Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-04-23
NJ s { Il l. l. A NY
KITCHEN PHYSIC.

onc foggy winter morning, about twenty
years ago, an elderly man whose walk and
manner still retained much Of the activity of
earlier days, might have been seen making
his way across the Pont Neuf in Paris, and
hetakng himself, by the Rue Dauphine and
III" Qnai-des Grands Augustins, in the direc-
ton OF the well-known edifce, with its three
long parallel galleries, which serves as a mar
kct for the sale Of game and poultry.
Though the morning was raw and chilly,
j wore neither cloak nor overcoat but ap-
paared rather as though he might have Just
quilted some evening party. He was tall, ,
his back slightly rounded by the weight of
his sixty years his costume was partly that
ot an h9tHue Of the Court, partly that of an
officer in the army His linen, which was
rem rkably fine and white, displayed pro-
fusion of costly lace his clavat was of satin
and the rest of his dress was of black kersey-
mere. 1t was evident that this early visitant
81 the poultry market was no vulgar custo-
mer his small black eyes were bright and
piercing his lips, though somewhat sensual
in expression, would have revealed to dis
clple Of l.ayater a nature both subtitle and
generous; and his gait and manner were at
once thos' Of a man OF rank and Of man of
the world
No sooner had he entered the poultry mar
ket than chorus of welcomes and questions
sluted his appearance.
Good morning, monsieur lie marquis"
cried one of the market danes.
What is monsielr lie marquis looking for
this mornng?' demanded the second
:" If monsieur le marquis will give himself
the trouble to come this way, have some
thing that | think will please him. cried a
third.
4 Il. II
these remarks were addressed could be no
other than one of the gastronomic celebrities
OF the day,-the Marquis de Cussy, formerly
chief purveyor to the Emperor Napoleon, and
ona Of the most illustrious courmands of the
nineteenth century. Witty and sceptical, as
men OF his sybaritic temperament are apt to
be- he was not leficient IN probity or kindness
and never missed an occasion for doing good
IN his own way to those with whom he was
brought into contact. He had declined all
the ovortures made to him by those of his
friends who had come into power with the
restoration but had resumed his post at the
Iuilorles after the Goth of March When the
news of Waterloo reached him, he was heard
to eEclalm in bitterness of soul, Gallons, my
sau3epans are all upset again ~
The following year friend obtained for
the ex-puryeyOr sinecure of five thousand
francs year
Il can live upon this sum-, he remarked
resignedly sit will find me crust of bread
and morsel of Gruyere cheese
"Only one sentence worth listening to has
baon uttered in modern days, " he was ac-
oustomed to say, - and that was the remark
made by Henrion de Passy 4" shall believe
in progress when | see a cook among the
members Of the Institute"
The Marquis de Cussy lunched at moor
and dined at six O'Clock. His table was oper
all the year round to any who demanded hi.
hospitality, and his conversation was as bril-
liant as his cheer. The fame of his skill and
judgment in all matters connected with the
table had spread far and wide and he wa.
overwhelmed with commissions by the most
renowned establishments of France and Eng
land, In Paris he was constantly being
called upon to pronounce on the relativ,
quality of rival culinary preparations; and
his word was law in all the markets of the
capital, to which he was accustomed to re-
pair very early in the morning. alone and on
loot, as we have seen. He was particularly
fond of attacking the principles laid dow
by his rival in gastronomic renown, Brillat
Slvarin, in his treatise on the Physiology O
1 sto. Thus Brlllat Savarii says there ough
= % twtlve persons at table the Maroui
de Cussy replies, THAT is not the right mum
Der; the Salernian school, SO wise on sue
subjects, inculcated the principle " Neve
be fewer than the Three Graces never b.
more than the Nine Muses. For nv mart
say, BE three, six or nine at table, = II
advised his disciples to drink but few drop
OF wine at time, and was fond of repeatn
that "the true gourmand would never ca
when not hungry" Brillat-Savarin give
two dozen OF oysters as the proper allowanc
for each guest, and advised that they b
opened and placed upon the table beforehand
'Professor," would retort the Marquis
'oysters opened beforehand, and perhap
even detached from the shell Why, such
counsel is the very extreme of barbarism
and can only excuse you by rememberin
that you come from an inland department.
Brillat-Savarn advises the introduction q
mirrors into the dining room the marqui
insisted upon it that they were out of plac
in refyctory, ana could only serve to dis
tract the eyes and thoughts Of the diner
which ought, On the contrary, to be concen
trated on the dinner table.
ouch was the parsonage whom we havl
seen entering the poultry market On the morn
ing in qn 'Stion, with the air Of man VIII,
had som yry important purchase 10 make