Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-04-27
THE FOOD WE EAT.
Plenty Of Room for Improvement in
the Cookery of America.
OF THE ART IN FRANCE.
Formalities to be Observed in Giving On
Acceptable Dinner.
THE DUTIES OF HOST AND GUESTS

and so much intelligence are devoted to
eating as in France, and the reward is that
this people govern the world of good eating,
their language being that Of menu as we'll
as of diplomacy.
keep up good table and take care of
the ladies'" said Napoleon Bonaparte to
one of his Ambassadors as the latter was
leaving the palace for his foreign post. A
good dinner has great influence on human
actions. Revolutions have commenced by
banquets, and the worlds geography has
been changed at a dinner table.
In 1848 the poet Lamartine,
called on by deputation OF
street sweepers, could only exclaim: keep
the town salubrious, gentlemen, keep it
salubrious. If, instead of sweepers, they
had been cooks, he would probably have
talked to them for an hour or more, as he
was real gourmet. You must know that
there is a wide difference between the words
gourmet and gourmand. In oldeu days
the first meant a judge of wine
and the second a judge Of eating.
Littre and Lafaye give these interpretations
in their dictionaries but custom has given
the words good significance. Gourmet now
refers to eating and not drinking and is a
product of higher civilization. The gour-
met knows what's what and does
not pronounce on dish simply because
of its elaboration or. costliness. To
him the commonest dishes are good if they
are good of their kind. His palate has taste
and delicacy, and he would rather dine on a
lamb chop properly cooked than he would
On an improperly prepared ''piece de resist
ance." The gourmand is not quite glut-
ton, but he often eats more than is good for
him, and is usually vulgar in his eating.
COOKING CoNsERvAToRIEs.
y There ought to be a cookery conservatory
started in every large city in the United
States, for during my recent visit home 1
realized more than ever that Americans
have vet much to learn in kitchen educa-
ton. Such institutions would develop COM
merce, purify taste and contribute
more to the reconciliation of mems
minds than most of those useless
measures and provisionary laws which
Congress sanctions after days of intermin-
able discussions that no one ever listens to, or
reads either, for that matter. Yes, there is
great improvement needed In cookery In the
United States, and 1 may say, also, that
there is lack of "savoir faire, so far as
table service is concerned. The mass of our
people are fed by mere phantom of cook
ery, and although food is cheap and plenti-
full, it is too often badly prepared and Is
seldom carved properly.
never was worse served at table than
when dined, as l did three or four times,
at New York's most famed restaurant. This
establishment has run down sadly in recent
years, and while in New York heard very
many complaints about it. One din
ner at which I assisted was
cooked 50 wretchedly that I
sent a protest to the chef, and
he sent me back word that if would let
him know the next time came to the place,
he would see to it that got as good a meal
as could in Paris. But how about the
many other patrons of that .overrated eat
ing house? Here in France the true
science of cookery has been SO long
practiced by all classes Of persons
that it is now a component part
of their daily existence. During the
regency and under Louis XIV. culinary art
may be said to have reached its apogee, and
the traditions then established continued
through the next reign in spite of the fact
that the robust appetite of Louis XVI. pre-
ferred such plain dishes as mutton or beef
stews to the most delicate chefs d 'osuvres OF
his kitchen employees.
THE FIRST GOOD RESTAURANTS.
The Revolution was halting time in the
development of the art. but the fact may be
noted that the Revolution did great deal
toward spreading a taste for good cooking
through the masses, for when the chefs and
maitres d'hotel of the nobility found them
selves suddenly deprived of their places, and
no longer hoping that they would find indi-
viduals who were rich enough to need their
exclusive services, they made calculation
that would have been worthy of the financial
acumen of Western Senator. They came
to the conclusion that 100 or more lean
purses were equivalent to o very fat one,
and SO they placed themselves at the service
of the public.
1t is from the Revolution that dates the
opening of the first restaurants worthy of
the name, and some OF those that are now
celebrated were started at that time. The
Directory did much toward relighting the
holy flame of kitchen ranges, and the sup
pers of the Luxembourg are famous in the
annals of ''la gourmandise." Later, when
Napoleon's reign brought back the emigre
mobiles, cookery experienced a renaissance
epoch although the Emperor him.
self never wasted his time over the dinner
table. Ten minutes on ordinary days, and
a quarter of an hour for State bsnquets, was
his rule, and Cambaceres and other bon
vivants among the imperial courtiers used
to take precautions against the cenebite
frugality OF their master. On one occasion,
as Napoleon was rising from the table, he
to one of his guests:
81 see you have not finished, General"
"Pardon me. Sire," was the reply, "but
dined before came to the palace"
THE GOLDEN AGE OF COOKERY.
The restoration was the golden age of 'la
Louis XVIII did not dis
dain to consult with his maitre d'hotel, and
he often kept his Ministers waiting while he
with that parsonage such an i'm
portant matter as the dinner menu. 1t is
even said of His Catholic Majesty that he
was not above going into the kitchen and
trying his royal hands at preparing stews
and sauces. But chefs or cordons
bleu cannot alone give you good
dinner. There is the service to
think Of and the carving also.
A gentleman should, of course, know some
thing about sauces. but he must know the
proper way to carve different kinds Of game,
meats and poultry.
The first thing to be seen to by those who
wish to carve we'll is that they have the
right kinds and sizes of forks and carving
knives for the several kinds of meats, fish,
fowl and game. The knives should be kept
we'll sharpened and the forks should be of
steel, strong and we'll pointed. In order to
carve we'll it is necessary to stand up, and
as the pieces are cut off they should be
either placed on plates and handed to the
guests separately or they should all be
placed collectively on a single dish to
be handed around the table SO that each
person msy select the slice he or
she prefers. The choice of these two ways is
q matter for the host to decide for both are
practiced in Paris. The menu is an import
ant thing to be considered. At the begin
ming of the present century q repast lasted
three or four hours, and included ID to 20
courses. but NOWADAYS, a grand dinner In q