Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-09-22
OUR EUROPEAN LETTER.
Tile cost nnG Quality of Food ia Eng.
land, Eic.
TO the Editors of the Chronicle.

~ tNt L@uttofo ~ INC CNTONtCtt
y people can be judged in no better
way, perhaps, than by consideration
of what they eat and. drink. Each ma
tionality possesses some peculiarities
i'm respect TO these two important items
in the matter Of living, and they have
an important bearing in determining
the character of the people. Evidently
this must be the case, since the various
articles of diet, containing difIareutin-
gradients, must variously influence the
processes of organic growth and de-
velopment, including the brain aud
nervous system, and thus lead to some
idiosyncracy Of the mental aud bodily
functions. Again, the food of a ma
ton largely depends upon it's climate
and its accessibility to certain articles
of food. We might thus trace back
results to causes, q t0 the evolutionists,
until we arrive at the prehistoric ape
in the primeval forest, or even to the
Arcidian founded on its rock; but it
would hardly be pertinent to the occa-
sion, or instructive to the general
reader. We must be content with the
general proposition that physiological
ly and psychologically we are what we
eat, digest and assimilate, or applying
1T To the average American, what he
eats, but fails to digest, the indiges-
ton to which he, as an American,
is subject often playing n most conspic-
uous part in the fixing of his DISPOSE
ton. Here, in England, indigestion
or dyspepsia is of the rarest occurrence,
ana tins, no doubt, goes far to give the
people their cOntented frame OF mind.
They are essentially Sn eating people.
If any people ia the world live to eat,
it is the English. Not simply to tickle
the palate with fine flavors and deli.
cately gotten up dishes, but to consume
the most solid and substantial food OBJ
tainable. The Englishmau enjoys the
comfort arising from the Indigestion
of large quantity of the most nutri-
tious food, and gives himself up to the
JOY Of il Tor the two or three
hours in the evening appropriated
TO dinner. Fish, flesh and fowl, are
alike consumed in enormous uuanti-
ties, or what would be considered
enormous quantities by us. Beef is
the staple meat, of course; then comes
mutton, veal and lamb. ! had heard
much of the English beef and was
anxious TO compare its merits with
that Of our own country. 1t is GER
tainly much superior to it's much
more tender aud has IA finer flavor
though, doubtless, much of this may
come from the better manner they
have of cooking it. The greatest diff
faran.a 4 find L.. -. a..
mutton. | think that one accustomed
to our mutton would hardly know he
was eating mutton at all If he were to
try the English variety. Much more
meat is eaten by the laboring class
than with us, which is to be wondered
at, considering its very high price,
and the low price paid for la
Dor. Good beef Is at the lowest
Il shilling a pound GA cents in gold),
and mutton is about the same. How |
a working man with large family |
(and families in.England are all large), |
with only 20 shillings a week, can live |
and eat meat, is one of those mysteries |
| can not solve. Still it is done. Per- |
haps the secret is that everything else |
is correspondipgly cheap, though my |
observation shows that the average eX- |
pense of living is but little less than in |
corresponding stations in America. |
Clothing is one item that is vastly |
cheaper than with us. In some ar !
ticles it is fully so per cent lower.
Rent two, is, L fancy, at least in some |
localities not nearly so expensive. A |
house in part of London suitable for
a consulting physician or surgeon, in
the West End land in London sur
geOn or physician must have exactly |
the style of house that is expected of |
him if he wishes to do any business), |
can begot for about 500 pounds (S2, 500, |
the same in New York, would cost
twice or three times as much.
As regards other articles OF food,
such as vegetables, fruits, etc, they
range on an average about as with US.
some fruits, such as peaches, are much
dearer. A very fine peach will cost
about cents; the common ones from
2 to cents. Lemons and oranges, on
the contrary, are cheaper, the best and
largest not costing more than cents.
The amount of fermented LIQUORS
that is consumed is enormous. / had
no conception of the extent to which
beer and wine We're taken. They are
drank to a large extent in bars, as
with us, but the greater quantity is
taken at meals, principally at dinner
and supper. A man must be very
poor, indeed, who does not take ale at
his dinner, while he who is in better
has his wine. Iu fact the
majority make either wine or ale
substitute for water. am sure
there is an immense number of per-
sons in London who hardly know the
taste of water. / saw an old woman at
the hospital the other day, who avered
that she was afraid of il and had never
taken two glassfuls in her life. The re-
suit is that the ale is of the best quail
lty and quite cheap. The lowest price
is cents per quart, while the best-on
IL cents. You must not
confOund the English ale with lager
beer. Thelatter is the veriest slop COM
pared to the best ale. The London
porter has reputation the world over,
and | must say il deserves it. 1t is as
black as ink-and there is legend to
the effect that no other water but that
of the Thames, which is only large
sewer of London, could give it that
color, and the flavor and body that it
has-but in spite of the legend it must