Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-06-17

what they eat. For my part, I. mind
my belly very studiously and very
carefully; for I lock upon it that
be who does not mind his belly viii hard
" mind anything else He now appear
ed to me Jean Bea philosophe, and he
was for the moment not only serious
but vehement. Yet ] have heard him,
upon other occasions, talk with great
contempt Of people who were anxious
to crafty their palates, and the .2O6th
number OF his Rambler is mastery es-
say against gilosity. His practice in
deed, must acknowledge, may be consid-
eredas casting the balance of his different
opinions upon this subject, for never
knew-aax mnnuho rplishef iaod Mt;ng
more than he did. Whenaf Iable Ee~xs
totally absorbed in the business Of the
moment: his looks. seemed riveted to
his plate; nor would he, unless when in
very high company, say one word, or
even pay the least attention to what
was said by others, till be had satisfied
his appetite; which was so fierce and in
dulged with such intenseness that while
in the act Of eating the veins of his
forehead swelled, and generally strong
perspiration was visible. To those
whose sensations were delicate this
could not but be disgusting and it was
doubtless not very suitable to the char
acter of philosopher, who should be
distinguished by self-command. But
it must be owned that Johnson, though
he could be rigidly abstemious, was not
a temperate man either in eating or
drinking. He could refrain, but he
could not Use moderately. He told me
that he had tasted two days without
inconvenience, aud that he had never
been hungry but once. They who be-
held with wonder how much he ate
upon all occasions, when his dinner was
to his taste, could not easily conceive
what he must have meant by hunger;
and not only was he remarkable for the
extraordinary quantity which he ate,
but he was, or affected to be-, a man of
very nice discernment in the science
of cookery. He used to descant criti-
cally on the dishes which had been at
table where he had dined or supped,
and to recollect very minutely what he
had liked. l remember when he was
in Scotland his praisins "Gordoa's pal
ates" "a dish of palates at the Honora-
ble Alexander Gordon's) with q warmth
of expression which might have done
honor to more impor+ant srbjects.-
'.As for Maclaurin's imitation of a made
dish, it was a wretchcd attempt" He,
about the same time, was SO much dis
pleased with the performance of a no.
bleman's French cook thai he exclaim-
ed with rcEtmence, "I'd throw such a
rascal into the river" and then he pro-
ceeded to alarm lady, at whose house
he was to Sup, by the following mani
f.sto of his skill: 81, madam, who
live at variety of good tsbles, am a
much better Judge of good cookery than
any person who has a very tolerable
cook, but lives much a thome; for his pal
ate is gradually adapted to the taste of his
cook; whereas, madam, in trying by a
wider range, l can more exquisitely
Judge" When invited to dine, even
with an intimate friend, he was not
pleased if something better than plain
dinner was not prepared for him. !
have heard him say on such an occa-
sion, "This was good dinner enough,
to be sure; but it was not dinner to
ask man to-" On the other hand, be
was wont to express with great glee his
satisfaction when he had been enter
tanned quite to his mind. One day,
when he had dined with his neighbor
and landlord in Bolt-court, Mr.. Allen
the printer, whose old housekeeper had
studied his taste in everything, he pro-
nounced this eulogy: "Sir, we could
not have had better dinner had there
been synod Of cooks"
The nice discernment of Johnson was
however, that of au electic, at least he
believed that epicures do not as rule
relish a leg of pork boiled till it drops
from the bone, or veal-pie with
plums and sugar, or the outside cut OF
salt buttcck Of beef. These were
Johnson's favorite dairties. In the
matter Of drink he frankly confessed
that his liking was for the strongest
as it was not the favor but the effect
that he desired. He loved to pour capil.
laire into his port wine, aud melted but
ter into his chocolate. Voltaire's taste,
by the way, was curious in this respect, for
be mixed coffee and chocolate together.
One remark of Johnson's seems to hat
the bull's-eye. Whenever" he said,
''the dinner is i'll got up, there is pow
erty, or there is avarice, or there is
stupidity; in short, the family is some
how grossly wrong, for man seldom
thinks with more earnestness of any
thing than he does of his dinner. and il
he cannot get that well dressed he
should be suspected of inaecuracy in
other things"
The food cf Srea, men is, after all,
the food of little men also. Dinner
makes the whole world kin.
There is Mexican proverb about
the national dish of that country:
| 'He no lets tie Tuche-o PASS
| Must be either in love, or asleep, or IN ass.
We should saw very much the same
of man who affects not to care for a
good dinner. He must be either q
hypocrIte or a foo:.-EW. G. Muir.
ray.