The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-11-07
New Methods in Carving.
Bill Nye's Ideas on its Advantages-Th
Education Of Carver.
Laramie Boomerang,

Laramie boomerang.l
Speaking about carving, there is prospect
now that in our best circles, within a short
time, the old custom of making the host de.
molish the Kindred poultry at dinner will be-
come extinct, and that servant at side
board will take hand saw and a can of nitro.
glycerine and shatter the remains, thus giving
the host chance to chat with his guests in
stead of scattering them with dressing and
casting gloom and gravy over the company.
This is move for which 1 have long contend
ed. 1t places the manual labor of a dinner
where it belongs and relieves a man who
should give his whole attention to the enter
tainment of his friends at table. You would
kill the fowl in your presence, in order to show
you that it was all on the square, and it is not
customary to require the proprietor to peel the
potatoes at table for his guests to prove that
there is no put-up job about it. Therefore, I
claim that the lamented hen may be thorough
ly shattered at side table by an athlete at 81
per week and still good faith tow ard the guests
be maintained. If any one be doubtful or sus-
pcieus, etiquette will permit him to stand by
the side of the hireling carver and witness the
to sit at the table, and if the parts given to him
are not satisfactory he can put tn am
in his overshoes pro tenn, and casu-
ally throw them out the back door while the
other guests are listening. to the "Maiden's
Prayer" in the parlor. Under the new deal
the host will enjoy the dinner much more than
he used to do with his thumb cut off and
quart of dressing in his lap. No man feels per-
tectly at home if he has to wrap up his cut fin
ger in rag and them scoop handful of dres-
CIWl nut h not taf II
enough to do this, laughing heartily all the
time and telling some mirth-provoking anec-
dote meanwhile. 1t is also annoying to have
twenty guests ask for the clark meat please"
when there are only three animals cooked, and
neither one of them had a particle of dark
meat about her person. Lately have adopted
the plan for segregrating the fowl by main
strength, using the fingers when necessary, and
then wiping them in an oH-han6 manner on
the table cloth. Then l ask the servant to
bring in that dark hen We ordered, SO that we
might have an abundance of dark meat If the
servant says there is none, I smile and tell the
guests that the brunette chicken by some over
sight has been eaten in the kitchen, and shall
have to give them such relics as may be at
hand. This simplifies the matter, and places
me in far more agreeable place relative to the
company. My great success, however, in carv-
ing is mainly confined to the watermelon. The
watermelon does not confuse me. I always
know where to find the joints, and those who
do not like the inside of the melon can have
the outside. Now, my great trouble with
fowls is, that one day have to assassinste
Mormon Shanghai pullet, with high, express
sive hip bones and amalgam paletot. This
makes me nervous, because they are so dissim-
liar and their joints are in different places.
The Mormon hen is round-shouldered and her
collar-bone is more on the bias than the Ne
braska fowl. This gives totally different ex-
preston to her features in death, and, as
have said, destroys the symmetry of the carve.
began my education in this line by carving
butter in hot weather, and gradually led up to
the quail on toast In carving the quail, first
mortgage your home and get the quail. The
quail should be cooked before carving, but not
until the chronometer balance and other organs
have been removed. Place your quail on the
toast in sitting position, then, passing the
dissecting knife down between the shoulder
blades, bisect the polonaise. Another method
is to take the quail by the hind leg and eat it,
asking the guests to do the same. This breaks
up the feeling of stiffness that is apt to prevail
at formal dinner party, and, while each one
has his or her nose immersed in quail, good
feeling cannot fail TO show itself.