Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-10-13

A correspondent Of the Spectator
writes from sicily Of cooks in that couu-
try:
Contracts with the head cook are Of
frequent occurrence up and down Italy,
are III Sicily all but universal, and most
probably the same custom holds good in
Spain Many Of the Siciliaa mobiles are
of Spanish descent, and perhaps i'm
ported the practice with them. Here
and there you will find bon viyant who
insists upon always having the best of
everything the market offers, regardless
of expense; and instead of contract
which leaves the meLu to the discretion
of cook, will spend as much time ar.
ranging it with him as a general would
devote to the commissariat department
of whole campaign. Manners and
customs out here have a tinge of the
East, and ladies have nothing whatever
to do with housekeeping, which is the
province OF the master of the house,
more or less ably assisted by his maestro
di casa, who combines most OF the
duties of house steward and butler.
The usual contract with the cook is so
much day for the wages OF himself,
such assistants as he may require, fuel,
and kitchen clothes, including their
washing; and so much more per diem as
may be agreed upon to supply a certain
number OF dishes for so many persons at
dejeuner and dinner according to market
prices, which, by the bye, have more than
doubled in the last twenty years. Best
butchers meat is not to be had in Peler-
mo under l8d. per pound. / began
housekeeping here on the English sys.
TEN, and found it expensive and unsatis-
factory in every way. Then con.
traoted with my cook TO feed us and all
our indoor servants, but | now, in &C.
cordance with the custom Of the country
limit it to ourselves, the ladies' maids,
who are French, and the maestro di
casa. 1t is an understood thing,
and is taken into account in settling
the amount Of their wages, that the
under men servants divide between
them what is left when the dishes are
removed from the second table and the
maestro di casa has helped himself. A
bad or dishonest cook may overdo the
bouille and the stewing to save stock
meat, or may give you inferior meat and
coarser fish than you are entitled TO, but
reehaufe in the English understand
ing of tho word is impossible. What
has once been served at table the cook
never sees again any more than his mas
ter. The ladies' maids have their de.
jeuner a 10 fourchette and their dinner
at the same time as their masters, The
dishes are passed Immediately from the
one dining-room to the other; and when
the meal is over and the coffee served
the maestro di casa carries off his por
tion, as do the other man-seryants, to eat
with their families, SO arranging as to
leave somebody in the way to answer
the bell it rung. All the houses Of any
pretension have a number of small, in
dependent apartments inside or outside
the portercochere, for the servants and
their families Almost all the men are
married. aud they do mQst Of the house
work. The few maid" one requires
arc invariably married women or widows,
who mostly come in for the day, like
English cbar.women, only with perma-
nent engagements and fixed board,wages.
| am such convert to the system that,
if health permitted a permanent resi-
dence in England, | should certainly en-
deavor to carry out as near au approach
to it as possible; and earnestly recon-
mend it to the attention Of my fellow
countrymen apd Oopntrywomen.