River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-08-22
Confessions of an English Epienre.

i The Americans themselves are con
scious of a want in their national calin
airy resources. Years ago, when | wa
slipping my vermoth one day in caf,
| on the Boulevards, lean Yankee sat By
| my side at little table discussing
mutton-chop. After he had carefully
| picked the whole of the available mate
| rial off the bone, he held up the remnant
/ with his fork, and observed 10 me with tht
charming familiarity Of his Sutherland
81 take it that this is the only thing thai
your country raises which my country
can't lick" Without wholly indorsing
the negative portion of this striking
apophthegm. / am fully prepared to ac-
quiesce in its positive statement.
| An American cannot produce a NUT.
ton chop. But if the great continent il
weak in meat it makes up for its detcien-
| cy by its richness in vegetables. No.
where in the world and my gastronomi-
cal experiences have been many and vari-
| ed-have | found such excellent fruits
pulses, tubers, or salad greens as in the
Northwestern States and Canada. Oui
ordinary English garden-stutf peas
beans, cabbage, caulifower, asparagus
sea kale, lettuce, and celery grows fai
more abundantly and lusciousiy there
| than in Europe. The peas and asparagus
especially, are beyond all praise tender
melting, succulent and gigantic withal
! Tomatoes load the table at every meal
either sliced, cold and dressed like a
salad, or stewed as only New England
and Canadian cooks can stew them.
Then, in addition to these familiar old
| friends, better here than in their Eastern
homes, number of new Injuries await
| the inquiring palate. Indian corn forms
in itself memorable epoch in the cpl
cures life. 1t is picked green that is
to say, young and tender-for the color
is pale yelow-and after being boiled
or roasted, is eaten with copious supply
of that delicious butter that goes without
the SAYING in America. Delicate minded
people cut off the grains from the "cob"
with a knife, which wastes haif the con-
tents and spoils all the flavor: but ordi-
nary bodies hold the cob boldly in one
hand farmer folks going even to the
length OF twoi, gnaw off the succulent
grain as dog gnaws bone.
Not graceful performance, certainly,
but very effectual; and as to the gustatory
result, think green corn may fairly be
elevated on to the same lofty pedestal of
vegetable excellence with asparagus and
top artichokes. The egg-fruit, too, yields
another new sensation-a deep, purple
skinned, melon shaped object sliced thick
and nicely tried in bread crumbs. Sweet
potatoes, vans and similar Southern pro
ducts brought up by rail from the Caro-
liDas, swell the list. In short, while the
Americans have all our vegetables in
greater perfection than ever can be at
tanned at home, they have d great many
other delicious species to which we are
total strangers. Moreover, by cunningly
combining and ringing the changes on
all their vegetables. the cooks produce
several excellent mixtures such as c.
cotash, melange of Indian corn and
beans, admirably adapted for the finale
of breakfast.
Furthermore, being prone to follow the
customs of France in all good things, they
always observe the laudable practice of
serving vegetables on separate plate, so
that each convive may be seen surrounded
with a semi-circle of little dishes, con-
tanning great melting peas, stringless
harieot beans, suaye tomatoes, or snowy
broccoli. In this way neither does the
gravy spoil the de,icacy of the vegetables,
nor do such stronger flavors as that of To-
mato drown and overpower the specific
sapidity of the meat. Our English Gus
tom OF leading slices from the joint,
sauces, vegetables, and condiments on
SINGLE plate is decidedly a grosser survi-
val from carrier ages which the spread of
Darwinism and the couse of 'contempora-
ry evolution" ought speedily to sweep
aJFayt