The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-09-12 00:00:00

PHILOSOPHICAL FRUIT EATING.

The following well-written article is taken from
Htbberd'd °unfenced Abegazine—a periodical containing
nmch valuable informatr ui "for all whom it may con-
cern ;" and whoever the assurne4l writer, King
Pippin," may be, he is no familiar with all the
"Pippin " family, that he is enabled to give the reader
many practical hints, which are the 111,re acceptable
because at a period of the year when "Pippins" are in
Semen:—

If the growers of fruits in England want stirring up, I ant
quite sure the eaters of it are in the same need. The way fruit
is eaten in this country is too :mini to think about, except
solely that our thinking only lead to retorm And, mind
you, if people do not eat fruit in a sensible manner, they
cannoi grew it in a sensible m inner, for the simple reason
that, not understanding its value, they came It Lake proper
interest in it at all. I scarcely like to sptak if fruit.eming
as one of "ye customs of ye English." because it compels
Inc to regard ray countrymen as gluttons ; and I ani so in-
tensely national, that I steep atnile I reprove thent. Am I
not a volukteer, am I not a special, ant I not a subscriber to
twenty charities, am( the (((list regular elaireh-goer in the
pari di? Shall I not, then, have tonic small lieense to tell
tuvrorontr men what I w.u1,1 not allow It Frenchman or an
hal an to tell them that they know not how to eat fruit?
503 they kn., ma how.
..•. . .

KrglTe.t use Elite fruit commonly serves in this country
Is to adorn the table ; and it heave use that for fruits are
any day, if 01001 and tastefully grouped, higher in the scale
of Leanly than the twist gorgeous flowers. Witness Latiee's
pictures; no representations td flowers ever equalled in
richness those heap of melons, gispes, peaches, cliesi
and pomegranates, with massiveLankards and salvers. o
which that master •• still life • sullials adorned , .
of the Academy front year to year. Why the deuce o
not toasted to some eraioitots of pictto es of such ,iduei•to
occationdly in the pages of the Magazine ? It is the only
work of the kind ni which tee might look for anything so
:esthetic and enlivening anit Be. I repeat,
with your pet nussom, that toy taiiiiitryniell knew ina how to
eat fruit ; lan I Mean lay oda:/ countrymen, for my j recet,ii.•
co.put '404 know all about it ; atol tile way the bop; ao.i
girls eat flint is, as a tale, sensible and to lus applauded.
It is now striking eleven in the ion:noon, and I Call my 5,
Tom, eight years if ace, ble,ed a ito health, :di, 11, ,
appetite. In looped tot the last qualiticatnot It•
if any 0M: doubts what I aay, let alien an One lot ;. :
week :old I lon't odidl if his hoots are rile;] sll,iic
nested at the same time. I give that boy an apple, and its
eats it. I cell that a sensible' proceeding, and I praise him
for ilia appreCiation.
Bat just observe what a remarkahle proceeding that is on
the part of a to eat an apple at 11 am. At IWM , pre-
cisely, he :will go tu dinner, at the same tints as I take my
luncheon. Let us compare los very simple way with the
established custom ot society. We Legin the day somehow
with tea and coffee, bacon: seal, Be. We live withont anY
mere food till noon or i therealiollta, Und then we
take wine, beer, spirits, cold meat, it hot, chop, a devilled
chicken, Be. Somewhere :Mout 5. 6, in 7 p.m we sit down
to dinner. First soup, then fish, then poultry, joints and
smaller things ; then pastry, with perhaps hied pudding, and
then we pounee upon the fruit and the port and sherry.
Having eaten a great variety id foods, having for u tune
satiated the Stoinach and palled tile 'date. we begin to eat
fruits, and 80155 fi tilts have the coolness to po.ll4lllllCe upon
the and qualities tif irons at such a time. N1.,11,41.0.
1111.11.1lity ! It is Jost impossible for any one who has eaten
res. a Moderate meld of rooked Illeata, with their n and
neeilinpailinielit a, to discover the real tlaviwr of any fruit at
all. It is, I repeat, beyond possildlit), and those who aver
Otherwise either labour under a delusion or wilfully mis-
represent the fact. folk at briOd and changing colours
for inn hour under a strong light, and then endear 11111 l tit
decide dale, ences between di:lin:le tints. You cannot do
it. The nerves of the eyes lio• t,40 fatigued. Labour
haisl with your hands, anti in WOlk that trill fatigue the
noz.ers, and then try to oiscover the date on a sixpence
by feeling it in the dark. Von cans it Lat a full sisal,
taking spicy Satires, riell el:Oars, horenwat, two or t eve
Sorts ot Wines. and then l,ietnillh to appreciate the delicate
flavours of tine fruits. The supposition that any one call do
it is too ridicalotis to iie worth di oil, sitg. lait this is not
the only pidut. FrilitS so oaten are injini lu, to health.
Say n ithing of the poisolions nailire id the tants and Slicrrica
that are to he found MI ry lithe, Tht:y etinsid of
sweeteni.L.,u and litan :)dig. with or without a
moilienni of fermented graptjaive. tni, my ciontitrymen,
thankful that you Lave such it',,,l,',,u;eiil,t oils that all this
poisoning does not kill you outright. rhat dyspepsia:gout,
apoplexy, congestion id the heart atol lattOi. torpid liver,,
. .

. „
awl delirium tremens klimild Jr known amongst I,IS II loot
proper; for we toss Mir bliall•i1111 jiltS into stdinitelci inlet
with viands that demand tin! utmost niwcrs of dhiestion,
and stay the powers of digestion, hy adding those poisonous
skiptics and In-invited main: es tliat are oil.eiiir,i •• wines" in
Oil,' festive vocabulary. Pi reit is was going to say
angels' food, int I will not indulge ill estravaganews of lan-
guage. ills the nuist rtfincil form id food— it is sunshine
consolidated into lovely forms and. colours, :111•1
11:L1'0111814 Whirl, the palate is susceptible. To abuse this
most exalte.l id our Creator's bounties tea sin :did a shame,
and the estalilished portico Ipf fruit-eating is one of the
absurdities of neulent civilir &thin.

"Frnit in Feed," I repeat, and there!. re should be eaten
to satisfy hunger. To eat filth as f,..1 is, I contend, 10 eat
it plahenmltically ; to eat it as to., kill time amusement, when
the physical frame no longer needs nourishing, is to waste
the fruit, and illiiire the iliac -tire dowo es, and damage Vie
whole frame, and with it the mind ; for such indulgence
tends to effeminacy.
N I.w, I shall toll yen 011 e or use pleasures. I grOW f tiltsr
of all kinds in quantity, and I (alley there are few who ran
equal lair products in quality. taking intl inillgltntil anodher.
It is part of lily blisillesi to grow the finest fruit that the
earth produces, and I locket eonsideralile 9111119 of
Money for fruit that I know will lie abused. The
growing is one of my pleasures, and the man who e.n
make pleasure of his 10.110,3 Ollghl ti ke constantly
thatikfu,. All Other of lily pleasures is to eat fruit
in what I consider a rail, mat way, 111 food, not as a
luxury or a treat. but as a net essary and ordinary article 44
diet. In the summer time Iga in the 10111101 in tin a peach
wall, anti touch a few peaches. To mill peaches is abated,
because if they waiit pulling they al-e Illot lit to eat. I tone],
them and eat them, anti take nothing with them, either
solid or liquid. I want no wine or spirit to spoil the
glorious flavour If a line 10,1011011 a clean palate, while a
healthy stomach is waitirg to twelve it. Von may call this
a sensuous woof treating the subject. Well, yna may ; that
is all I have to so. (toil gave Me the stomach, the palate,
and the fruit ; I soil's' I cannot far wrong their happy
union. Those who eat fruit after dinner may take what view
they plea- e.
Another of my summer pleautt es is to lake a friend about
the garden with me stun. a bit of luncheon appears to he
approptiate. it may be that lie cannot eat fruit without
Collie kiwi 4.1 wine or spirit., snot I am not tine of those to
stop a man in Ids peculiar aay of enjoying himself ; at all
events, my idea 4.f treating a friend is to make him as happy
as I can in bis ?,gy, and if he wants to drink with his fruit Inc
shall have I. But, that lie ino enjoy both, I endeavour to
administer to 'him on scientific principles. If I give 111111
strawberries I place before hint a dry. light Wine, 1111.1 if that
does lint suit hits he only have brandied port and sherry
or si irit ; it matters not to nie. For all the delicately-
no, aired fruits, the proper drink for those who do drink
is, I think, a light, dry Mille, such as chablis r a still
kirk; hut the champagne of ordinary commerce is vile.
with its es-tent of brandy aml sugar A thoroughly
good Amontillado sherry goes woll with rich grape. lint with
ripe muscats, Wthell are loaded mitli saccharine, a dry Itir.
deaux, s, mud and old, it, according ti no palate, the frillier
thing. Nor are the spirits to be pint into the Index Expur-
gatoritis. I can enjoy any good fruit without drink, and
believe that to be the proper way ; but if there is to be
drinking, I wo add have II ennessey'S or Nlartell's pale brandy
of the best brand, and slightly diluted 5. ith cold water, to
accompany rich melting pears; and the very best gin,
sweetened and undiluted, to accompany rich, telider-tleshed
apples. By the way, 11 1111 apple is not tender-fleshed I will
not eat it n hence I value Ribston Pippin at less than Haw-
thornilen for my own eating ; but as they tiring a good price
at market, I grow them ill lir antitie, bit. whi,ky is allow-
able, if obi and mellow; lint so telt witbky and rum are viltoe.,
ems things to put on the table with any kind of fruit. Ilow
people rail think fruity tort and eat Is 81We of good
pine as the same time is to me one of the mysteries of
degustation—one of the pro,ds that the popular palate is the
worst educated of all the organs. I can take a glass of real
good Burgundy with a pine or melon, or in lark of that,
Amontillado sherry, and if the choice of btu, to limited. I
will take pale brandy, weak, and little ef it, and eat my pine
or melon at midday, who'll I am neither fatigued by labour
noir filled aid) other meats. If so-tile of our gourmands were
to see how gardeners eat lilt 1,110-1011 S. and peaehes, they
would waat a new lease if their hive, Ha, ba it does me
good to see a gardener select an nJy pine a bid' lie dare not
send to table, and, with a Mo. appetite and a cultivated
palate, sit 111/11111 to eat it, with nit the importance of a writer
about to review a great book. But I must stop. Some day
soon I 1041 e to give you another lout out of my basket,
unless this big one happens to nick-en you and your readers
altogether.