The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-02-10
THE FRENCH COOKS BALL.
An Artistic Menu-Poems aud sntires In
Pantry md Confectionery.

Licderkranz Society was unuuestionably the
more magnificent. but for real fun and iolty
the ball Of the kings OF the kitchen bore Off the
palm This ball is not what 1t is generally de-
nominated. u" the French cooks ball" II Is a
ball given by benevolent society composed Of
French. German. and Italian cooks for the
benefit Of the orphans and widows of
deceased members Of the society. To the
bali supper every or almost every distin-
gui-hcd chef de cuisine in the city.
whether belonging to the .Societe Cniindire
| Phdaf,iltroDigte. or not contributes one or more
clefS Il ourre Of his art.
or course the supper Is gasronomic. artistic
wonder. OF course II takes the eye and pen Of
every reporter and captlvates the palate of every
| cpicure and gourmand.
| II is amusing to go there and watch the
mystlned wonder OF the knights of the quill
! who find II ne impossb to describe accurately
the marvelsof those crosses pieces and pieces de
DQtisse,1e, as they do to put on paper the details
! Of lady's toilet ocatch the spirit and mean
! ing OF the culinary artists work would take n
! much longer acquaintance with tho subject than
most Quill drivers have Or care TO have. But rs
I tho proper study of mankind IL man. and ny
contempt IL rarely u lust and never sat feel
/ INK have congratulated myself upon the op-
/ rortunity afforded me for three years past
! of studying the kings of the Kitchens through
! their works at this ball supper.
mean hHy" pursued the study through
! the medium OF my sense ~ Hlgnt. NOT mat
| 81 ta-t', Tor the gastronomc7 hay" each year
! beaten mo in the race for the supper room.
| Unless | had accepted the Presidents invita-
! ton to stay until the last table and 90 in with
| Nine FrrS. II would have been Il more impossi-
hlc feat to push through the serricd ranks Of
| supper seekers that packed the passage way To
Nilsson Hall last Tuesday night than on any
! previous Occasion.
However | had seen the table before the ball
! began. and. thanks To- that most excellent leu
ton head waiter. David Rudesper0cr. who cup
tured few side dishes and brought them TO our
ia Ina ia .pfa ftff. F
the other newspaper men had gone, did not
starve.
Let no one suppose because man stands
! on duty in front 81 French range and be-:
hind kitehen table 3Gj da5s Of the ycar-I
don't belieyr that cooks ever take a vacation.
| tina, his soul cannot soarns far into the realm Of
| high art az that Of any other artist.
Don't laugh or doubt fhe truth 81 my asser-
Same unprrIudiced mind that have for the
| 4 cIef Funrrr. whether II be in butter. Jolly,
mutton tallow or pun paste is rs truly one ns
! II 1t WIS IN marble or ON canvas. Ii 1t symbol
izos or typiiles the thing meant. or the thought
/ representation OF some object SO faithful in its
realism rs to be taken for the thing itself 1t IS a
| genuine work Of art.
ADM, this art dogma of-Ruskin or Eastlako
| l don't know who first advanced it, but it
IA uue-and then study that supper table, menu
IN hand. and you will find that your cook Is at
once poet. an artist. and a politician. He
dreams. ne any other artist does. VI that which
| Is dearest To his Utmost cOnsciOu ness-and lOl
there rises in the perlShable clements Of the
materials In which lie works from day to day
his poems and satres. his rebukes Of the fol-
! lies. the gluttonics. the weaknesses. the vani-
tics and fheannesses Of that very world Of self
indulgent folks who iloek to his hall to gobble
/ down his Satilts and poems in the shape Of
gourmanllses ana fricandscs, conilsseries and
paiissnries.
Tho chJ Of Parkers is doubtless Is thorough
areiical rs eyer Felix Holt was. His pure soul
Is daily vcNed by the eSacting appctites OF the
political wrr-puers and public men. who pre-
fer til" dclracc~ h" knows 70 well how 10 pre-
pare To the spartan bread md snlt OF n day II
rurvr patriotism. lie must live Wy catering TO
their cpirurianism: but he dcspi-,s thcr efYem-
macy. and ~ IN expression of his noble indig-
nation h. builds a stately temple ~ liberty: Tut
on 70 pearly dome APPEAR bauiements. turrets.
aud towers of lellies fruits. ana ices the favor
iie gourmandises OF the champion lobbyist ot
the period.
his crni 'h-like rod over the destinles Of Fer
nand Zero when he made him cook. Nature
designed him for hunter. Thwarted IN her
purpose she Ills his artist soul with visions II
z iore-ters life under the leaty greenwood tree.
He cannot hunt In sober earnest. go he creams.
and creates grand hunt His game pie.
take the form Of the castle in which he would
live IL he could b. the arbitrr of his own des-
tiny II crowns the summit Of mountain
height done in suet. and is reached By n bridge
Of tn" same substance thrown airly across a
stream where gold fish swim and ON whose sur
face Wild waterfowl lead ont their calOw brOod-
Around the castle spreads wooded park. where
mounted nuuismen chase the deer following a
Nawr' nryer dil ietray the heart that loyci
her fernand fore docs not live in h bHrouiul
y.
IN I'VE IMAM mat OF ieuiil ,hIri. Tie prr-id"-
over sr"ht ana good gulld Of Srii-rrs prrtiul
and want- Of tpr bw an ' ,hs ' ol I' woes
Blu whist have We her"f A work of strange
merit, and hAi 90 symbolism too. Tho at
i'ndani waiter points out - u II" name of the
piece upon the menu. II j. The Chariot II
ine, Epoels Michel Is me. name Of thu artist.
II j. historic and symbolic. We are told. II
means France and Europe. a. Wa are carefully
aforementioned America.
IL a chariot driven by Gambeita and drawn
nK - ~ Ia oil - fft
q ~ column shrinouni"d by a globe, on
which Is pcrcned the G?id.- of Liberty. Tho
/ column and globe are relied meats the loddc--
is in Snowy suet in her hands are the britannia
Of Franz" and the trirQluird nag. ON "afh side
fore ~" rainpng horses Hrr r"trentins party
OF Su king PIGS rampant: they arr tuned ~
represent The imperial court Of Napoleon ! D..
! AMI, headed by u lat priest. are rrtlring before
/ inr chariot oi inc opl'u
The artist il no rhur'.mnn. for bchlnd the
! priest Is grinnin.. skeleton hnldingupn IN holit
ga-s The iinish N The wlulri l. nighlv arr ei,',
\ charming study Ia raii~srr-' white ~ snow
anl gierng with CRYSTALS q, ir,sied sugar, Is
hermitage Which snria- 10 boz t,liita n lngD il
perchcd On the side Ola crystii mountain aud
houses 81 his ncrmitasc is a charrh Mi, ,u
tnporine apirr and III final cross. I'm tho vnl-
Icy below Is ~ rocky bns'n into which mmhl,
IN" waters oi immature cascade. From tn,
rr"vices of rocky rhasm on the other sidr NJ
tine basin nntolopes and gn1elles peep out. Ihi-
Eunr wS9i no doua iyyif Ne rS Mld" ,or r'fT r
lhomadding crowd 5 ignoblc sfrie-vver some.
thing 10 eat and Ia drink.
FItty or moro similar works oi art ndorn tho
supper table II the cooks ball : and each uiop,
Is u- interesting 20 the truly contemplntiv.
mind an' sympathetic heart a. those ! hay,
Nainly ondgaNnrcd to Il scribe
such l. the supper ot III" ball AMI the rrycl-
leis are even morr Interesting. Cooks are not
kings IN the kitchen alone. Tho, have thrir
lrl'nu- and Va~~al- from am tHs-r- and cir ','s
in New York N least Friends who PROV,
their regard IN buying th"ir l,li iirl, and
coming tu DANCE and iou-t ior liirlr rliltn~
and widows hanctii. Friends who. lnM.
tested tGc quality of their hospitality fDrr",nl
years moro or loss. Jou them in giSlu.; ti.il
twelfth annual ha,l in The Academy Of Music l.l
ihr ilraf time this NoNr.
Journalists. hunhrrS. brokers. nl.rhaui-
sNlrsin"n. ana saraNOm"n lOin IN Htr nI'rrj
measures uf the dancrr- Who foot Ii tu il,
,tirrus music VI Pctt llul.,. Ioilo ifol,nr
Glron'-Grnn3, Earho nnur ana all M, w..
dan rrus airs at nuonNuch. strauss
Tho dlu' INK IS -uNl4nGy dicniaol anD
stately for tb' tlr-i thrn" hours 90 -ati-t,
tue most eNacing stgkler for th" rrorrIp
tics. II inter supper Mr. Albert lahro mn,
kindred spirits indulge ia some .p1utll ,,u-
froI.s and unt'"- whi'h draw u err .lr of alr
4, plauding spectators AROUND the -'l. 10 whifl
: thrN dHnrr ana 'Wuse Floor Manager Cappin-
s'r 10 -iHk" his N'nd ana rails his Wirninl.