Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-03-24
Dining in the Olden Time.

A French writer says, Tell me what
thou eatest, and / will tell thee what thou
art" but this is an exaggerated asser.
tion. A more accurate statement would
be, Tell me how thou eatest, and l will
tell thee to what degree of civilization
thou hast arrived" In these days a
person is regarded as vulgar who puts
his knife to his mouth; but three centu-
ries ago forks were almost unknown in
England, and people still ate with their
fingers. Mr.. Jefferson, in his Book Of
the Table" gives vivid description OF
the state OF things:
Dining in olden England must have
been distressingly sloppy process
when the rude feaster grabbed the choic,
est bits from dishes brimming with thick
gravy, and the incest feeder, after taking
goblet of flesh dipped it into the sauce,
bowl before he carried the dripping NOR
sci over the table-cloth to his lips.
DnriRg the prevalence of such man
ners the noble dame or demoiselle was
commended for exemplary breeding who
dipped only the tips of her fingers in the
sauce dish, and contrived to eat her
dinner without letting fragments Of
meat fall from her lips upon the table
cloth. So long as she did not plunge
her hand deep in the gravy, the poe
(Chaucer) admitted her right to thrust
her sop into the pan, even though she
creased the tips Of her fingers in doing
so.
The napkin was, OF course, very i'm
portAnt article of table equipment in
these times, being required for positive
cleanliness Queen Elizabeth possessed
three forks OF crystal, gold and pearls
presented to her by foreign ambassadors
but these we're too fine for common use
and to the last, whether eating in public
or private, the virgin queen fingered hel
victuals.
AS for her fair cousin, Mary Queen o,
Scots-that paragon of feminine delicacy
and winsomeness to manufacturers o
historical romance--it is probable that
her little head fell from her neck ere
her eyes had seen even toy fork.
Whilst the spoon was the only imple
ment used in feeding the mouth, enter
tanners we're not required to provide the
guest with one. Whether he came for q
month or a day, to series of banquets
or single repast, every guest brought
his spoon in his pocket
Never travelling without the imple
ment, which was as universal a piece oI
personal equipment as watch is at the
present time, the modest man of olden
England no sooner found himself seated
at strange board, than, taking his
spoon case from its place of conceal
ment, he exhibited the spoon, which had
usually been given him by one of his
baptismal sponsors. When every one
used a spoon, and hosts seldom thought
of spoons, the spoons were a piece oil
portable property that went wherever its
owner went
Forks we're used in other parts of Eu
rope before they we're in England. Ir
the reign Of james |, a SomersetshirC
squire took tour in Europe, and spend
ing sometime in Italy was delighted with
the Italian fork, fan and umbrella
Ou MO ACtuIui MI IOn OOI JdbO klOE tudl
was the gentleman's name) endeavored
to introduce forks on the English table.
But he encountered the most vigorous
opposition. The wiseacres declared thai
fingers were made before forks,
though this argument would apply tC
spoons as WE'LL
One preacher delighted his hearers by
saying that to eat meat with fork was
to declare impiously that Gods comfort
able creatures were not worthy of be
ing touched by human hands Coryate
however. kept his ground with the great
est good humor.
Decyied and repudiated by the we'll
dressed moe; be had no sooner endured
repulse than he renewed the chsrg,
with smiling face aud shining steel
Fixing his fork, and rushing for the on,
thousandth time on his adversary, h
eventually thrust it between the teeth o
society. By the close of Charles IL
reign, in 1885, forks, though still denie,
by binds and artisans, were seen on al
fairly furnished English tables.