, 1889-04-07
GOURMETS.
The Varieties of Opinion as to the Dishes
That Are Toothsome.

was particularly good; but here is one
about Brillat-Savarin, which l think is
better; B. 8. was a fugitive in this coun-
try three years from the reign OF terror
in France; he was q fine writer and bet
ter cook. II was on n journey from
Paris to Lyons once" he writes, when
l stopped at Sens for dinner. / was as
rabid for food as a wolf-and you may
imagine my feelings when, on my ask
ing the host what there was in his larder,
he answered: Little enough Let's see
about that said /, as l went on to where
l perceived spits pertaining the air.
What do you think l say there? Four
fat INDEPENDENTLY four-browning to
a turnl Why said l, they're good
enough for me-one of 'em, in factr But
the host said, Mol They were all bespoke
by a gentleman up stairs. Perdil thought
/; this gentleman up stairs must be a sec
ond Gargantus! will go up and entreat
him for a bird. And l went. And what
think you l found? Who was the glut-
ton but my own son! Father said he,
at home you always devour the pope's
ness, the. choicest It'd bit of all the king
of birds anatomy. / never got one. l
was determined that / would have a
feast for once, so l ordered four turkeys!
Now, as l only want my choice morsel
you may ave the rest of EN- with pleas
ure.'"
One of the maxims of Hemion de Pom
sey, the greatest magistrate France ever
had, was that the man who discovered n
new dish is of more Importance than the
astronomer who discovered n newp planet,
for the reason that we have planets
enough for all practical purposes, while
the palate of civilized man is always
yearning for the things that make life
endurable. Vatel, the maitre d'hotel of
Condo, vas the greatest cook that ever
donned n chefs cap. His suicide, because
Of the ~non-arrival of some fish to COM
plete n great supper he was preparing, is
charmingly told by Mime. de Sevigne;
next to Vatel was Careme, whose me
moirs have lately been published. Vatel
was born in Rouen, in Normandy, as were
also Bechamel, Robert and Merilion,
whose Tame us masters of the culinary
art is historical.
A genuine epicure has some peculiar
fancy of his own as regards cooking.
Sam Ward in his day was the model
diner out, and he had his Maryland hams
boiled with straw around them. An
Episcopal clergyman in Poughkeepsie
prefers them boiled in wine. Judge
Henry Allen considered%a mongrel goose
the greatest thing in the eating line, and
Congressman Scott, of Pennsylvania, al
ways wants to cook his oysters himself.
Secretary Bayard is also n fine cook, and,
in fact, a great many statesmen can pre-
pare certain dishes. Dinners in Wash
ington are generally delightful affairs, us
the public men give much attention to
them, and most of the diplomats are
good takers. The first maxim of the
diplomats is to keep a good table and
cultivate the ladies.
Here in the United States our choice
is oysters, terrapin, canvas back duck
and turkey. A Greenlander's great lux
ury is n half putrid whales tail or n
walrus liver; and n trapper in the far
north has for n relish beaver tail and
bears paw. They eat their rum and
chew their brandy, rs everything freezes,
and an arctic sandwich is n frozen slice
of whisky between two slices of beer.
Porpoise meat was once q favored dish
with the English nobility, but now
there's no hale like tho Hinglish hale,
and no beef like the Hinglish beef" A
delicious morsel to the Australian is
kangaroo and the wild dingo. The Of
in South America eat clay as n
luxury, but with some people (even in
own southern states) it is n necessity.
Baked elephants trunk, palm worms
fried in their own fat, roasted spiders
and mice are the ~favorite dainties with
the tribes of Africa; and the nations of
the West Indies a abide anything but
n rabbit stew. In China the diet is
sharks fins, birds nest soup, ducks
tongues and the chrysalis of the silk
worm after the silk has been wound
from it. And SO on throughout the en-
tire world, each nation having its par
ticular specialties. Hartford Times.