New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-08-16
THE COST OF FOOD.

TWO DOLLAhS W LIN fOh ONE IEIISOA''
FIGURES TO PROVE SURPRISING AssERTIoN-IHE
REAL NEEDS OF A wELL-sUPPLlED TABLE
70 the Edttor Of The Trtoune.
SIR, Have those who politely scott at the idea OF
keeping good table in New-York at - a week for
each person ever gone into the figures The facts
are evidently as new to them as they were to me
when first heard the calculation made by man
whose family were spending $4,000 a year out of an
income Of $4,000. and never without visitors. 1t
was approved by Brooklyn hOusekeeper used to
spending 50 900, so that it cannot be charged 10
narrow means OF ignorance Of good living. In view
of the incredibly which met the statement III the
late article on "Cheap Summer Vacations" which,
by the way, was not written from my own expert
ence, sha II infict the figures.
The So week covers the cost of food alone, not
fire or wages for cooking. Let see what healthy
person consumes at a wellkept table. To get \ Var
idea of quantity, yesterday the bread and bufter
served TO person at an excellent restaurant were
weighed by a chemists scales. The pat Of butter
not a stngy one was One-half ounce, the two thick
cuts Of French roll, than most persons eat at
a meal, weighed one-fourth pound. The two heapiug
spoonfuls Of granuated sugar for your coffee are an
ounce; and two tablespoonfuls, or one ounce. Of
ground coffee give two cups Of French breakfast
coffee and one cup of black dessert coffee of better
strength than Is common at family tables. A pint
basket of berries yields two slucers full polite
people care 70 accept and pint of berries makes
a pie for SIX. One-quarter pound of beetsteak is
fair allowance, for where eats more, three take
less than this generally. One dessert-sp0Ouful Of
dry hominy OF wheaton grits expands 70 your sau-
cerfu at breakfast and You commonly eat two pOta-
toes or one-ffth of a quart. gIl Of milk fills the
tiny restaurant pitcher which serves for two cups
of coffee or a saucer Of berries. Now cut sugar for
coffee is IL cents pound and standard for cooking
Sig, at good downtown grOcers'. Best Java. by
quantity 80 cents best black tea, 70 cents; best
creamery butter 20 cents-sod uptown for 80 and
20 cents berries 8 10 8 cents pint lawful meas
ure at Washington Market or from vendors; peaches
10 cents a quart, OF 70 cents box; plums 10 cents
a quart nutmeg melons, cents. In meats. you can
buy ten-pouud piece Of round or slrloin of excel
lent quality at Washington Market for 10 cents
a pound, which will give four pounds or more
of good steak which by itself would be Is or Is
cents pound. besides roasts and pieces for ragouts
The skill of your housekeeper and the balance Of
expenses will be tested in the question Of meats,
which are exorbitantly high. considermg the low
prices of cattle. There Is no earthly reason why
steak should not sell for o cents a pound in every
meat-shop of New-York and bring lawful profit,
But as It is, savory dishes can be made from sec
ondary cuts. defy any piece Of beef 10 hang ITS
week out, then warm before the tire TWO hours, and
bake OF braise in one of the new Frcaeh earthen-
covered pans without coming tender ami juicy
and with good veal AT cents kidneys at II cents,
breast of young mutton at and Genes, % vail be
hard if blanquette, epIgramme and curry OF these
lov-priced meats do not alternate with flet and
salmon steak to make things satisfactory between
table and account book Game and fish, when
cheap, can be ported for choice relshes the year
round The best creamery butter, now 20 cents
downtown, against 80 cents when IL has seen the
world a few streets higher, can be kept dcHcate.y
sweet till next MAY by the AID of fresh milk and
saltpetre and eggs, now twenty Tor 70 cents. II
dipped few seconds IN boiling water Will keep for
Christmas buildings.
Tie best English families, who are not charged
with sfluted notions of living, study supplies more
than we do The Queen IN lts position OF fashion
and intelligence. deyOtes space constantly TO qurs-
tions aud answers on the subject Tue score OF al
Owances II has given years, and those OF good
American families. correspond 70 the following aver
age for each person weekly. The prices those
asked in NeW-Y0rk to-day