Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-06-16
GOTHAM GASTROyOMY.
THE PEOPLE OF NEW YORK CITY
WHO LIVE TO EAT,

~ W7O LIVE ~ eAI.
sarbarians In the Midst Of High Civil.
zatson-The Enormous Importance n
Dinner GivinE-The Modern styie-A
BurIesque Of Hospitality.
The essential difference between barbarian
md civilization, according to epicurcs, y
hat then men eat t0 live, and now they livo
% eat In American citics, notably III New
York, there are, it must be confessed, many
70 called civilized beings of this order. When
they are not eating. they are talking o.
thinking about It, and their faces show what
IN absorbing idea and habit It IL They may
be seen, any evening, at l,elmonicoh, tbs
Brunswick, the Hoffman, or at some one Of
the fashionable clubs, intent upon the dinner
they have ordered, and enjoying with repel-
lent setlsaality their various dishes and raru
wines They are apt to have round, pro-
trudiug eyes. large coarse mouths, double
chins, tlorid, oleaginous compile xions, gem,
sfni expression Of matter dominating and
controlling mind. They are harliarians ~
the midst OF high civilization. for they are
consecrated to their apietites, and impervt-
Gus to the finer issues Of lifa s.s
far larger class relish fine food, butthey
relish other things, things appcrtaining to
literature, art and sciencs. They wish il un-9
derstood that they are delicate in all their
tastes; that the rcfinefl,ents of the table ad-
minister to the retinemeists OF the mind, saaid
that the two are natural and proper accom-
paninlcnts, depending on one another They
may t'e right. III measure; but evcn they
are Inclined notwithstanding their modera-
ton, to set too much store by the pleasures
Of the palate The metropolis leans the same
way You we II particularly In tho region
between Twenty third and Fifty ninth
streets, and between Fourth and Sixth ave
nues, where cooking and catering are con-
sidered fine arts. and eating IL elevated into
an elegant recreation. There are the great
hotels, the choice restaurants, the fashionable
clubs, with most Of the elegant residences
where dinner giving ID thought 10 Le tho
sumptuous symbol Of hospitality.
Dining and dinner giving have assumed
enormous Importance there-an importance
out Of all proportion, might say, to the
serious concerns Of life, II dinners were not
regarded as among the most serioua Every
day during the season scores and scores Of
dinners are served within those boundaries
that have never been surpassed, seldom
equaled, for variety, elaboration, elegance
and cost. Paris has long been accounted tho
culinary capital Of the world; but within
twenty-five years New York has rivaled it in
this particular. We have imported many Of
the best French and italian cooks who admit
that the Old World does not furnish half our
dishes, and that those it has are In no way
| superior to ours This Is the land Of constant
invention and Improvement Our cooks,
native as well as foreign, are continually
producing new and remarkable combine
| tions, evoking novel dishes from the re-
sources of their growing knowledge. Vet
| Gran gastronomists who have Travelled widely
| and lived mich abroad say that there are
| restaurants in New York eclipsing those Of
the Reform club, the Maison Doree, the Cafe
| Richie, Vefour's or the Vacherte Brebnnt
Fifty years ago, / have heard, prosperous
! New Workers invited their friends to din
ners Of four or five courses, with one or two
| kinds Of wine, and they doubtless had moro
comfort and solid satisfaction than are got
now out Of twelve or fourteen courses with
six wines. The swell dinner Of today il
really british. Nobody but trained gour-
mand, not to say glutton, can eat it.
rarely.see a man who does not leglnct SOW
eral courses, often five or SIX. Af.er oysters,
soup, fish, roast Tor game), sslad, what
natural stomach wants more than sweets,
fruit and coffee! am usually sasiated with
what seem solids after fish, ana have,
think, a fair appetite.
At formal, public dinners, you faay expect
long menu, but in dinners IN private
houses you ought to be content with some
thing simple. But it is at such houses thai
expense IL carried to a point Of ostentation
and, therefore, becomes vulgar A public
dinner at Delmonico's or the Brunswick Il
commonly served at s12 per plate, wines
extra The dishes can hardly be better On
! more numerous at private houses, but theil
.ccompaniments are altogether moro elah
crate and costly. know OF private dinner.
; for twenty, where the flowers in the dining
room have cost $500, and where the menu
are works of art, done by hand, ut $40 to 81
each. SucA hanqnets are not provided TO
less than several thousands of dollars, whicl
is, to my mind, pecunious burlesque Q
! hospitality.
! Ii Crtesus Is resolved to demonstrate hi
wealth, why should he not put two or thre
;,1,0oO bonds under the plate Of each Of hi
guests? This would be simpler, .directer AM
! a more practical method of self advertising
, which would appear to be the chief object .
! such senseless prodigality A dinner 70
twelve is seldom given by man or wonal
Of any pretense to fashion-which commonI
signifies deal Of money-for less than fron
. $500 to $500. What a waste Of cashi Wha
an abuse OF appetite, and the simple priv
leges OF home! Such a dinner might t,e dc
licious, elegant, perfect in its kind. for &i0(
or considerably less was told recently Q
, genuine lady, Of slender means. who d.
lighted dozen Of her friends. with what
} called an exquisite dinner, the total cost 9
. which did not exceed $:5 claret being til
, | only wine Why can not such sinlplicis
and delicate taste be widely imitatesif
never will he IN New York circles that q,
. sumo to he fashionable for the orliuai
|. definition, locally, Of fashion Ia disnlsy an
: pecuniousness. -"Deinracsn In Globe Dems