American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-09-25
Carving.

1t is only of late years that the duty of
carving has fallen to the lot of the master
of the house. The work of Remembering
fowl or reducing roast to slices before
our time was always performed by the
mistress of the establishment. We learn
from the letters of Lady Mary Wortley
Montagu that century ago there were in
England professed carving masters, who
taught young ladies the art scientifically.
This task must have required no small
share of bodily strength, for the lady was
not only to invite-that is, urge and tease
her guests to eat more than human Threats
could conveniently swallow, out to carve
every dish when chosen with her own hands.
The greater the lady, the more indispensa-
BILE the duty Each joint in its turn was car
ried up to be operated upon by her, and
by her alone, since the peers and knights
on either hand were so far from being
bound to offer their assistance that the
very master of the house, posted opposite
to her, might not act as her croupier. His
department was to push the bottle after
dinner. As for the crowd of guests, the
most inconsiderable among them-the
curate, or subaltern, or 'Squire's younger
brother-if suffered through her neglect
to help himself to slice of mutton placed
before him, would have chewed it in bit
terness, and gone home an affronted man,
halfinclined to give wrong vote at the
next election. Lady Montagu said she
took lessons three times a week, that she
might be perfect in the art on such occa-
sions as she was required to preside at
her fathers table. In order to perform
her duties successfully she was obliged to
eat her own dinner alone an hour or two
beforehand.
occupied not only a very important, but
very laborious, position. 1t must be
mentioned that the profusion of provis-
ions in the banquets of the time bordered
upon barbarous magnificence, compared
to the elegant modes of preparing dishes
in the present day, and called for dining
halls and kitchens of sufficient dimen-
sions to avoid the confusion that must
otherwise have occurred. Hence the SUI
perintendence of household was labor
of great extent and responsibility. 1t
was held that a woman had no right to
enter the estate of matrimony unless pos
sessed of a good knowledge of cookery.
Otherwise she could perform but half her
vow. She might love and obey, but she
could not cherish. To be perfect in this
art she must know in which quarter of the
moon to plant and gather all kinds of
herbs and salads throughout the year.
She must also be "cleanly, have a quick
eye, curious nose, a perfect taste, and
ready ear" and be neither butter fingered,
sweet-toothed, nor faint-hearted. For if
she were the first of these she would let
everything fall; if the second, she would
consume that which she should increase;
and if the third, she would lose
time with too much niceness For
an ordinary feast, with which any
goodman might entertain his friends, about
sixteen dishes were considered suitable
supply for the first course. This included
such substantial articles as a shield of
Drawn with mustard, boiled capon, a
piece of boiled beef, a chine of beef roast
ed, meats tongue roasted, a pig roasted,
minced chickens made into balls, roast
ed goose, swan, turkey, haunch of
venison, venison pasty, kid with
pudding in it, an olive pie, a couple of
roast capons and a custard. Besides these
principal dishes the housewife added as
many salads, fricassees, and Iasties as
made thirty two dishes, which were con-
sidered as many as it was polite to put
upon the table for q first course. Then
followed second and third courses, in
which many of the dishes were for show
only, but were SO tastefully made as to
contribute much to the beauty of the feast.
With the carving and distribution of
such variety of dishes as these to attend
to, the burden of the honor" of presiding
over banquet must have pressed heavily
upon the housewife whose duty it was to
see to the ordering of the feast Hampers
Weekly.