Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-23
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sUNpAY. ErnRUARY aa. Jos.
HIPPOPHAGY.
Grand Horse Dinner "a Laugitam's
Hotel, london.

H0tths AfOhNoH-
From the London Times. Feb T.
Al least one hundred and fifty persons
we're asking each other yesterday why
horse iieeh should not be good fare. 1t was
question Of reason against prejudice. A
horse is a clean, and even dainty, feeder.
The pig, which Christians eat without
scrupie, is not to be compared with the
horse in this respect Many persons had
BY actual experiment convinced themselves
that horse flesh was not less succnlent and
appetizing than other animal food. Ii was
necessary 10 show that these were not mere
theorists, enthusiasts or epicures, desirous
only 20 cultivate new sensation. So what
is called ss"bsnquet hippophagiqne" was
given at the Langham Hotel last night,
aud over one hundred and fifty gentlemen
were invited 90 partake Of it. You may
convince yourself more or less completely
that you ought TO eat horse without feeling
squeamish Can yon compose the stomach
and Danish all qualms by force OF reason
This was the experiment which at the cost
Of q guinea -aad half was tried last even
ing. Ha
As far as we eould ascertain, the guests
went through the bill Of fare conscientious
ly; there was very little gibbing. The
soup was hardly distinguishable from that
usually given at such dinners. There was,
perhaps, some approach to shndder when
sOles "a Phtiiie hiPpophdgiqHe" were hand
ed round, but il was barely possible
TO detect the special flavor of the ami
NAL even here, and one could not
but recognize the truth of Mr.. Samuel
Weller's profound observation, "Ifs
the seasoning that does it," After all the
fancy dishes and sauces-fhe piquart sance
derived from an imaginary Arab steed the
slice cut from Pegasus, and so on-the test
which practical men desired to apply was,
how did horse taste du aatuTeis A slice
of roast horse was presently served. Ii was
cooked TO rags, like the French boiiiiH, and
was neither more nor less paiatable. A more
satisfactory dish then appeared. A trumpet
sounded, and beef-eater entered, clad In
scarlet and gold, and playing "The Roast
Beef of Old England" followed by four
cooks in kitchen costume, bearing on their
shoulders a smoking baron of horse. This
monster Joint, weighing $50 pounds, was
soOn carved aud served. Epicnres said the
| flavor resembled that of roebuck. II was
certainly meat which, once tasted, would
be taken without hesitation The result
may soon be described. Your prejudice
was overcome, but you did not enroll your
| self among the enthusiasts who say that
horse flesh is more palatable than prime
| beef. This, we think, wOnld be the con-
| clusion Of an average dinner, who was
! neither enthusiastic nor preiudiced 1t As
| quite possible 10 dine of hose, even at your
frat meal, without nausea. With very
little effort of cookery, Won Will hardly
distinguish it from beef. At your next
meal your appetite may come in eating.
Three horses contributed TO this dinner.
/ Their photographs we're handed round. Ii
YOU yielded to sentiment, it was sad to look
at the living image of the gray horse you
! we're then eating in soup, or of the brown
| horse which was then being served en-
| clllote But the chairman, Mr.. Forsyth,
! Q. C., reminded the diners that you secured
| to the horse humane treatment in his latter
days, when you showed thai his carcass was
| fit, not for dogs, but for men. Statisticians
| declare that in this realm $4,000 horses,
| free from disease and available for human
food, are slaughtered annually. On this
theme the chairman enlarged. Here was
| animal food, palatable, nutritious, cheap.
Should it be any longer wasted when ami
NAL food was so dear as to be partially
beyond the reach of our poorer country
men2 Mr. Forsyth treated the horse
question not as one for epicures, but as a
practical question Of the highest import
ance and this dinner was intended not
60 crafty the palates of a Jew, or to
introduce a new dish into the rich mans
house, but to popularize a new article OF
food for the poor. "The horse, and meat
at 25d per pound" was the next text on
which he dwelt. Mr.. Maule, Q, c., Sir
Henry Thompson, Sir j. Lubbock and Mr.
A. g. Bicknell also spoke. To the latter
gentleman was Justly ascribed the merit Of
providing the banquet-s task, where the
staple dish is horse, OF considerable diff.
Guilty Ii only now remains to convince
the classes who have most TO gain from the
cheapening of animal food that horse flesh
is good 10 eat Sir Henry Thompson
whose authority on such a point mus
needs be great, declared last night that fol
invalids equine tea was more nourishinl
than beef tea Other medical authorities
who we're present at the dinner we're ready
we believe, to corroborate Sir Henry as Il
the stimulating properties of the hors'
when treated in this way.
We should add thai three horses par
taken Of we're of the respective ages o
four, twenty aud twenty-five years. TwS
had been cart-horses; one had drawn
brougham, and in his prime had beer
worth 700 gnineas. The haron was csrye'
from the four year old.