 ,,the ,,triumphant ,,tomato ,the triumph of the tomato has given hungry men and women a new lease of pleasure4 ,sad and drear were the days when the gourmet thought to feast1 and the beautiful scarlet fruit had no place upon his table4 ,the ancient chef knew it not1 nor the medival artist who1 even without it1 could create marvellous works the modern may not hope to rival4 ,like so many good things1 it first saw the light in that happy ,western ,continent where the canvas-back duck makes its home and shad swim in fertile rivers4 ,what1 indeed1 was life1 what the gift of eating1 before the ,columbus of the kitchen had discovered the tomato1 the turkey1 and the yellow ,indian corn8 ,reflect upon it1 and be grateful that you1 at least1 were not born in the ,dark ,age of cookery6 ,poor1 stupid man6 a treasure was presented to him freely and generously1 and he thrust it from him4 ,the tomato offered itself a willing sacrifice1 and he scorned it1 mistaking gold for dross4 ,the ,american--and long years in purgatory will not redeem his fault--looked upon it with suspicion4 ,to-day1 it is true1 he honours it aright3 in the summer-time he bows down before its gay freshness2 in the winter he cherishes it in tins4 ,it has become as indispensable to him as salt or butter4 ,he values it at its true worth4 ,but still1 half a century has not passed since he doubted it1 heaping insults upon its trusting sweetness4 ,he fancied poison lurked within it4 ,o the cruel fancy6 ,there it was1 perfect and most desirable1 and he1 blind fool1 would not touch it until endless hours of stewing had lessened1 if not utterly destroyed1 its fresh young charms4 ,and the ,englishman was no wiser4 ,within the last decade only has he welcomed the stranger at his gates1 and at the best his welcome has been but halting and half-hearted4 ,the many continue obstinately to despise it2 the few have pledged their allegiance with reservations4 ,the ,latin1 and even the wild ,hun1 were converted without a fear of misgiving while the ,anglo-,saxon faltered and was weak4 ,many and beautiful are the strange dishes the tomato adorns in ,magyarland4 ,was there ever a menu in sunny ,italy that did not include this meat or that vegetable al pomodoro8 ,the very ,spaniard1 whom rumour weds irrevocably to garlic1 nourishes a tender passion for the voluptuous red fruit1 and wins rapture from it4 ,and deep and true is the ,provenal's love for his pomme d'amour2 is not the name a measure of his affection8 ,the ,love ,apple6 ,were there1 after all1 tomatoes in ,judea1 and were these the apples that comforted the love-sick ,shulamite8 ,now that the tomato has forced universal recognition2 now that in ,england it lends glory of colour to the greengrocer's display2 now that the hothouse defeats the cruel siege of the seasons1 and mild ,may1 as well as mellow ,september1 yields apples of love1 pause a moment1 turn from the trivial cares of life1 to meditate upon its manifold virtues4 ,the tomato as a vegetable should be the first point of the meditation4 ,let us reflect4 ,stewed1 though not as in ,america of old1 until all flavour is lost1 it has the merit of simplicity by no means to be underestimated3 drained of the greater part of its juice1 thickened slightly with flour1 it cannot disappoint4 ,au gratin1 it aspires to more delirious joys3 the pleasure yielded develops in proportion to the pains taken to produce it4 ,into a baking dish olive oil is poured in moderation2 a sprinkling of salt and pepper and fragrant herbs well powdered1 together with bread-crumbs duly grated1 follows2 next the tomatoes1 eager and blushing1 whole or in dainty halves1 as the impulse of the moment may prompt2 more bread-crumbs and pepper and salt and herbs must cover them gently1 more oil be poured upon the stirring harmony2 and an hour in the oven will turn you out as pretty a side-dish as was ever devised by ingenious ,mrs ,glasse1 who--,o the pity of it--lived too soon for fond dalliance with love's crowning vegetable4 ,farcies tomatoes may not easily be surpassed4 ,upon your whim or choice it will depend whether you stuff them whole1 or cut them in half for so ineffable a purpose4 ,and upon your whim likewise depends the special forcemeat used4 ,chopped mushrooms1 parsley and shallot1 seasoned with discretion1 leave little to ask for4 ,prepare1 instead1 sausage meat1 garlic1 parsley1 tarragon1 and chives1 and the tomatoes so stuffed you may without pedantry call la ,grimod de la ,reynire4 ,but whatever you call them1 count upon happiness in the eating4 ,second point of the meditation3 the tomato as an auxiliary4 ,if you have learned the trick of association1 at once you see before you a steaming harmony in pale yellow and scarlet1 the long soft tubes of macaroni or spaghetti encompassed round about by a deep stream of tomatoes stewed and seasoned2 at once you feast upon macaroni al pomodoro and ,chianti1 and ,italy lies1 like a map1 before your mind's eye1 its towns and villages marked by this dish of dishes4 ,with rice1 tomatoes are no less in pleasant1 peaceful unity2 in stuffed paprika1 or pepper1 they find their true affinity4 ,grilled1 they make a sympathetic garniture for filet piqu la ,richelieu2 stuffed1 they are the proper accompaniment of tournedos la ,leslie2 neatly halved1 they serve as a foundation to soles la ,loie ,fuller4 ,chickens clamour for them as ally1 and so does the saltest of salt cod4 ,in a word1 a new combination they might with ease provide for every day in the year4 ,enough will have been said if this one truth is established3 there is scarce a fish or fowl1 scarce any meat or vegetable1 that is not the better and the nobler for the temporary union with the tomato4 ,and now1 the third point of the meditation1 which1 too often1 escapes the prosaic1 unmeditative islander3 the tomato as a dish for breakfast4 ,only recently it was thus that two of rare beauty and sweet savour fulfilled their destiny3 on a plate fashioned by barbarous potters on the banks of the ,danube1 where the love-apple grows in gay profusion1 stretched a thin1 crisp slice of bacon decoratively streaked with fat and grilled to a turn2 it bore1 as twin flowers1 the two tomatoes1 also grilled1 fragrant1 tender1 delectable4 ,surely here was a poetic prelude to the day's toil4 ,to ,belgium all praise be given for teaching that1 stewed and encircling buttered or scrambled eggs1 tomatoes may again enliven the breakfast table1 that bitter test of conjugal devotion2 to ,france1 the credit of spreading them at the bottom of plate or dish as a bed for eggs artistically poached or fried4 ,history records the names of generals and dates of battles1 but what chronicler has immortalised the genius who first enclosed tomatoes in an omelet8 ,this is a brutal1 ungrateful world we live in4 ,and now pass on to the fourth heading1 and new ecstasies3 the tomato as salad4 ,remember that the tomatoes must be deftly sliced in their skins or else the juice escapes2 that a touch of onion or garlic is indispensable2 that the dressing must be of oil and vinegar1 pepper and salt2 unless1 of course1 a mayonnaise be made4 ,another weird salad there is with qualities to endear it to the morbid and neurotic4 ,let it be explained briefly1 that lurid description may not be thought to exaggerate lurid attraction3 drop your tomatoes1 brilliantly red as the abhorred ,scarlet ,woman1 into hot water in order to free them of their skins2 place them whole1 and in passionate proximity1 in a dish of silver or delicate porcelain2 smother them under a thick layer of whipped cream4 ,for the sake of decoration and the unexpected1 stick in here and there a pistachio nut1 and thank the gods for the new sensation4 ,in soup1 thin or clear1 the tomato knows no rival2 in sauce1 it stands supreme1 ranking worthily with the four classical sauces of the ,french cuisine4 ,and here1 a suggestion to be received with loud1 jubilant ,alleluias6 ,follow the example of ,attila's heirs1 and1 as last touch1 pour cream upon your tomato sauce4 ,he who has known and eaten and loved paprika gefllte in the wilds of ,transylvania1 will bear willing witness to the admirable nature of this expedient4 ,the more devout1 the professed worshipper1 will eat his love-apple without artificial device of cookery or dressing1 with only salt for savour4 ,for this excess of devotion1 however1 unqualified commendation would not be just4 ,unadorned the tomato is not adorned the most4 ,but cook or serve it as you will1 see that it be eaten by you and yours--that is the main thing4 ,the tomatoes that make glad the heart of the loiterer in ,covent ,garden are fresh as the sweet breath of ,may4 ,a ,,dish ,,of ,,sunshine ,the weather is regarded as the very nadir and scoff of conversational topics4 ,how can the ingenious housewife talk of aught else in the ,winter season8 ,not because1 as ,mr ,stevenson argues1 the dramatic element in scenery is far more tractable in language1 and far more human both in import and suggestion1 than the stable features of the landscape1 but because upon it she is dependent for ease and success in making her every luncheon and dinner a culinary triumph4 ,of what avail the morning's conference with the greengrocer's boy1 or even the conscientious visit to the greengrocer's shop or the ramble through the market--unless1 perhaps1 and happily1 her pockets be lined with gold1 when hothouse vegetables1 and out-of-season delicacies1 must be paid for with the alacrity of a ,croesus8 ,otherwise1 dark1 hopeless despair seizes upon her8 ,must she not brood in abject melancholy when the hideous truth is revealed to her that earth's resources are limited to turnip-tops and ,brussels sprouts1 with1 it may be1 a few ,jerusalem artichokes thrown in8 ,celery1 the lordly1 is frozen4 ,cauliflower1 the fragrant1 frost-bitten irretrievably1 will not yield to the most urgent inducements of hot water4 ,lettuce is a thing of the past and of the future4 ,sad and drear indeed is the immediate prospect4 ,for surely turnip-tops are a delusion1 and against the monotony of sprouts the aspiring soul rebels4 ,it is at this crisis that hope flames right in a strangely neglected corner4 ,italian sunshine and blue skies1 concentrated in flour paste1 wrought into tubes and ribbons1 squares and lozenges1 come to gladden the sinking heart and cheer the drooping spirits4 ,why despair when macaroni is always to be had1 inestimable as a vegetable1 unrivalled as an entre1 a perfect meal1 if you choose1 in itself8 ,upon the imagination of those to whom food is something besides a mere satisfaction to carnal appetite1 macaroni works a strange1 subtle spell4 ,the very name conjures up sweet poetic visions2 it is the magic crystal or beryl stone1 in which may be seen known things1 dear to the memory3 smiling valleys where the vines are festooned1 not as ,virgil saw them1 from elm to elm1 but from mulberry to mulberry2 and where the beautiful1 broad-horned1 white oxen drag1 in solemn dignity1 the crawling plough2 olive-clad slopes and lonely stone palms2 the gleam of sunlit rivers winding with the reeds and the tall1 slim poplars2 the friendly wayside trattoria and the pleasant refrain of the beaming cameriere1 ,subito ,signora2 ecco6--a refrain ceaseless as the buzzing of bees among the clover4 ,in a dish of macaroni lies all ,italy for the woman with eyes to see or a heart to feel4 ,or visions more personal1 more intimate1 she may summon for her own delight2 the midday halt and lunch in ,castiglione del ,lago on its gentle hill-top1 the blue of ,thrasymene's lake shining between the olives1 and all fair to behold1 save the padrone with his conscienceless charges for the bowl of macaroni that had been so good in the eating4 ,or else1 perhaps1 the evening meal in the long refectory at ,monte ,oliveto1 with the white-robed brothers2 or1 again1 the unforgettable breakfast at ,pompeii's ,albergo del ,sole1 the good wine ranged upon the old tree trunk that serves as central column1 the peacock1 tail outspread1 strutting about among the chairs and tables1 the overpowering sweetness of the flowering bean stealing1 from near fields1 through open doors and windows4 ,or1 still again1 the thought of ,pompeii sends one off upon the journey from its ruined streets to ,naples--on one side the ,bay1 on the other the uninterrupted line of villages1 every low white house adorned with garlands of macaroni drying peacefully and swiftly in the hot sun4 ,and a few pence only will it cost to dream such dreams of beauty and of gladness4 ,many as are the devices for preparing this stuff that dreams are made of1 none can excel the simplest of all4 ,eat it the way the ,italian loves it1 and for yourself you open up new vistas of pleasure4 ,and what could be easier8 ,in water well salted--upon the salt much depends--the macaroni1 preferably in the large generous tubes1 is boiled for twenty minutes1 or half an hour1 until it is as soft as soft may be without breaking4 ,a capacious bowl1 its sides well buttered and sprinkled with grated ,parmesan cheese1 must wait in readiness4 ,into it put the macaroni1 well drained of the water1 into its midst drop a large piece of sweet1 fresh butter1 and sprinkle1 without stint1 more of the indispensable ,parmesan2 mix wisely and with discrimination2 and then eat to your soul's1 or stomach's1 content4 ,to further your joy1 have at your side a flash of ,chianti1 pure and strong1 standing in no need of baptism4 ,the gods never fared better4 ,but1 one word of advice3 if this dish you serve for luncheon1 defy convention1 and make it the first and last and only course4 ,it may seem meagre in the telling4 ,but to treat it with due respect and justice much must be eaten1 and this much makes more impossible even to the hopeful4 ,another word of advice3 never break or cut the macaroni into small pieces2 the cook who dares to disobey in this particular deserves instant and peremptory dismissal4 ,where is the poetry1 where the art1 if it can be eaten with as little trouble and planning as an everyday potato1 or a mess of greens8 ,who1 that has seen1 can forget the skilful ,italian winding the long steaming tubes around and around his fork1 his whole soul and intelligence concentrated upon the pretty feat of transposing these tubes from his fork to his mouth4 ,it is difficult2 yes1 especially for the foreigner2 but where is the pleasure without pain8 ,as well tear your ,troyon or your ,diaz into shreds1 and enjoy it in bits1 as violate the virginal lengths of your macaroni4 ,in more lavish mood1 prepare it al sugo1 and no cause need you fear for regret4 ,it is well-nigh as simple2 the macaroni1 or better still spaghetti1 the smaller1 daintier variety1 once boiled1 is taken from the water only to be plunged in rich gravy1 its quantity varying according to the quantity of spaghetti used2 let it boil anew1 or rather simmer1 until each long tube is well saturated2 then1 add the cheese and butter1 and say your ,benedicite with a full heart4 ,or1 would you have it richer still1 and so tempt ,providence8 ,make tomato the foundation of the gravy1 spice it with cloves1 bring out the sweet bouquet garni1 serve with butter and ,parmesan cheese as before1 and call the result ,macaroni la ,napolitaine4 ,spaghetti1 here again1 will answer the purpose as well1 nor will the pretty1 flat1 wavy ribbon species come amiss4 ,to court perfection1 rely upon mushrooms for one of the chief elements in this adorable concoction1 and the whole world over you may travel without finding a dish worthy to compete with it4 ,macaroni can yield nothing more exquisite1 though not yet are its resources exhausted4 ,au gratin it is also to be commended4 ,the preliminary boiling may now1 as always1 be taken for granted4 ,with its chosen and well-tried accompaniments of butter and ,parmesan cheese1 and steeped in a good white sauce1 it may simmer gently over the fire until the sympathetic butter be absorbed2 then in a decently prepared dish1 and covered with bread-crumbs1 it should bake until it is warmed into a golden-brown harmony that enraptures the eye4 ,or with stronger seasoning1 with onion and pepper and cayenne1 you may create a savoury beyond compare4 ,or combined with the same ingredients you may stew your macaroni in milk1 and revel in macaroni saut2 worse a hundred times1 truly1 might you fare4 ,but1 if you would be wholly reckless1 why1 then try ,macaroni la ,pontife1 and know that human ambition may scarce pretend to nobler achievements4 ,for a mould of goodly proportions you fill with macaroni and forcemeat of fowl and larks and bits of bacon and mushrooms and game filleted2 and this ineffable arrangement you moisten with gravy and allow to simmer slowly1 as befits its importance1 for an hour2 eat it1 and at last you too1 with ,faust1 may hail the fleeting moment1 and bid it stay1 because it is so fair6 ,in puddings and pies macaroni is most excellent4 ,but if you be not lost beyond redemption1 never sweeten either one or the other2 the suggestion of such sacrilege alone is horrid4 ,into little croquettes it may by cunning hands be modelled2 en timbale1 in well-shaped mould1 it reveals new and welcome possibilities4 ,with fish it assimilates admirably2 in soup it is above criticism4 ,it will strengthen the flavour of chestnuts1 nor will it disdain the stimulating influence of wine1 white or red4 ,and in the guise of nouilles1 or nudels1 it may be stuffed with forcemeat of fowl or beef1 and so clamour for the rich tomato sauce4 ,,on ,,salads ,to speak of salads in aught but the most reverential spirit were sacrilege4 ,to be honoured aright1 they should be eaten only in the company of the devout or in complete solitude--and perhaps this latter is the wiser plan4 ,who1 but the outer barbarian1 will not with a good salad1 ,a book1 a taper1 and a cup ,of country wine1 divinely sup8 ,over your hot meats you cannot linger2 if alone with them1 and read you must1 a common newspaper1 opened at the day's despatches1 best serves your purpose2 else1 your gravies and sauces congeal into a horrid white mess upon your plate1 and tepid is every unsavoury morsel your fork carries to your mouth4 ,but over any one of the salad clan--lettuce or tomato1 beans or potato1 as fancy prompts--you can revel at leisure in your ,balzac1 your ,heine1 your ,montaigne1 which1 surely1 it would be desecration to spread open by the side of the steaming roast or the prosaic bacon and eggs4 ,there has always seemed one thing lacking in ,omar's ,paradise3 a salad1 he should have bargained for with his ,book of ,verses1 his ,jug of ,wine1 and ,loaf of ,bread underneath the ,bough4 ,far behind has the ,continent left ,great ,britain in the matter of salads4 ,to eat them in perfection you must cross the ,channel--as1 indeed1 you must in the pursuit of all the daintiest dishes--and travel still farther than ,france4 ,the ,french will give you for breakfast a bowl of ,soissons1 for dinner a ,romaine1 which long survive as tender memories2 even the humble dandelion they have enlisted in the good cause4 ,with the ,italian you will fare no less well2 better it may be1 for1 with the poetic feeling that has disappeared for ever from their art and architecture1 they fill the salad bowl at times with such delicate conceits as tender young violet leaves1 so that you may smell the spring in the blossoms at your throat1 while you devour it in the greens set before you4 ,but in ,germany1 though there may be less play of fancy in the choice of materials1 there is far greater poetry in the mixing of them4 ,as an atonement for that offence against civilisation1 the midday dinner1 the ,germans have invented a late supper that defies the critic3 the very meanest ,speise-,saal is transfigured when the gaslight falls softly on the delicious potato or cucumber or herring salads of the country1 flanked by the tall slim glasses of amber ,rhenish wine4 ,but1 excelling ,germany1 even as ,germany excels ,france1 ,hungary is the true home of the salad4 ,it would take a book to exhaust the praise it there inspires4 ,to die eating salad on the banks of the ,danube to the wail of the ,czardas--that would be the true death6 ,what1 however1 save the ideals realised1 is to be effected in a land where tomatoes are as plentiful as are potatoes in ,ireland8 ,the ,briton1 it must be admitted1 has of late progressed4 ,gone is the time when his favourite salad was a horror unspeakable3 an onion and a lettuce served whole1 chopped up by himself1 smothered in salt and pepper1 and fairly sluiced with vinegar4 ,to understand the full iniquity of it1 you must remember what an excess of vinegar the stalwart ,briton was equal to in those days1 now happily past4 ,an imperial pint1 ,mr ,weller's friend1 the coachman with the hoarse voice1 took with his oysters without betraying the least emotion4 ,as benighted1 smacking no less of the ,dark ,ages1 is the custom of serving with cheese a lettuce 7of the long crisp species known as cos in the cookery books71 cut ruthlessly in halves4 ,you are supposed to dip the leaves into salt1 and afterwards return thanks with a grateful heart4 ,many there are who will still eat lettuce in this fashion with their tea2 the curious student of evolution can point to it as a survival of the old barbarism2 to the mustard and cress or cucumber sandwiches which have replaced it1 as a higher phase of development4 ,but1 though these sorry customs still survive here and there1 even as superstitions linger among ignorant peasants1 ,british eyes are opening to the truth4 ,the coming of the salad in ,england marks the passing of the ,englishman from barbarous depth to civilised heights4 ,has he not exchanged his old-love ,frith for ,whistler1 and has he not risen from ,g4 ,p4 ,r4 ,james to ,george ,meredith8 ,not a whit less important in the history of his civilisation is his emancipation from that vile1 vinegar-drenched abomination to the succulent tomato1 the unrivalled potato1 well fatigued in the capacious salad-bowl4 ,of every woman worthy of the name1 it is the duty to master the secret of the perfect salad1 and to prepare it for her own--and man's--greater comfort and joy in this life1 and--who knows8--salvation in the next4 ,this secret is all in the dressing4 ,it is easy enough to buy in the market1 or order at the greengrocer's a lettuce1 or a cucumber1 or a pound of tomatoes4 ,but to make of them a masterpiece1 there's the rub4 ,upon the dressing and fatiguing success depends4 ,the mission of the lettuce1 the resources of the bean were undreamed of until the first woman--it must have been a woman6--divined the virtue that lies in the harmonious combination of oil and vinegar4 ,vinegar alone and undiluted is for the vulgar2 mixed with oil it as much surpasses nectar and ambrosia as these hitherto have been reckoned superior to the liquors of mere human brewing4 ,of mayonnaise nothing need as yet be said2 it ranks rather with sauces1 irreproachable when poured upon salmon1 or chicken1 or lobster--upon the simpler and more delicate salads it seems well-nigh too strong and coarse4 ,the one legitimate dressing in these cases is made of vinegar and oil1 pepper and salt1 and1 on certain rare occasions1 mustard4 ,as with sauces1 it is simple to put down in black and white the several ingredients of the good dressing4 ,but what of the proportions8 ,what of the methods of mixing8 ,in the large towns of the ,united ,states where men and women delight in the pleasures of the table1 are specialists who spend their afternoons going from house to house1 preparing the salads for the day's coming great event4 ,and perhaps1 in the end1 all mankind may see advantages in this division of labour4 ,for only the genius born can mix a salad dressing as it should be mixed4 ,quantities of pepper and salt1 of oil and vinegar for him 7or her7 are not measured by rule or recipe1 but by inspiration4 ,you may generalise and insist upon one spoonful of oil for every guest and one for the bowl--somewhat in the manner of tea-making--and then one-third the quantity of vinegar4 ,but out of these proportions the ,philistine will evolve for you a nauseating concoction2 the initiated1 a dressing of transcendental merit4 ,as much depends upon the mixing as upon the proportions4 ,the foolish pour in first their oil1 then their vinegar1 and leave the rest to chance1 with results one shudders to remember4 ,the two must be mixed together even as they are poured over the salad1 and here the task but begins4 ,for next1 they must be mixed with the salad4 ,to fatigue it the ,french call this special part of the process1 and indeed1 to create a work of art1 you must mix and mix and mix until you are fatigued yourself1 and your tomatoes or potatoes reduced to one-half their original bulk4 ,then will the dressing have soaked through and through them1 then will every mouthful be a special plea for gluttony1 an eloquent argument for the one vice that need not pall with years4 ,one other ingredient must not be omitted here1 since it is as essential as the oil itself4 ,this is the onion-- ,rose among roots1 the maiden fair1 ,wine-scented and poetic soul of every salad4 ,you may rub with it the bowl1 you may chop it up fine and sprinkle with it the lettuce1 as you might sprinkle an omelet with herbs4 ,but there1 in one form or another1 it must be4 ,the ,french have a tendency to abuse it2 they will cut it in great slices to spread between layers of tomatoes or cucumbers4 ,but there is a touch of grossness in this device4 ,it is just the soupon you crave1 just the subtle flavour it alone can impart4 ,you do not want your salad1 when it comes on the table1 to suggest nothing so much as the stewed steak and onions shops in the ,strand6 ,the fates forbid4 ,what diversities soever there be in herbs1 all are shuffled up together under the name of sallade4 ,and ,montaigne wrote in sadness1 knowing well that there could be no error more fatal4 ,have you ever asked for a salad at the greengrocer's1 and been offered a collection of weeds befitting nothing so much as ,betsy ,prig's capacious pocket8 ,have you ever1 at the table of the indifferent1 been served with the same collection plentifully drenched with salad cream8 ,but these are painful memories1 speedily to be put aside and banished for evermore4 ,some combinations there are of herbs or greens or vegetables unspeakably delicious1 even in the thought thereof4 ,but it is not at haphazard1 by an unsympathetic greengrocer1 they can be made2 not in haste1 from bottles of atrocities1 they can be dressed4 ,they are the result of conscientious study1 of consummate art4 ,besides1 some varieties there be of flavour too delicate to be tampered with3 for instance1 the cabbage lettuce1 as the vulgar call it1 which comes in about ,easter time1 but which1 at the cost of a little trouble1 can be had all the year round4 ,for some reason unknown1 your hard-hearted greengrocer1 half the time1 objects to it seriously1 declares it not to be found from end to end of ,covent ,garden4 ,but let him understand that upon his providing it depends your custom1 and he fetches it--the unprincipled one--fast enough4 ,the ragged outer leaves pulled away1 crisp and fresh is the heart1 a cool green and white harmony not to be touched by brutal knife4 ,the leaves must be torn apart1 gently and lovingly1 as the painter plays with the colours on his palette4 ,then1 thrown into the bowl which already has been well rubbed with onion1 and slices of hard-boiled egg laid upon the top for adornment and flavouring alike1 at once may the dressing of oil and vinegar and salt and pepper be poured on1 and the process of fatiguing begin4 ,you need add nothing more1 to know1 as you eat1 that life1 so long as salads are left to us1 is well worth the living4 ,to say this is to differ in a measure from the great ,alexandre1 a misfortune surely to be avoided4 ,to this lettuce he would add herbs of every kind2 nay1 even oysters1 or tortoise eggs1 or anchovies1 or olives--in fact1 the subject is one which has sent his ever delightful imagination to work most riotously4 ,but1 in all humility1 must it still be urged that the cabbage lettuce is best ungarnished1 save1 it may be1 by a touch of the unrivalled celery or slices of the adorable tomato--never1 if yours be the heart of an artist1 by the smallest fragment of the coarse1 crude1 stupid beetroot4 ,the romaine1 or cos1 however1 is none the worse for ,dumas' suggestions2 indeed1 it is much the better4 ,its long stiff leaves1 as they are1 may not be fatigued with anything approaching ease or success4 ,it is to be said--with hesitation perhaps1 and yet to be said--that they make the better salad for being cut before they are put into the bowl4 ,as if to atone for this unavoidable liberty1 dainty additions may not come amiss3 the tender little boneless anchovies1 fish of almost any and every kind--most admirably1 salmon and a bit of red herring in conjunction--cucumbers1 celery1 tomatoes1 radishes--all will blend well and harmoniously4 ,be bold in your experiments1 and fear nothing4 ,many failures are a paltry price to pay for one perfect dish4 ,of other green salads the name is legion3 endive1 dandelion leaves1 chicory1 chervil1 mustard and cress1 and a hundred and more besides before the resources of ,france--more especially the ,midi--and ,italy be exhausted4 ,and none may be eaten becomingly without the oil and vinegar dressing2 all are the pleasanter for the soupon of onion1 and the egg1 hard-boiled2 a few gain by more variegated garniture4 ,but these minor salads--as they might be classed--pale before the glories of the tomato3 the pomodoro of the ,italian1 the pomme d'amour of the ,provenal--sweet1 musical names1 that linger tenderly on the lips4 ,and1 indeed1 if the tomato were veritably the love apple of the ,scriptures1 and1 in ,adam's proprietorship1 the olives already yielded oil1 the vines vinegar1 then the tragedy in the ,garden of ,eden may be explained without the aid of commentary4 ,many a man--,esau notably--has sold his birthright for less than a good tomato salad4 ,dante's ,inferno were too good for the depraved who prepare it1 as if it were a paltry pickle1 with a dosing of vinegar4 ,it must first receive the stimulus of the onion2 then its dressing must be fortified by the least suspicion of mustard--,english1 ,french1 or ,german1 it matters not which--and if the pleasure that follows does not reconcile you to ,paradise lost1 as well might you live on dry bread and cold water for the rest of your natural days4 ,the joys of the epicure1 clearly1 are not for you4 ,it seems base and sordid to offer for so exquisite a delicacy hygienic references4 ,but the world is still full of misguided men who prize dietetic principles above the delights of gluttony2 once assured that from the eating of the tomato will come none of the evils to which flesh is erroneously supposed to be heir1 they might be induced to put tomato salad1 made in right fashion1 to the test4 ,then must they be confirmed faddists indeed1 if they do not learn that one eats not merely to digest4 ,to the mystical ,german1 the potato first revealed virtues undreamed of by the blind who had thought it but a cheap article of food to satisfy hunger1 even by the ,french who had carried it to such sublime heights in their pures and souffls1 their ,parisiennes and ,lyonnaises4 ,not until it has been allowed to cool1 been cut in thin slices1 been dressed as a salad1 were its subtlest charms suspected4 ,to the ,german--to that outer barbarian of the midday dinner--we owe at least this one great debt of gratitude4 ,like none other1 does the potato-salad lend itself to the most fantastic play of fancy4 ,it stimulates imagination1 it awakens ambition4 ,a thousand and one ways there be of preparing it1 each better than the last4 ,with celery1 with carrots1 with tomatoes1 with radishes1 with parsley1 with cucumber1 with every green thing that grows--in greatest perfection with okras1 the vegetable dear to ,hungarian and ,american1 unknown to poor ,britons--it combines graciously and deliciously1 each combination a new ecstasy4 ,and1 moreover1 it is capable of endless decoration2 any woman with a grain of ingenuity can make of it a thing of beauty1 to look upon which is to sharpen the dullest appetite4 ,so decorative are its possibilities1 that at times it is a struggle to decide between its merits as an ornament and its qualities as a delicacy4 ,for truth is1 it becomes all the more palatable if dressed and fatigued an hour or so before it is eaten1 and the oil and vinegar given time to soak through every slice and fragment4 ,the wise will disdain1 for the purpose1 the ordinary potato1 but procure instead the little1 hard salad potato1 which never crumbles2 it comes usually from ,hamburg1 and is to be bought for a trifle in the ,german delicatessen shops of ,london4 ,poetic in the early spring is the salad of superb asparagus--pity it should ever be eaten hot with drawn butter6--or of artichoke1 or of cucumber--the latter never fail to sprinkle with parsley1 touch with onion1 and fatigue a good half hour before serving4 ,later1 the ,french bean1 or the scarlet runner should be the lyrical element of the feast4 ,and in winter1 when curtains are drawn and lamps lit1 and fires burn bright1 the substantial ,soissons1 for all its memories of ,french commercials1 is not to be despised4 ,but1 if your soul aspires to more ethereal flights1 then create a vegetable salad--cauliflower1 and peas1 and potatoes1 and beans1 and carrots in rhythmical proportions and harmonious blending of hues4 ,,the ,,salads ,,of ,,spain ,they are still many and delicious as when ,beckford ate them and was glad1 a hundred and more years ago4 ,the treasures of the ,incas have dwindled and disappeared2 the ,alhambra has decayed and been restored on its high hill-top2 the masterpieces of ,velasquez have been torn from palace walls1 to hang in convenient rows in public museums2 the greatness of ,spain has long been waning4 ,but the ,spaniard still mixes his salads with the art and distinction that have been his for centuries4 ,herein1 at least1 his genius has not been dimmed1 nor his success grown less4 ,and so long as this remains true1 so long will there be hope of a new ,renaissance in the ,iberian peninsula4 ,by a nation's salads may you judge of its degree of civilisation2 thus tested1 ,spain is in the van1 not the rear1 of all ,european countries4 ,it is no small achievement to give distinctive character to national salads1 to-day that the virtue of vinegar and oil and the infallibility of incomparable onion are universally acknowledged and respected4 ,and yet ,spain1 in no idle spirit of self-puffery1 can boast of this achievement4 ,she has brought to her insalada a new element1 not wholly unknown elsewhere--in ,hungary1 for instance--but one which only by the ,spaniard has been fully appreciated1 constantly introduced1 and turned to purest profit4 ,this element--need it be said8--is the pepper1 now red1 now green4 ,the basis of the ,spanish salad may be--nay1 is--the same as in other lands3 tomato1 cucumber1 lettuce1 beans1 potatoes4 ,but to these is added pepper--not miserably dried and powdered1 but fresh and whole1 or in generous slices--and behold6 a new combination is created1 a new flavour evolved4 ,and it is a flavour so strong1 yet subtle withal1 so aromatic and spicy1 so bizarre and picturesque--dream-inspiring as the aroma of green ,chartreuse1 stimulating as ,cognac of ripe years--that the wonder is its praises hitherto have not been more loudly sung1 its delights more widely cultivated4 ,the trumpet-note struck by the glowing scarlet is fitting herald of the rapturous thrills that follow in the eating4 ,not more voluptuous than the salad thus adorned were the beauties of the harem1 who doubtless feasted upon it under the cypresses and myrtles of ,andalusia4 ,the tendency of the ,spaniard is ever to harmony1 intricate and infinite4 ,is not his dish of dishes his olla cocida8 ,is not his favourite course of vegetables the pisto8 ,and so likewise with his salads3 now he may give you tomato just touched with pepper1 cucumber just enlivened by the same stirring presence4 ,but more often he will present you an arrangement which1 in its elaboration1 may well baffle the first investigation of the student4 ,peppers1 as like as not of both species1 tomatoes1 cucumber1 onion1 garlic cut fine as if for a mince of greens--pepper hash1 the ,american crudely calls an arrangement closely akin in motive--are mingled together so deftly1 are steeped in vinegar and oil so effectually1 as to seem1 not many in one1 but the one in many1 the crowning glory of the glorious vegetable world of the ,south4 ,nothing in common has this delectable salad with the macdoine1 which the ,spaniard also makes4 ,peas and carrots1 potatoes and tomatoes1 beans and cauliflowers meet to new purpose1 when peppers1 red and ardent1 wander hither and thither in their midst waging war upon insipidity1 destroying1 as if by fire1 the tame and the commonplace4 ,again1 lettuce untainted by garlic1 resisting the slightest suspicion of complexity1 may answer for the foolish foreigner who knows no better4 ,but in lettuce prepared for himself the ,spaniard spares not the fragrant garlic2 neither does he omit his beloved peppers1 while he never rebels1 rejoicing rather1 if occasional slices of cucumber and tomatoes lie hid between the cool green leaves4 ,but fish furnishes him with text for still more eloquent flights1 still loftier compositions4 ,a mayonnaise he can make such as never yet was eaten under milder suns and duller skies2 and a mayonnaise far from exhausts his all but unlimited resources4 ,sardines he will take1 or tunny1 or any fish that swims1 and that1 already cooked1 has been either shut up long weeks in protecting tins or left but a few hours to cool4 ,whatever the fish chosen1 he places it neatly and confidently at the bottom of his dish2 above it he lays lettuce leaves and garlic and long brilliant slices of scarlet pepper2 round about it he weaves a garniture of olives and hard-boiled eggs that reveal their hearts of gold4 ,the unrivalled1 if cosmopolitan1 sauce of vinegar and oil is poured upon the whole and made doubly welcome4 ,but details are varied in every fish salad served in ,spain2 only in its perfection does it prove unalterable4 ,these1 and their hundred offshoots were conceived in serious moments4 ,but once1 in sheer levity of spirit and indolence1 the gay ,andalusian determined to invent a salad that1 to the world beyond his snowy ,sierras1 would seem wildest jest1 but to himself would answer for food and drink1 and1 because of its simplicity and therefore cheapness1 save him many a useless hour of gaining his dinner at the sweat of his brow4 ,and so1 to the strumming of guitars and click of castanets1 now never heard save in books of travel through ,andalusia1 gaspacho appeared2 destined to be for ever after the target for every travel-writer's wit1 the daily fare of its inventor and his descendants4 ,to the ,andalusian gaspacho is as macaroni to the ,neapolitan1 bouillabaisse to the ,provenal1 chops and steaks to the ,englishman4 ,in hotels1 grotesquely ,french or pretentiously ,english1 where butter comes out of tins1 and salad is garlicless1 gaspacho may be but surreptitiously concocted for the secret benefit of the household4 ,but go to the genuine ,andalusian posada or house1 travel in ,andalusian boat1 or breakfast at ,andalusian buffet1 and ten to one gaspacho figures on the menu4 ,to describe it1 ,gautier must be borrowed from4 ,what would you8 ,when the master has pronounced upon any given subject1 why add an inefficient postscript8 ,when a readymade definition1 admirably rendered1 is at your command1 why be at the pains of making a new one for yourself8 ,never be guilty of any work when others may do it for you1 is surely the one and only golden rule of life4 ,listen1 then1 to the considerate ,gautier3 ,gaspacho deserves a description to itself1 and so we shall give here the recipe which would have made the late ,brillat-,savarin's hair stand on end4 ,you pour water into a soup tureen1 to this water you add vinegar 7why omit the oil1 you brilliant but not always reliable poet871 shreds of garlic1 onions cut in quarters1 slices of cucumber1 some pieces of pepper1 a pinch of salt2 then you add bits of bread1 which are left to soak in this agreeable mess1 and you serve cold4 ,it should be further explained that1 in the season1 tomatoes are almost invariably introduced1 that they and all the greens are chopped up very fine1 and that the whole has the consistency of a julienne supplied with an unusually lavish quantity of vegetables4 ,it is eaten with a spoon from a soup plate1 though on the menu it appears as a course just before the sweets4 ,this explanation made1 listen again to ,gautier1 who writes in frivolous mood4 ,with us1 dogs but tolerably well bred would refuse to compromise their noses in such a mixture4 ,it is the favourite dish of the ,andalusians1 and the prettiest women1 without fear1 swallow at evening great spoonfuls of this infernal soup4 ,gaspacho is held to be most refreshing1 an opinion which to us seems a trifle daring1 and yet1 extraordinary as it may be found at the first taste1 you finish by accustoming yourself to it1 and even liking it4 ,he was right4 ,gaspacho has its good points3 it is pleasant to the taste1 piquant in its very absurdity2 it is refreshing1 better than richly-spiced sauces when the sun shines hot at midday4 ,andalusians have not been labouring under a delusion these many years4 ,the pepper is a stimulant2 vinegar1 oil1 and water unite in a drink more cooling and thirst-quenching than abominable red wine of ,valdepeas4 ,would you be luxurious1 would you have your gaspacho differ somewhat from the poor man's1 drop in a lump of ice1 and double will be your pleasure in the eating4 ,like all good things gaspacho has received that sincerest form of flattery1 imitation2 and1 what is more gratifying1 received it at home4 ,lettuce1 cut in tiny pieces1 is set floating in a large bowl of water1 vinegar1 and oil1 well seasoned with salt4 ,refreshing this also is claimed to be2 though so strange a sight is it to the uninitiated that a prim schoolma'am1 strayed from ,miss ,wilkins's stories into ,andalusia1 has been seen to throw up hands of wonder1 and heard to declare that that salad would find a niche in her diary1 to which1 as a rule1 she confided nothing less precious than her thoughts4 ,happy ,spain1 to have so conquered6 ,what is ,granada to the possession of so chaste a tribute8 ,,the ,,stirring ,,savoury ,first impressions have their value3 they may not be dismissed in flippancy of spirit4 ,but for this reason must last impressions be held things of nought1 not worthy the consideration of ambitious or intelligent man8 ,first impressions at times are washed away by the rich1 fast stream of after-events1 even as the first on a slate disappear under the obliterating sponge2 last impressions remain to bear testimony after the more tangible facts have passed into the ewigkeit4 ,else1 where the use of the ballade's envoy1 of the final sweet or stirring scene as the curtain falls upon the play8 ,it is the same with all the arts--with love1 too1 for that matter1 were there but space to prove it4 ,love1 however1 dwindles in importance when there is question of dinner or breakfast4 ,life consists of eating and drinking1 as greater philosophers than ,sir ,andrew ,aguecheek have learned to their infinite delight1 have preached to the solace of others4 ,therefore1 so order your life that the last impressions of your eating and drinking may be more joyful1 more beautiful than the first2 then1 and only then1 will you have solved that problem of problems which1 since the world began1 has set many a ,galahad upon long and weary quest4 ,it behoves you to see that the feast1 which opened with ecstasy1 does not close with platitude1 and thus cover you with shame and confusion4 ,a paltry amateur1 a clumsy bungler1 is he who squanders all his talent upon the soup1 and leaves the savoury to take care of itself4 ,be warned in time6 ,the patriotic claim the savoury as ,england's invention4 ,their patriotism is pretty and pleasing2 moreover1 it is not without a glimmering of truth4 ,for to ,england belongs the glorious discovery that the dinner which ends with a savoury ends with rapture that passeth human understanding6 ,the thing itself has its near of kin1 its ancestors1 as one might say4 ,caviar1 olives1 lax1 anchovies1 herrings' roe1 sardines1 and as many more of the large and noble family--do not these appear as antipasti in ,italy8 ,in ,russia and ,scandinavia do they not1 spread symmetrically on side table1 serve the purpose of ,america's cocktail8 ,and among the palms1 as among the pines1 coldness is held to be an essential quality in them4 ,hot from the ardent oven1 the ,parisian welcomes their presence between the soup and the fish1 and many are the enthusiasts who declare this to be the one and only time for their discreet appearance upon the menu4 ,reason is in the plea3 none but the narrow-minded would condemn it untested and untried4 ,he who prizes change1 who rebels even against the monotony of the perfect1 may now and again follow this fashion so gaily applauded by gourmets of distinction4 ,but1 remembering the much that depends upon last impressions1 the wise will reserve his savoury to make therewith a fair1 brave ending4 ,there still walk upon this brutal earth poor heedless women who1 in the innocence of their hearts1 believe that the one destiny of cheese is to lie1 cut up in little pieces1 in a three-cornered dish1 which it shares with misplaced biscuits and well-meaning rolls of butter1 and1 it may be1 chilling celery4 ,but cheese1 which in many ways has achieved such marvels1 may be wrought into savouries beyond compare4 ,as souffl1 either au ,gruyre or au ,parmesan1 it becomes light and dainty as the poet's lyric1 and surely should be served only on porcelain of the finest4 ,it is simple to say how the miracle is worked3 a well-heated oven1 a proper saucepan1 butter1 water1 pepper1 salt and sugar in becoming proportions1 the yolks of eggs and grated ,parmesan1 the whites of the eggs added1 as if an afterthought2 and twenty-five minutes in the expectant oven will do the rest4 ,but was ever lyric turned out by rule and measure8 ,even the inspired artist has been known to fail with his souffl4 ,here1 indeed1 is a miracle1 best entrusted to none but the genius4 ,canap au ,parmesan has pretensions which the result justifies4 ,on the bread1 fried as golden as the haloes of ,fra ,angelico's angels1 the grated ,parmesan1 mingled with salt and pepper1 is spread4 ,a ,dutch oven yields temporary asylum until the cheese be melted1 when1 quicker than thought1 the canaps are set upon a pretty dish and served to happy mortals4 ,ramaquins of cheese1 in cases or out1 can boast of charms the most seductive4 ,nor in gougre or beignet or bouche will ,parmesan betray confidence4 ,again1 in pailles1 or straws1 on fire with cayenne1 and tied with fluttering ribbons into enticing bunches1 this happy child of the ,south reveals new powers of seduction4 ,so long as there is cheese to command1 the most fastidious need not wander far in search of savouries4 ,the anchovy may be made a dangerous rival to ,parmesan4 ,whole1 or in paste1 it yields enchanting harmonies1 burning and fervent as lover's prayer4 ,let your choice fall upon the boneless anchovies of ,france1 if you would aim at the maximum of pleasure and the minimum of labour4 ,true it is that labour in the kitchen is ever a joy2 but1 expended upon one creation when it might be divided among many1 must not sacrifice of variety in sensation be the price paid8 ,fried after the fashion of whitebait1 sprinkled with paprika1 and refreshed with lemon juice1 anchovies become quite irresistible as ,orlys d'anchois4 ,prepared in cases1 like ,parmesan1 they are proof against criticism as tartelettes4 ,now figuring as petites bouches1 now as rissolettes1 they fail not to awaken new and delicious emotions4 ,they simply clamour for certain exquisite combinations1 to-day with hard-boiled egg passed through a sieve1 to-morrow with olives from sunny ,provence2 thin brown bread and butter1 or toast1 the crisp foundation4 ,but rarely do they go masquerading so riotously as in the garb of crotes d'anchois3 first1 the golden croton1 then a slice of tomato1 then a slice of cucumber1 then a layer of caviar1 then a layer of anchovies scarlet with paprika and garnished with leaves of chervil2 and behold6 you have a pyramid more memorable far than any raised on ,egyptian sands--a pyramid that you need not travel silly miles to see3 it is yours1 any day and any hour1 for the ordering4 ,lax laid lightly on toast is a pale rose triumph4 ,olives farcies--caper and anchovy chief ingredients of the farce--come like a flaming ray of southern sunlight4 ,haddock is smoked in the land across the border solely that it may ravish the elect in its grandest phase as croustades de merluche fume4 ,by the shores of the blue ,mediterranean1 sardines are packed in tins that the delicate diner of the far north may know pleasure's crown of pleasure in canap de sardines diables4 ,caviar craves no more elaborate seasoning than lemon juice and paprika can give2 herring roe sighs for devilled biscuit as friendly resting-place4 ,shrimp and lobster vie with one another for the honour either bouche or canap bestows4 ,and ham and tongue pray eagerly to be grated and transformed into bewildering crotes4 ,the ever-willing mushroom refuses to be outsped in the blessed contest1 but murmurs audibly1 ,au gratin ,i am adorable2 while the egg whispers1 ,stuff me1 and the roses and raptures are yours6 ,but what would the art of eating be without the egg8 ,in two strange and striking combinations it carries the savoury to the topmost rung in the ladder of gastronomy4 ,its union with inexhaustible anchovy and ,bombay duck has for issue ,bombay toast1 the very name whereof has brought new hope to staid dons and earnest scholars4 ,pledged to anchovies once more and butter and cream--,mormon-like in its choice of many mates--it offers as result ,scotch woodcock1 a challenge to fill high the glass with ,claret red and rare4 ,endless is the stimulating list4 ,for cannot the humble bloater be pressed into service1 and the modest cod8 ,do not many more vegetables than spinach1 that plays so strong a part in ,raviole la ,genoese1 answer promptly when called upon for aid8 ,and what of the gherkin8 ,what of the almond--the almond mingled with caviar and cayenne8 ,and what of this1 that1 and the other1 and ingenious combinations by the score8 ,be enterprising6 ,be original6 ,and success awaits you4 ,,indispensable ,,cheese ,with bread and cheese and kisses for daily fare1 life is held to be perfect by the poet4 ,but love may grow bitter before cheese loses its savour4 ,therefore the wise1 who value the pleasures of the table above tender dalliance1 put their faith in strong ,limburger or fragrant ,brie1 rather than in empty kisses4 ,if only this lesson of wisdom could be mastered by all men and women1 how much less cruel life might be6 ,nor is cheese without its poetry to comfort the hater of pure prose4 ,once the glory of fair ,sicily1 there must ever linger about it sweet echoes of ,sicilian song sung under the wild olives and beneath the elms1 where ,theocritus watched the visionary flocks4 ,did not a great white cream-cheese buy that wondrous bowl--the miracle of varied work--for which ,thyrsis sang the pastoral song8 ,cheese-fed were the shepherds who piped in the shadow of the ilex tree1 while the calves were dancing in the soft green grass2 cheese-scented was the breath of the fair maidens and beautiful youths they loved4 ,is there a woman with soul so dead1 who1 when in a little country inn fresh cheese is laid before her1 cannot fancy that she sees the goats and kids among the tamarisks of the sun-kissed ,sicilian hills1 and hears the perfect voices of ,daphnis and ,menalcas1 the two herdsmen skilled in song8 ,perhaps because cheese has been relegated to the last course at midday breakfast1 or at dinner1 has it lost much of its charm for the heedless4 ,but who1 indeed1 playing with peach or orange at dessert1 knows the fruit's true flavour as well as he who plucks it fresh from the tree while wandering through the peach orchards of ,delaware or the orange groves of ,florida8 ,take a long walk over the moors and through the heather1 or cycle for hours along winding lanes1 and then1 at noon1 eat a lunch of bread and cheese1 and--even without the kisses--you will find in the frugal fare a godlike banquet4 ,time was when bits cut from the huge carcase of a well-battered ,cheddar1 washed down with foaming shandygaff1 seemed more delicious far than the choicest dishes at the ,laprouse or ,voisin's4 ,memory journeys back with joy to the fragrant1 tough1 little goat's cheese1 with flask of ,chianti1 set out upon the rough wooden table in front of some wayside vine-trellised albergo1 while traveller and cycle rested at the hour when shade is most pleasant to men4 ,how many a tramp1 through the valleys and over the passes of ,switzerland1 has been made the easier by the substantial slice of good ,gruyre and the cup of wine well cooled in near snow-drifts6 ,how many rides awheel through the pleasant land of ,france have been the swifter for the ,camembert and roll devoured by the way6 ,places and hours there are when cheese is best4 ,but seldom is it wholly unwelcome4 ,from dinner1 whatever may then be its limitations1 some think it must never be omitted4 ,remember1 they say1 as well a woman with but one eye as a last course without cheese4 ,but see that you show sympathy and discretion in selecting the variety most in harmony with your menu1 or else the epicure's labours will indeed be lost4 ,it is not enough to visit the cheesemonger's1 and to accept any and every kind offered4 ,the matter is one requiring time and thought and long experience4 ,you must understand the possibilities of each cheese chosen1 you must bear in mind the special requirements of each meal prepared4 ,preposterous it would be truly to serve the mild-flavoured plebeian species from ,canada or ,america after a carefully ordered dinner at ,verrey's2 wasteful1 to use adorable ,port ,salut or aromatic ,rocquefort for a pudding or a ,welsh rabbit4 ,study gastronomic proprieties1 cultivate your imagination1 and as the days follow each other fewer will be your mistakes4 ,heavy ,stilton and nutritious ,cheddar1 you will know1 belong by right to undisguised joint and irrepressible greens3 to a good old-fashioned ,english dinner they prove becoming accompaniments4 ,excellent they are1 after their fashion1 to be honoured and respected2 but something of the seriousness and the stolidity of their native land has entered into them1 and to gayer1 more frivolous moods they are as unsuited as a sermon to a ballroom4 ,if1 however1 to the joint you cling with tenacity1 and solemn ,stilton be the cheese of your election1 do not fail to ripen it with port of the finest vintage or good old ale gently poured into holes1 here and there scooped out for the purpose1 and then filled once more with the cheese itself4 ,strength1 fierce in perfume and flavour alike1 lies in ,limburger1 but it is strength which demands not beef or mutton1 but wurst and sauerkraut4 ,take it not home with you1 unless you would place a highly-scented barrier between yourself and your friends2 but1 in deep thankfulness of heart1 eat it after you have lunched well and heartily in the ,vienna ,cafe1 which overlooks ,leicester ,square1 or in that other which commands ,mudie's and ,oxford ,street4 ,and thanks will be deepened a hundredfold if1 while eating1 you call for a long refreshing draught of ,munich beer4 ,sweet1 redolent of herbs1 are gracious ,gorgonzola1 of which such ribald tales are told by the irreverent1 and royal ,rocquefort1 in its silver wrapping2 eaten after the perfect dinner1 each has merit immeasurable--merit heightened by a glass of ,beaune or ,chambertin4 ,then1 too1 is the hour for ,port ,salut1 with its soothing suggestion of monastic peace and contentment1 alone a safeguard against indigestion and other unspeakable horrors2 if you respect your appetite seek it nowhere save in the ,german delicatessen shop1 but there order it with an easy conscience and confidence in the white-coated1 white-aproned ministering spirit at the counter4 ,thither also turn for good ,camembert2 but1 as you hope for pleasure in the eating1 be not too ready to accept the first box offered3 test the cheese within with sensitive finger1 and value it according to its softness1 for an unripe ,camembert1 that crumbles at touch of the knife1 is deadlier far than all the seven deadly sins4 ,it should be soft and flowing almost as languid ,fromage de ,brie1 indolent and melting on its couch of straw4 ,beyond all cheese1 ,gruyre calls for study and reflection1 so many are the shams1 by an unscrupulous market furnished1 in its place4 ,as palely yellow as a ,liberty scarf1 as riddled with holes as cellular cotton1 it should be sweet as ,port ,salut1 and yet with a reserve of strength that makes it the rival of ,limburger4 ,but blessed among cheeses1 a romance in itself1 is the creamy1 subtle little ,suisse1 delectable as ,dumas calls it4 ,soft and sweet as the breath of spring1 it belongs to the season of lilacs and love4 ,its name evokes a vision of ,paris1 radiant in the ,maytime1 the long avenues and boulevards all white and pink with blossoming horse-chestnuts1 the air heavy laden with the fragrance of flowers2 a vision of the accustomed corner in the old restaurant looking out upon the ,seine1 and of the paternal waiter bearing the fresh ,suisse on dainty green leaf4 ,life holds few such thrilling interludes6 ,you may eat it with salt1 and think yourself old and wise2 but why not be true to the spirit of spring8 ,why not let yourself go a little1 and1 eating your ,suisse with sugar1 be young and foolish and unreasonably happy again8 ,authorities there be who rank the ,broccio of ,corsica above the ,suisse1 and credit it with delicious freshness and ,virgilian flavour4 ,to taste it among its wild hills1 then1 would be well worth the long journey to the island in the ,mediterranean4 ,in the meantime1 however1 none need quarrel with ,suisse4 ,hardly a country or district in the world really that has not its own special cheese2 he who would discover them all and catalogue them must needs write a treatise on geography4 ,but to eat cheese in its many varieties1 with butter or salt or sugar1 as the case may be1 and to think its mission thus fulfilled1 would be to underestimate its inexhaustible resources4 ,innumerable are the masterpieces the culinary artist will make of it4 ,in an omelet you would pronounce it unsurpassable1 so long as kind fate did not set before you the consummate ,fondue4 ,as a pudding you would declare it not to be approached1 if sometimes crisp cheese straws were not served with dinner's last course4 ,on an ocean voyage1 ,welsh-rabbit late at night will seem to you the marvel of marvels2 on a railway journey a cheese sandwich at noon you will think still more miraculous--but let the sandwich be made of brown bread1 and mix butter and mustard and anchovies with the cheese4 ,the wonders that may be worked with ,parmesan alone--whether in conjunction with macaroni1 or soup1 or cauliflower1 or many a dish beside--would be eloquent text for a new chapter4 ,a ,,study ,,in ,,green ,,and ,,red ,you may search from end to end of the vast ,louvre2 you may wander from room to room in ,england's ,national ,gallery2 you may travel to the ,pitti1 to the ,ryks ,museum1 to the ,prado2 and no richer1 more stirring arrangement of colour will you find than in that corner of your kitchen garden where ,june's strawberries grow ripe4 ,from under the green of broad leaves the red fruit looks out and up to the sun in splendour unsurpassed by paint upon canvas4 ,and the country1 with lavish prodigality born of great plenty1 takes pity upon the drear1 drab town1 and1 packing this glory of colour in baskets and crates1 despatches it to adorn greengrocer's window and costermonger's cart4 ,strawberries all ripe1 sixpence a pound1 is the itinerant sign which now sends a thrill through ,fleet ,street and brings joy to the ,strand4 ,to modern weakling the strawberry is strong with the strength of classical approval4 ,the ,greek loved it2 the ,latin vied with him in the ardour of his affection4 ,poets sang its wonders and immortalised its charms4 ,its perfume was sweet in the nostrils of ,virgil2 its flavour enraptured the palate of ,ovid2 and at banquets under the shadow of the ,acropolis and on sunny ,pincian ,hill1 the strawberry1 cultivated and wild1 held place of honour among the dear fruits of the earth4 ,nor did it disappear before the barbarian's inroads4 ,europe might be laid waste2 beauty and learning and art might be aliens in the land that was once their home2 human enjoyment might centre upon a millennium to come rather than upon delights already warm within men's grasp4 ,but still the strawberry survived4 ,life grew ugly and rue and barren4 ,but from under broad leaves the little red fruit still looked out and up to the sun2 and1 by loveliness of colour and form1 of flavour and scent1 proved one of the chief factors in reclaiming man from barbarism1 in leading him gently along the high road to civilisation and the joy of life4 ,respect for its exquisite perfection was ever deep and heartfelt4 ,gooseberries might be turned to wine and figure as fools2 raspberries and currants might be imprisoned within stodgy puddings4 ,but the strawberry1 giver of health1 creator of pleasure1 seldom was submitted to desecration by fire4 ,as it ripened1 thus was it eaten3 cool1 scarlet1 and adorable4 ,at times when1 according to the shifting of the seasons1 its presence no longer made glad the hearts of its lovers1 desire invented a substitute4 ,as the deserted swain takes what cold comfort he can from the portrait of his mistress1 so the faithful stayed themselves with the strawberry's counterfeit4 ,and thus was it made3 ,take the paste of ,massepain1 and roul it in your hands in form of a ,strawberry1 then wet it in the juice of ,barberries or red ,gooseberries1 turn them about in this juice pretty hard1 then take them out and put them into a dish and dry them before a fire1 then wet them again for three or four times together in the same juice1 and they will seem like perfect ,strawberries4 ,master ,cook ,giles ,rose is the authority1 and none knew better4 ,if1 in moment of folly1 in an effort to escape monotony1 however sweet1 the strawberry was robbed of its freshness1 it was that it might be enclosed in a tart4 ,then--how account for man's inconsistency8--it was so disguised1 so modified by this1 that1 or the other companion in misery1 that it seemed less a strawberry than ever ,master ,rose's ingenious counterfeit4 ,and1 in witness thereof1 read ,robert ,may1 the ,accomplished ,cook1 his recipe3 ,wash the strawberries and put them into the tart2 season them with cinnamon1 ginger1 and a little red wine1 then put on the sugar1 bake it half an hour1 ice it1 scrape on sugar1 and serve it4 ,a pretty mess1 in truth1 and yet1 for sentiment's sake1 worth repetition in this degenerate latter day4 ,queen ,anne preserved the tradition of her ,stuart forefathers1 and in ,the ,queen's ,royal ,cooker1 a little book graced by the ,royal portrait1 ,robert ,may's tart reappears1 cinnamon1 ginger1 and all4 ,so it was handed down from generation to generation1 cropping up here and there with mild persistency1 and now at last1 after long career of unpopularity1 receiving distinction anew4 ,one tart in a season1 as tribute to the past1 will suffice4 ,it were a shame to defile the delicate fruit in more unstinted quantities4 ,reserve it rather for dessert1 that in fragile porcelain dish or frail glass bowl it may lose nothing of the fragrance and crispness and glow of colour that distinguished it as it lay upon the brown earth under cool green shelter4 ,to let it retain unto the very last its little green stem is to lend to dinner or breakfast table the same stirring1 splendid harmony that lit up1 as with a flame1 the kitchen garden's memorable corner4 ,but if with cream the fruit is to be eaten1 then comfort and elegance insist upon green stem's removal before ever the bowl be filled or the dish receive its dainty burden4 ,at early little breakfast of coffee and rolls1 or tea and toast1 as you will1 what more delicious1 what fresher beginning to the day's heat and struggles1 then the plate of strawberries newly picked from their bed8 ,banish cream and sugar from this initiative meal4 ,at the dawn of daily duty and pleasure1 food should be light and airy and unsubstantial4 ,then the stem1 clinging fast to the fruit's luscious flesh1 is surely in place4 ,half the delight is in plucking the berry from the plate as if from the bush4 ,after midday breakfast1 after evening dinner1 however1 it is another matter4 ,cream now is in order2 cream1 thick and sweet and pure1 covering the departing strawberry with a white pall1 as loving and tender as the snow that protects desolate pastures and defenceless slopes from winter's icy1 inexorable fingers4 ,sprinkle sugar with the cream1 as flowers might be strewn before the altars of ,dionysius and ,demeter4 ,cream may1 for time being1 seem wholly without rivals as the strawberry's mate1 the two joined together by a bond that no man would dare put asunder4 ,but the strawberry has been proven fickle in its loves--a very ,cressida among fruits4 ,for to ,kirsch it offers ecstatic welcome1 while ,champagne meets with no less riotous greeting4 ,to ,cognac it will dispense its favours with easy graciousness1 and from the hot embrace of ,maraschino it makes no endeavour to escape4 ,now1 it may seem as simple and guileless as ,chloe1 and again as wily and well-versed as ,egypt's far-famed ,queen4 ,but with the results of its several unions who will dare find fault8 ,in each it reveals new1 unsuspecting qualities1 subtle and ravishing4 ,on pretty1 white-draped tea-table1 rose-embowered1 carnation-scented1 the strawberry figures to fairest advantage when ,champagne holds it in thrall2 in this hour and bower cream would savour of undue heaviness1 would reveal itself all too substantial and palpable a lover4 ,again1 when elaborate dinner draws to an end1 and dessert follows upon long procession of soup and fish and entres and roasts and vegetables and salads and poultry and sweets and savouries1 and who knows what--then the strawberry becomes most irresistible upon yielding itself1 a willing victim1 to the bold demands of ,kirsch4 ,a macdoine of ,kirsch-drowned strawberries1 iced to a point1 is a dish for which gods might languish without shame4 ,she who loves justice never fears to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth4 ,to cook the strawberry is to rob it of its sweetest bloom and freshness4 ,but there have been others to think otherwise1 as it must in fairness be added4 ,to the ,american1 strawberry short-cake represents one of the summits of earthly bliss4 ,in ices1 many will see the little fruit buried without a pang of regret2 and the device has its merits4 ,as syrup1 distended with soda-water and ice-cream1 the conservative ,londoner may now drink it at ,fuller's4 ,in the flat1 open1 national tart1 the ,frenchman places it1 and congratulates himself upon the work of art which is the outcome4 ,or1 accepting ,gouff as master1 he will soar1 one day1 to the extraordinary heights of coupe en nougat garnie de fraises1 and find a flamboyant colour-print to serve as guide2 the next he will descend to the mere homeliness of beignets de fraises2 and1 as he waxes more adventurous1 he will produce bouches de dame1 or pain la duchesse1 madeleines en surprise or profiteroles1 each and all with the strawberry for motive4 ,the spirit of enterprise is to be commended1 and not one of ,gouff's list but will repay the student in wealth of experience gained4 ,the lover1 however1 finds it not always easy to remember the student within him1 and if joy in the eating be his chief ambition1 he will be constant to the fresh fruit ever4 ,a ,,message ,,from ,,the ,,south ,what know we of the orange in our barbarous ,north8 ,to us it is an alien1 a makeshift1 that answers well when1 our own harvests over1 winter1 sterile and gloomy1 settles upon the land4 ,but in the joyous ,south all the year round it ripens1 its golden liquid a solace when heat and dust parch the throat1 as when winds from the frozen ,north blow with unwonted cold4 ,the tree that bears it is as eager to produce as the mothers of ,israel1 and1 in its haste and impatience1 often it whitens its branches with blossoms while still they glow with fruit1 even as ,beckford long since saw them in the groves of ,naples4 ,bright1 rich colour the costermonger's barrow1 piled high with oranges from distant ,southern shores1 gives to ,london's dingy streets2 and not a greengrocer's window but takes on new beauty and resplendence when decorated by the brilliant heaps4 ,but meretricious seems the loveliness of the orange here1 when once it has been seen hanging from heavy-laden boughs1 gleaming between cool dark leaves in its own home1 whether on ,guadalquivir's banks or ,naples' bay1 whether in western ,florida or eastern ,jaffa4 ,what has a fruit that languishes in the garden of ,lindajara and basks in ,amalfi's sunshine1 to do with ,london costermongers and fog-drenched shops8 ,wearied and jaded by the long journey1 disheartened by the injustice done to it when plucked in its young1 green immaturity1 it grows sour and bitter by the way1 until1 when it comes to the country of its exile1 but a faint1 feeble suggestion of its original flavour remains4 ,with us1 for instance1 does not the orange of ,valencia mean a little1 thin-skinned1 acid1 miserable fruit1 only endurable when smothered in sugar or drowned in ,cognac8 ,but eaten in ,valencia1 what is it then and there8 ,large and ample are its seductive proportions2 its skin1 deeply1 gloriously golden1 forswears all meagreness1 though never too thick to shut out the mellowing sunshine2 its juice flows in splendid streams as if to vie with the ,sierra's quenchless springs2 and the fruit is soft and sweet as the sweet1 soft ,southern maidens whose white teeth meet and gleam in its pulp of pure1 uncontaminated gold4 ,a fruit this for romance--a fruit for the ,houris of ,paradise2 not to be peddled about in brutal barrows among feather-bearing ',arriets4 ,in the ,south1 it were a crime not to eat this fruit1 created for the immortals1 just as ,god made it4 ,sugar could be added but to its dishonour2 the pots and pans of the sacrilegious cook would be desecration unspeakable4 ,feast then1 upon its natural charms1 and as the hot ,southern breeze brings to you the scent of strange ,southern blossoms1 and the sky stretches blindingly blue above1 and ,one sits at your side feasting in silent sympathy1 fancy yourself1 if you will1 the new ,adam--or ,eve--for whom the flaming swords have been lowered1 and the long-closed gates of the ,garden of ,eden thrown wide open4 ,but in the ,north1 banish romance1 banish imagination2 bring to the study of the orange the prose of necessity1 and realism of the earnest student4 ,and sometimes1 from prose--who knows8--poetry may spring2 from realism will be evolved wild dreaming4 ,if the orange be from ,jaffa1 or hail from ,florida1 and care bestowed upon it during its long voyaging1 then will it need no ,northern artifice to enhance the pleasure in its power to give4 ,true that something--much1 indeed--it will have lost2 but something of its ,southern1 spicy1 subtle sweetness still survives--of the ,orient's glamour1 of the mystery of the ,western wilderness of flower and fruit4 ,eat it1 therefore1 as it is1 unadorned1 unspoiled4 ,tear away tenderly the covering that cleaves to it so closely2 tear the fruit apart with intelligent fingers2 to cut it is to sacrifice its cooling juice to inanimate china1 and to deprive yourself of the first freshness of its charms4 ,when1 however1 as generally--to our sorrow1 be it said--the orange arrives a parody of itself1 it were better to join it to one of its several dearest affinities4 ,in well-selected company1 it may recover the shadow1 and more1 of the splendour it elsewhere enjoys in solitary state4 ,thus disguised1 it may wander from dessert to the course of sweets1 and by so wandering save the resourceless from the monotony of rice and rizine1 batter and bread-and-butter puddings1 whose fitting realm is the nursery1 and from an eternity of tarts which do not1 like a good design1 gain by repetition4 ,in cocoanut1 the orange recognises a fellow exile1 and the two1 coming together1 yield a new flavour1 a new delight4 ,for this purpose1 the orange must be cut that the juice may flow1 and if in symmetrical rounds1 the effect will be more satisfying to the critical4 ,let the slices be laid at once in the bowl destined to hold them at the moment of serving1 that not a drop of juice may escape1 and arrange them so that over every layer of orange reposes a layer of sugar4 ,then taking the cocoanut that has been well drained1 grate it as fine as patience will allow2 under it bury the orange until the gold is all concealed1 and the dish looks white and light and soft as the driven snow4 ,no harm will be done1 but1 on the contrary1 much good1 by preparing some hours before dinner4 ,it is a pretty conceit2 half unwillingly the spoon disturbs this summery snow-field4 ,but well that it does1 for the combination pleases the palate no less than the eye4 ,the orange summons forth the most excellent qualities of the cocoanut2 the cocoanut suppresses the acidity and crudeness of the expatriated orange4 ,with sugar alone1 the orange--of this secondary order be it remembered--comes not amiss1 when the soul yearns for placidness and peace4 ,if more stirring sensations be craved1 baste the cut-up oranges and sugar with ,cognac1 and eat to your own edification4 ,again prepare some hours before serving1 and be not stingy with the ,cognac3 keep basting constantly2 and be certain that if the result please you not1 the fault lies not with the fruit and spirits1 both exultant in the unexpected union4 ,the conservative1 unused to such devices1 envelop oranges in soulless fritters and imprison them in stodgy puddings4 ,beware their example6 ,one followed1 there is no telling the depths of plodding imbecility to which you may be plunged4 ,not for the frying-pan or the pudding-bowl was the golden fruit predestined4 ,better eat no sweets whatever than thus degrade the orange and reveal our own shortcomings4 ,who will deny that in the world's great drinks the orange has played its part with much distinction8 ,in bitters it is supreme1 if gin in due proportions be added4 ,and where would mankind be by now1 had the orange-evolved liqueurs remained undiscovered8 ,how many happy after-dinner hours would never have been6 ,how insipid the flavour of ,claret and ,champagne-cup6 ,even temperance drinks may be endured when orange is their basis4 ,go to ,madrid or ,granada1 drink bebida helada de naranja1 and confess that in ,spain the teetotallers1 if any such exist1 have their compensation4 ,a pure neigeuse1 une espce de glace liquide1 ,gautier described it in a moment of expansion2 and1 when art is in question1 what ,gautier has praised who would revile8 ,with the ,spanish bebida de naranja1 the ,american orange water ice may dispute the palm4 ,in humbler incarnation it appears as marmalade1 without which the well-regulated household can do as little as without sapolio or ,reckitt's blue4 ,who throughout the ,british ,isles does not know the name of ,keiller8 ,bread and butter might better go than this most ,british of ,british institutions1 the country's stay and support in time of peace1 its bulwark when war drives ,tommy ,atkins into action4 ,thus has the ,north turned the ,south to its own everyday uses1 and the fruit of poets passes into the food of millions4 ,in fruit salad1 orange should be given a leading and conspicuous rle1 the aromatic little ,tangerine competing gaily and guilelessly with the ordinary orange of commerce4 ,there is scarce another fruit that grows with which it does not assimilate1 with which it does not mingle1 to the infinite advantage of the ardent gourmet4 ,this1 none knows better than the ,spaniard1 slandered sorely when reported a barbarian at table4 ,if some of his refinements we could but imitate1 artists truly we might be considered4 ,he it is who first thought to pour upon his strawberries1 not thick cream1 but the delicate juice of the orange freshly cut4 ,here is a combination beyond compare2 and is there not many another that might be tested as profitably8 ,orange and apricot1 orange and plum1 orange and peach4 ,experiment2 for even where failure follows1 will not a new sensation have been secured8 ,the failure need never be repeated4 ,but to each new success will be awarded life eternal4 ,,enchanting ,,coffee ,a perfectly wise man is he who is fully expert and skilful in the true use of sensualities1 as in all other duties belonging to life4 ,in the household where wisdom rules1 dinner1 from savoury hors d'oeuvre to aromatic coffee1 will be without reproach--or suspicion4 ,the foolish devote their powers to this course or that1 and in one supreme but ill-advised endeavour exhaust their every resource4 ,invention carries them no further than the soul2 even discreet imitation cannot pilot them beyond the entre4 ,with each succeeding dish their folly becomes more obvious1 until it culminates in the coffee1 which1 instead of the divine elixir it should be1 proves but a vile1 degrading concoction of chicory4 ,here is the chief among gastronomic tests2 the hostess who knows not how to prepare a cup of coffee that will bring new light to her guests' eyes1 new gaiety to their talk1 is not worthy to receive them2 the guest1 who does not know good coffee when it is set before him deserves to be cast into outer darkness and fed for evermore upon brimstone and treacle4 ,better far throw pearls before swine1 than pour good coffee into the cups of the indifferent4 ,the sympathies of the gourmand are all for the mighty ones of old--for an ,epicurus in ,greece1 a ,lucullus in ,rome--to whom the gods had not yet given the greatest of their gifts1 coffee4 ,sad indeed the banquet1 dreamy the evening uncheered1 unblessed by fragrant ,mocha or mild ,mysore4 ,poor mortals still stood without the gates of ,paradise1 never once foreseeing the exquisite joys to come1 unconscious of the penalty they paid for living so much too soon4 ,and while they thus dwelt in sorrowful ignorance1 shepherds1 leading their flocks through sweet pasture-land1 paused in their happy singing to note that the little kids and lambs1 and even staid goats and sheep1 waxed friskier and merrier1 and frolicked with all the more light-hearted abandonment after they had browsed upon a certain berry-bearing bush4 ,thyme and lavender1 mint and marjoram1 never thus got into their little legs1 and sent them flying off on such jolly rambles and led them into such unseemly antics4 ,and the shepherds1 no doubt1 plucked the berry and tasted it1 and found it good4 ,and one day--who knows how8--by chance1 they roasted it1 and the fragrance was as incense in their nostrils4 ,and then1 another time they pounded it1 and1 it may be by merest accident1 it fell into the water boiling over the fire for their midday meal4 ,and thus1 first1 coffee was made4 ,to ,abyssinia1 otherwise an unknown factor in the history of good living1 belongs the credit of producing the first coffee-drinkers4 ,all honour where honour is due4 ,the debt of the modern to ,greece and ,rome is smaller far than to that remote country which not one man in ten1 to whom coffee is a daily necessity1 could point out upon the map4 ,arabs1 wandering hither and thither1 came to ,abyssinia as they journeyed1 and there drank the good drink and rejoiced4 ,among them were pious ,moslems1 who at times nodded over prayers1 and1 yawning pitifully as texts were murmured by lazy lips1 knew that damnation must be their doom unless sleep were banished from their heavy eyes at prayer time4 ,and to them as to the sheep and lambs1 as to the goats and kids1 the wonder-working berry brought wakefulness and gaiety4 ,and into ,arabia the ,happy1 they carried it in triumph1 and coffee was drunk not for temporal pleasure but for spiritual uses4 ,it kept worshippers awake and alert for the greater glory of ,allah1 and the faithful accepted it with praise and thanksgiving4 ,but1 again1 like the flocks in ,abyssinian pastures1 it made them too alert1 it seems4 ,after coffee1 prayer grew frolicsome1 and a faction arose to call it an intoxicant1 to declare the drinking of it a sin against the ,koran4 ,schisms followed1 and heresies1 and evils dire and manifold4 ,but coffee fought a good fight against its enemies and its detractors2 and from ,arabia it passed to ,constantinople1 from ,turkey to ,england1 and so on from country to country1 until in the end there was not one in ,europe1 or in the ,new ,world 7which men had not then so long discovered71 but had welcomed the berry that clears the clouded brain and stimulates the jaded body4 ,to all men its finest secrets have not been revealed4 ,dishonoured by many it has been and still is4 ,unspeakable liquids1 some thick and muddy1 others thin and pale1 borrow its name with an assurance and insolence that fool the ignorant4 ,chicory arrogantly and unscrupulously pretends to compete with it1 and the thoughtless are deceived1 and go their way through life obdurate and unrepentant1 deliberately blinding themselves to the truth4 ,others understand not the hour and the place1 and order it at strange moments and for stranger functions4 ,americans there be who1 from thick1 heavy1 odious cups1 drink it1 plentifully weakened with milk1 as the one proper and fit accompaniment for dinner2 a spoonful of coffee follows a spoonful of soup2 another is prelude to the joint2 a second cup poisons the sweet4 ,on the other hand1 be it admitted in fairness1 no coffee is purer and better than that of the ,american who has not fallen into such mistaken courses4 ,and he who doubts should1 without delay1 drop in at ,fuller's in ,regent ,street1 or the ,strand1 where to taste is to believe4 ,in the afternoon1 plump ,german matrons and maids gather about the coffee-pot1 and fancy1 poor souls6 that they1 of all womankind1 are most discriminating in their choice of time and opportunity4 ,gossip flows smoothly on2 household matters are placidly discussed2 and the one and only end of coffee remains for them1 now and always1 unknown and unsuspected4 ,in their blameless innocence and guileless confidence1 may they have whatever happiness belongs by right to the race of humble and unaspiring housewives4 ,in ,england the spurious is preferred to the genuine2 and rare1 indeed1 is the house or restaurant1 the hotel or lodgings1 where good coffee is the portion of blundering humanity4 ,over the barbarous depths into which the soul-inspiriting berry has been dragged in unhappy ,albion1 it is kinder to draw a veil4 ,but in the inscrutable ,east1 the cradle of mysticism1 where no problem discourages earnest seekers after truth1 coffee may yet be had in full perfection4 ,in the ,west1 ,france is not without her children of light1 and in the tall glass of the caf or the deep bowl of the auberge coffee sometimes is not unworthy of the name1 though chicory1 the base1 now threatens its ruin4 ,however1 ,austria1 nearer to the mother-country1 makes the coffee of ,france seem but a paltry imitation1 so delicious is the beautiful brown liquid1 flowing in rich perennial streams in every caf1 gilded or more modest4 ,and yet ,austria1 in her turn1 is eclipsed1 wholly and completely1 by the home of ,attila and ,kossuth4 ,drink1 if only once1 coffee on the banks of the ,danube1 while gipsies play divinely into your ear1 and life will never more seem quite so meaningless4 ,it is not easy to understand why the multitude continue content with a bad substitute when the thing itself1 in all its strength and sweetness1 may be had for the asking4 ,a little knowledge1 a trifle more experience1 and good coffee may be the solace and stimulus of the honest ,briton1 as of the wily ,turk1 the wandering ,arab1 and the fierce ,magyar4 ,know then1 first1 that your coffee berries must be pure and unadulterated4 ,turn a deaf ear to the tempter who urges economy and promises additional flavour4 ,against chicory1 protest cannot be too urgent or violent4 ,it is poison1 rank and deadly4 ,the liver it attacks1 the nerves it destroys1 and the digestion it disorganises hopelessly1 disastrously4 ,to the well-trained palate it is coarse beyond redemption4 ,the fictitious air of strength it lends to the after-dinner cup delights the ignorant and saddens the wise4 ,but why waste too recklessly good paper and type upon so degrading a topic8 ,why not say once and for all that chicory is impossible and revolting1 an insult to the epicure1 a cruel trial to the sybarite1 a crime to the artist8 ,renounce it before it is too late1 and put your trust in the undrugged berries from ,arabia or ,brazil1 from ,java or ,porto ,rico4 ,mocha is irreproachable1 though it loses nothing when blended with ,java or ,mysore4 ,as the painter mixes his colours upon his palette until the right tint springs into being1 so1 if in befitting humility and patience1 you blend coffee with coffee1 know that1 the day is at hand when the perfect flavour will be born of the perfect union4 ,from venturing to recommend one harmony above all others1 the most daring would refrain2 ,mocha and ,java might inspire hymns of praise in ,paradise2 and yet many gourmets would yearn for a keener1 stronger aroma1 many sigh for a subtler4 ,as in matters of love1 for yourself must you choose and decide4 ,sacrilegious indeed it were if1 after infinite trouble and tender care in your choice1 you delivered the blend of your heart to the indifferent roasting pans1 or cylinders1 of any chance grocer4 ,roast it yourself1 so that the sweet savour thereof fills your house with delicious memories of the ,eastern bazaar and the ,italian piazza4 ,roast it in small quantities1 no more at a time than may be needed for the little breakfast1 or the after-dinner cup4 ,and roast it fresh for each meal4 ,be not led astray by the indolent and heedless who prize the saving of labour above the pleasures of drink1 and1 without a blush of shame1 would send you to a shop to buy your berries roasted4 ,the elect listen not to the tempting of the profane4 ,in a saucepan1 with lid1 may the all-important deed be done4 ,or else a vessel shaped for the solemn rite may be bought4 ,but whichever be used1 let your undivided attention direct the process2 else the berries will be burnt4 ,a small piece of pure1 irreproachable butter in the pan or drum will prove a friendly ally4 ,while still hot1 place the brown berries--carefully separating those done to a turn from the over-burnt1 if any such there be--in the expectant mill1 and grind at once4 ,if much depend upon the roasting1 no less is the responsibility that rests with the grinding4 ,the working of the mill1 soft and low as heard from afar1 makes most musical accompaniment to dinner's later courses4 ,it is guarantee of excellence1 certificate of merit4 ,thus trusted to the mill1 when time presses1 none of the coffee's essence can escape1 none of its aroma4 ,and there is art in the grinding3 ground exceeding small it may answer for boiling1 but not for filtering or dripping2 and so be wary4 ,if picturesqueness of preparation have charms for you1 then discard the mill and1 vying with the ,turks1 crush the berries in a mortar with a wooden crusher4 ,the difference in results1 though counted vast by the pedant1 in truth exists not save in the imagination4 ,and now collect your thoughts in all seriousness and reverence1 for the supreme moment has come4 ,the berries are roasted and ground3 the coffee is to be made6 ,and how8 ,that's the problem to the ,englishwoman to whom good coffee is a mystery as unfathomable as original sin or papal infallibility4 ,how8 ,by a process so ridiculously easy as to be laughed to scorn by the complex modern4 ,in all art it is the same--simplicity1 the fruit of knowledge and experience1 is a virtue beyond compare4 ,but poor blind humans1 groping after would-be ideals1 seek the complicated1 mistaking it to be the artistic4 ,arguing then1 from their own foolish standpoint1 they invent strange and weird machines in which they hope to manufacture perfection2 coffee-pots1 globular in shape1 which must be turned suddenly1 swiftly1 surely1 at the critical instant1 else will love's labour all be lost2 coffee-pots1 with glass tubes up which the brown liquid rushes1 then falls again1 a ,niagara in miniature2 coffee-pots with accommodating whistles blowing shrill warning to the slothful2 coffee-pots that explode1 bomb-like1 at the slightest provocation2 coffee-pots that splutter1 overflow1 burst1 get out of order1 and1 in a word1 do everything that is dreadful and unseemly4 ,of these1 one and all1 fight shy4 ,coffee calls not for a practical engineer to run the machine4 ,in three ways1 so simple a child may understand1 so perfect a god might marvel1 can the delectable drink1 that gives wakefulness and a clear brain1 be made4 ,in the first place1 in ordinary pot1 it may be boiled1 allowing a tablespoonful of the ground berries to a cup of water1 taking the pot off the fire1 once the beautiful1 seductive brown froth is formed on the top1 pouring in a small teaspoonful of water that the grounds may settle2 serve without delay1 linger over it lovingly1 and then go forth gaily to conquer and rejoice4 ,in the second place--more to be commended--use a caftire1 or filter of tin or earthenware1 the latter by preference4 ,place the coffee1 ground not too fine1 and in the same proportions1 in the upper compartment4 ,pour in slowly water that is just at the boiling point1 a little only at a time1 keeping the kettle always on the fire that the all-important boiling point may not be lost1 and let the water filter or drip slowly through the grounds spread in a neat layer4 ,some there be who stand the pot or lower compartment in a pan of boiling water1 and they have reason with them4 ,others who1 when all the water has passed through to the pot below1 set it to filtering1 or dripping1 a second time1 and they are not wholly wrong4 ,but of all things1 be careful that the coffee does not cool in the process4 ,of life's many abominations1 lukewarm coffee is the most abominable4 ,the third of the three ways yields ,turkish coffee4 ,the special pots for the purpose1 with their open tops and long handles1 are to be found in one or more large ,regent-street and ,oxford-street shops4 ,get the proper vessel1 since it answers best1 and is1 however1 a pleasure to the eye1 a stimulus to the imagination of all who at one happy period of their lives have dwelt in ,turkey or neighbouring lands4 ,now1 grind your coffee finer1 but be faithful to the same proportions4 ,into the water drop first the sugar1 measuring it according to your taste or mood1 or leaving it out altogether if its sweetness offend you4 ,put your pot on the fire1 and when the water is boiling merrily1 drop in the coffee4 ,to a boil1 as kitchen slang has it1 let it come1 but gay bubbles on its surface must be signal to lift off the pot2 put it on the fire again1 almost at once1 remove it bubbling a second time1 put it on again1 and again remove it4 ,this device repeated thrice will be enough1 though a fourth repetition can do no harm4 ,a teaspoonful of cold water will compel unruly grounds to settle4 ,pour the thick1 rich1 brown liquid1 as it breaks into beautiful yellow froth on the top1 into the daintiest cups your cupboard holds1 and drink it and happiness together4 ,to add cream or milk to ,turkish coffee would be a crime2 nor must more sugar be dropped into its fragrant1 luscious depths4 ,ordinary after-dinner coffee should also be drunk without cream or milk1 if pleasure be the drinker's end4 ,indeed1 a question it is whether it be ever wise to dilute or thicken coffee and tea with milk1 however well boiled1 with cream1 however fresh4 ,the flavour is destroyed1 the aroma weakened4 ,but black coffee with breakfast would mean to begin the day at too high a state of pressure1 in undue exhilaration of spirits4 ,to speak honestly1 coffee is no less a mistake in the morning hours than ,whisky-and-soda or ,absinthe4 ,but custom has sanctioned it2 it has become a bad habit from one end of the ,continent to the other1 in innumerable otherwise wholly decorous ,british households4 ,but slaves of habit should wear their chains so that there is as little friction and chafing as possible4 ,therefore1 make your morning coffee strong and aromatic and pure as if destined for after-dinner delights3 but pour into it much milk2 half and half would prove proportions within reason4 ,not out of the way is it to borrow a hint from provincial ,france and serve caf-au-lait in great bowls1 thus tacitly placing it forever on a plane apart from caf noir4 ,or else1 borrow wisdom from wily ,magyar and frivolous ,austrian1 and exquisite1 dainty1 decorative whipped cream heap up high on the surface of the morning cup4 ,take train to-morrow for ,budapest2 haunt its cafs and kiosques1 from the stately ,reuter to the ,danube-commanding ,hungaria2 study their methods with diligence and sincerity2 and then1 if there be a spark of benevolence within you1 return to preach the glad gospel of good coffee to the heathen at home4 ,a hero you would be1 worthy countryman of ,nelson and of ,wellington2 and thus surely should you win for yourself fame1 and a niche in ,westminster ,abbey4 99 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's note3 ,minor spelling inconsistencies1 mainly hyphenated and accented words1 have been made consistent4 ,st4 ,estphe changed to ,st4 ,estphe4