The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-02
Cooking and Carving.

The fatal effects OF eating hogs flesh in
tested with trichina afford an opportunity
for some talk in which we have long
wanted to indulge.
The meat that proves 80 fatal is of course
not cooked done. II it were, the parasites
would be killed, and therefore innocuous.
They kill when alive by entering the flesh of
those who eat the meat infested with them,
aud multiplying with miraculous rapidity,
they put the patient in unimagiuable agony,
and so prosecute him till death ends hist
ment.
Now, there is no telling what hogs flesh
has the trichina and what has not, and all
the flesh of the hog that is cooked should be
well cooked, to secure those who eat tagainst
danger.
II this shall cause hotels and boarding
houses to cook hams thoroughly, we shall
have to thank the trichipa for q blessing to
society. A half-cooked ham is an abomina-
ton; and we hardly know when we have
met With a done one at public table. Got
any private house amongst intelligent people
and you will be sure to meet with tho
roughly cooked ham; and why 1t is that the
public tables never offer to their guests such
ham we cannot tell. We have heard that it
was because people ate too much of a we'll
cooked ham, and that there was possible loss
of weight in thorough cooking. Either ex-
cuse is offensive to the public. The host
gains not cent by such fanciful economy.
The guest compelled to reject the raw ham
is sure to eat his fill of what may cost more,
and the rejected scraps of badly cooked meat
show the waste therefrom.
The old rule was to cook ham an hour
for every pound it weighs. We would
hardly think this necessary. We would
compromise on six hours for ten.pound
ham, and few table-hams weigh much over
that; but in case they do, allowance should
be made accordingly.
] We pray the landlords to give their guests
we-done ham, and we also pray them to re
turn somewhat to old usage in the matter o.
chops and steaks. The dynasty of the little
oval dish, not so big as a mans hand, ant
the thin, hard steak cooked for each guest
fearfully Cypress the traveller and TIT
boarder. Three mouthfuls of steak is a lit
, tie too short an allowance if the steak wer
better; but the traveller generally says, g It
enough, such as it is" When shall we sc
, back to the thick, juicy, and weltcooke
steak, hot and sweetly favored, from whic
the neat slices for the guests are cut by tn
ingenious carver? What an improvement
upon the hard, thin morsel that is borne /
upon the little toy dish.
This is but sample Of the objections
the modern style of serving meats at the put
). lie table. We know that the travelling pull
q lie will heartily concur in them. There ar
!. honorable exceptions; but we do say thu
. far TOO widespread is that hotel fashion +
. which we allude, and which, while it di
. pleases the guest, saves really nothing to til
host.
Il Then, as to carving, we have to say tia
rarely is it that the traveller meets with b
of meat carved properly. All men Of prat
ticcl ideas know chat good meat badly carve
Is not appreciated; its taste is impaired an
the appetite for it is dulled. Take ham TO
illustration: Where do we find 1t cut at righ
lsngles with the grain at the thick part
! That is the only way in which the ham Cal
be enjoyed, and instead Of cutting 1t In tia
way the carver slaves it along with the grain
giving the guests insipid and tough slices,
which they do not enjoy, and much they dis