Wichita eagle., 1890-02-22
A LESSON IN CURRY.
Unione Instructions at the Colonial Exhi-
bitien Few Years Ago.


bition q Few Years Ago.
Notices were conspicuously posted at the
colonial exhibition in London few years
since telling that there would be demonstra-
ton lessons in cookery every day in the
rooms set apart for the exhibit Of the South
Kensington school of cookery. On certain
days curry would be made by native In
dian cook. and thither f1ocked curious com
pany at noon on one Of the half crown
Wednesdays a long table, with all the ar
rangements for gas cooking, ran across one
side of the roora, and facing it were sloping
tiers of benches There were anxious old
housewives there, and ambitious young ones;
queer looking old men with the rubicund
countenances of the equity and the yellow
faces of those who had lost their liyers, and
meek female relations were in their tow, to
whom they whispered loud comments, and
upon whom they impressed their lnjunctions
A vinegar faced spinster, In cap and apron,
stood with primly folded arms behind the
table, and dark, handsome East Indian,
with the air and look of a captive prince,
waited near her in white turban and apron.
Three pots were simmering over the gas Jets
when the lesson began The princely cook
shook out the curry powder from bottle and
dropped a tablespoonful into each steaming
pot.
''What is that he has just put in!" came
from back seat.
Curry powder." snapped the instructress,
and the first questioner subsidized.
but what was in the pot before he added
the powderF'
''Soup stock" said the South Kensington
spinster. Then the cook took his knives and
began to chop, chopping in wooden bowl,
gathered the chopped material up and
dropped it in the pot.
''What was thatf"
Beef"
Another vigorous chopping Of something in
another bowl and double handful of frag-
ments went into another pot.
What's that!" asked baffled looking wo-
man with an untouched note book.
Vegetables, carrots, turnips, potatoes and
onions" In silence the cook stirred and
watched the boiling compounds that began
filing the air with appetizing odors.
''How much beef did we put into the beef
curry and how was it prepareda" asked one
of the audience.
II will explain it all and give you the pro-
portions when he has entirely finished" said
she spinster with a crushing air.
ssWhat-s thatu cried another pupil of the
day, when the cook dumped something into
the third pot
Fish, came the answer with jerk of the
yirago's head.
How was it prepared"
Il will give you the recipes when he has
entirely finished" repeated the South Ken
sington autocrat.
And for solne minutes she parried, snapped
up and siienced the inquiring members OF tE~
iree class. A few closed their card cases ana
note books and left, and of those remaining
a few enjoyed the comedy of the snap dragon,
and the stealthy way in which the East In
dian kept an eye on the terrible woman be-
side him. Not one of us doubted but that
she would have raped him on the turban
with paddle on spoon if he had dared speak
up and explain any of his processes as he
went along.
When all was done and the cook had set
out three dishes of steaming curry the dragon
settled her eyeglasses and began to read OFF
her rules for curry making
"And the powder, where do you get thatr
asked some one.
You can use Crosse & Blackwell's or you
can make it from the recipe which l was
about to give if | had not been interrupted"
said the spinster, spitefully.
She read off a recipe calling for ounces and
ounces of every one of the mulling spices
that go into curry powder. concluding with
the remark: The India cooks think it better
to make the powder freshly every day, from
freshly gathered and dried condiments"
"Where can we get them, though, fresh in
Londong'
You can only get them fresh in India,
where they grow" was the retort triumph
ant. but uncourteous.
"For how many people will this quantity
of powder make a curryE"
For one hundred people, she snapped.
'Good Lord" cried a stout woman, and
gathered herself up and left
And no housewife there knew any more or
"a much about making good curry when
ice South kensinSton demonstration lesson
was over than if she had stayed at home and
read the cook book.-Rahamah in Washing
Ton Post.