Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-10-15
ooohu in sicily.


A correspondent Of the Spectator writes
fromSioily Of cooks In that countryi Con.
tracts with the head cook are of frequent
occurrence .tip and down Italy, are In
sicily ali but universal, and most proba-
blv' the satne custom holds good In Spain
MANY Of the 6icilian mobiles are OF Span
ish descent, and perhaps imported the
practice with them. Here and there you
will find bon ptpdnt who Insists upon al
ways having the best of everything the
market offers, regardless Of expenses and
instead of contract which leaves the
,ne,,t 10 the discretion of q cook, will
apeud ns much time arranging II with him
as A general world devote TO the commits
sariat department Of whole campaign.
Manners and customs out here have
tinge of the East, and ladies have nothing
whatever TO do with housekeeping, which
is the province of the master Of the house,
moro or less ably assisted by his maestro
df casa, who combines most oil the uules
of house-steward and butler. The usual
contract with the cook Is so much uay
for the waees of himself, such assistants
ma ho NAV require, fuel and kitchen
clothes, including their washing and so
much more per diem as may be agreed
upon to supply a certain number oil dishes
for so many persons at deieitner and din
ner. according 70 market prices. when,
bv The by. have more than doubled IN the
last twenty yeurs Best butchers meat is
not 10 be had in Palermo under led. per
pound. began housekeeping mere on
The English system, and found 1t eXpen'
sive and unsatisfactory in every way.
Then contracted with my cook 70 ieed
MS and all our indoor servants, but now,
in accordance with the custom oil the
country. limit 1t to ourselves, the ladies'
maids, who are French, and the maestro
ID casa. II Is an understood thing, ana Is
taken into account in settling the emounI
Of their wages, that the under men.seryans
divide between them what Is lett When tne
dishes are removed from the second table
and the maestro di casa has helped himself
A bad OF dishonest cook may oyerdo the
bouiili and the stewing TO save STOCK meat
or may give you inferior meat an9 coaiser
fab than you are entitled to, but re-
cba,rtgs in the English understanding OF
the word is impossible. What has once
been served at table the cook never sees
arain any more than his master. Inc
ladies' maids have their dejeu1ler q "a Jour
chette and their dinner at the same tlme AZ
their masters. The dishes are passed I'M
mediately from the one diningroom 10 the
other; and when the meal is over and the
coffee served the maestro di casa carries
off his portion, as do the other man-serv-
ants, to eat with their families, SO arrang-
ing as TO leave somebody in the way to
answer the bell ifrung. All the houses OF
any pretension have number oil small,
independent apartments inside or outside
the porte-cochere for the servants and their
families. Almost all the men are married
and they do most Of the housework. Inc
few "maidsn one requires are invariably
married woAlen or widows, who mostly
come in for the day, like English char.
women, only with permanent engagements
and fixed board. wages. / am such con-
vert to the system that, If health permitted
a permanent residence in England,
should certainly endeayor TO carry out as
near an approach to it as possible, and l
earnestly recommend 1t to the attention OF
myfelloweountrymen and countiywomen.