Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-06-08
An Englishmnn's Opinion of American
Diet.

An Englishmnn's Opinion of American
Diet.
In American diet did not observe many pc
culiarities worth noting. Breakfast IS nearly
meal. The wheaton bread is good, and the corn
-four and buckwheat cakes excellent. Omelets,
with chopped ham, were new to me. | saw
many men commence with whole melon, with
ice in a hole scooped out-an experiment upon
which did not venture, with the thermometer
above eighty degrees. Eggs were generally
mashed in a large wine-glass, and eaten with
pepper, the waiter making the mess He
seemed surprised when asked for a hard-boiled
egg and an eggcup-a convenience not forth
coming in one hotel. The variety of fish at
dinner is great, and, in strollilg through the
fsh-market, | wished / had Mr.. Frank Buck
land, inspector of British salmon fisheries, at
my side The halibut, blue-fish and lake trout
were capital Beef and mutton were not so
good as our own; poultry abundant, and turkey
at every table. Game is not scarce; and at Chi
cage, prairie chicken, plump as partridges. OF
vegetables there was considerable variety:
boiled heads of Indian corn, sweet potatoes, egg
plant, and Others not familiar in England
never saw good mealy potato, with all the
Irish in the land. They are generally served in
butter-fried chips, as in France. The puddings
are good, and ices better than ours. The Amer
lean ladies have the 'sweet tooth;" little vessels
like cream-jugs, filed with syrup, are on every
table, to be poured over the homlny cakes or
crumpets. The ladies are also great pastry con-
sumers. Hot rolls, and pies, as they call tarts,
may partly account for the prevalence of dys-
peptic complexions. A tart, in America, is our
pie, though it may be as big as the real York
shire or Northumberland pie, covering half
table. Cheese is rarely seen at dinner, or, if
used is mixed with preserves or apple pie. The
manufacture of American cheese is for the
English market, and may it increase and pros
per- for the price has risen forty per cent. in my
recollection.
OF the fame of American oysters had heard
so much that was disappointed in everything
but the size. They tell OF Thackeray that, on
his first arrival, dish OF large "saddlebacks"
was set before him. He gazed at them for some
time, and then asked what he was to do with
them. "Why, eat them, of course" "Oh, eat
them," said Thackeray, as if a new light had
dawned upon him, adding, after pause, well,
here goesP When he had performed the feat
of swallowing one whole oyster, he seemed
stunned by his own courage, till his friend
asked him how he felt. "Feel?" said he, 81
feel as if had swallowed babyF All oysters
not of this size, or thus treated. The methods
of cooking them are countless. But the true
"natives," as we get them, or used to get them,
at PINS, or Lynns, OF Rules, sweet, fat little
Whtstable natives, are as different from Amerl-
can oysters as peach from pumpkin. Most
of them come from rough water, and have mus
Gle and shell strong and coarse proportlonally.
If they were less common, they might receive
more culture. Still, the oystery taste is good,
whether au naturel, or in soup or other dress
ing. | found the best form by accident; asking
for "fred oysters" in the carte, had as good
"scalloped oysters" with bread crumbs, as is
ever got in old England. The average price
seemed to be not much below our market-price
as to number, but each fish equal to four of
ours for culinary treatment, so far as material
goes.
was disappointed also with the fruit, The
peaches and grapes, especially, were greatly ins
ferior to our own. Melons and apples were up
I.,H 7 ,I,orn Ofh ar frfIif
worthy of praise compared with our own.
Very little wine is used at table, even in pri-
yate houses, though always at hand for hospi-
tality's sake to stranger. Lager beer Is the
only cheap beverage, retailed at the saloons Tor
five cents glass. The consumption is immense
among the Germans. In the week the news ar
rived of the capture of the Emperor Napoleon at
Sedan, the inland revenue issued 100000 quar-.
ter-cask stamps beyond the averaged The Irish
get their own whiskey, dear as imported, but
often produced in private distilleries. When
was in New York, a raid by the custom house
officers and police was made upon the whiskey
stills in Brooklyn, and large seizures were
effected. The native whskey, MonOngahela or
other, is hard, fiery spirit Drinking is very
much confined TO the bars and saloons. The
number of drunkards is large, perhaps as large
as in England; but there is broader line of
demarcation between the temperate and intem-
perate. The number of total abstainers far ex-
ceeds whatit is with us, and the soaking, boozs
| ing habits of British wOrkmen are rare in Amer
| lea. In every class the progress OF temperance
| is marked and conspicuous. The head master
| of college, Seotehman, told me he sometimes
longed for glass Of Scotch ale, but if it was
| known that he ordered such a thing, his infiu-
ence would be at an end as the majority of the
| students were pledged teetotalers. Another
Scotchman, an official in Burns club, told me
that when he first came to America, twenty years
| ago, "the ncht VII Burns" was a night of wills.
| key and reyelry. Now, the Burns club meet
| ings are often held in the same locality, with
nothing on the table but fruits and iced water.
| 1t may not be so in New York and elsewhere;
but the fact is worth recording, as indicating a
| change Of manners. AS far as saw, intemper-
| ance in drink is not national vice in America,
although intemperance in eating is still noticea-
| BILE by stranger. have seen Americans order
a dozen dishes from the dinner carte, and yet
\ drink nothing but iced water.
| There was less smoking, and, to my surprise,
| less chewing than participated. Perhaps the
| price of cigars has its influence on the former
| habit. The native tobacco is not palatable, and
| good Havana is a costly luxury. The smok-
ing tobacco is sold in little cotton bags, fasten-
ed with government stamp. 1t is dry, like the
bran with which dolls are stuffed. An English
smoker will find the American chewing tobacco,
moist in tinfoil, more suited for his pipe, or
mixed with the brown bran. ] do not think the
young Americans chew as much as their faith
ers. Talking with an old American gentleman
oval case in his hand. 81 thought you were 60
ing to offer me pinch of snuff" said. He
laughed and said 81 would offer you this,
but know you would not accept il" handing
for my inspection his tobacco box. The spit
| toon will remain ubiquitous for some time long
| er, in abe senate house well as in hotels aud
| offices l saw a curious notice posted in the
lobby of a church in Washington: GAS the
seats are all free, you are requested not to ex
pectorate on the floor" In another church
"Dirty boots and tobacco strictly prohibited.
Although the use of tobacco is nationally preva.
lent, and the offer of a cigar, like the pinch Of
snuff in Scotland, or the chibouque in the east
is sign of readiness for friendly communica-
ton between strangers, smoking is, on the
whole, not SO general as with US. The smoking
car on the railroads is occupied by the toughest
of travellers, and in long journeys | have seen
the vast majority abstaining either from smok-
| ing or chewing, which they could scarcely do if
enslayed to the habit.-Editor Of the Leisure
| Hour.