Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-05

screen to observe the dexterity with which
be struck off the head of his egg, and the
nicely with which he absorbed its contents
He had no fork, unfortunate man, because
they were only just struggling into existence
and even a century later poor Louis XVI
preferred to take the chicken joints in his
fingers and tear of the meat with his teeth
while Marie Antoinette looked scornfully or
and wondered how a man whose head was
tottering could still care for his stomach.
But men do. You don't see them lose
their appetites or look with lsnguid indiffer.
ence upon delicate meats because their
hearts are sore; if it is the liver, or the
stomach, or an overnight headache, grant
you the masculine appetite may fail, but
not for sentimental troubles.
Well, the grand monarque ate IN public
to show how delicately, how scientifically,
how gracefully he ate, with what care and
skill be conducted himself even while at
tending TO the merely animal wants of his
being.
THE AMERICAN MONARCH.
The sovereign people of these United
States also eat in public; more so, perhaps,
than any other nation in the world, for the
English carry their national reserve along
with them when they travel, and if a pri-
vate dining-rOom can be obtained they se-
cure it, or a lunch is served in the sacred
privacy of frst-class railway carriage, or
in the private coach on deck. The French
partake OF light refreshments in public a
good deal, but the pension with them is not
so popular as the boarding-house with us,
and one does not see whole families, as in
our country, settle down permanently to a
course of public life, where not onlv
meals, but domestic difficulties,
courtships, quarrels and most other
incidents of lie are kindly offered to public
inspection and amusement. The Germans
are an essentially domestic people, and al
though when one does watch their public
processes of eating it is rather an alarming
sight, it is not one often obtruded upon our
sensIbilities. No, it is the American people
that, each man monarch in his own opin-
ion, exercises its sovereign right of calling
the public to assist at its feeding, and not
always, grieve to say, to admire either its
0exterity or elegance. We travel incesSant-
", we do not care for private dining rooms
unless we entertain a private party; we do
not take our own carriages if we have them,
nor do we adopt upon our railways coaches
small enough to be secured for one party.
unless, indeed, we are magnates and travel
in our own Pullman" as 1 most tenderly
remember having done when 1 visited Cali
fornia some years since.
Yes, while upon our travels we eat in pub
lie naturally, when in foreign countries
choosing the table d'hote almost as a matter
of course, and returning to what we call
home, we generally make it in hotel or
boarding house, where according to our
means and our locality, we may enjoy the
very perfection of good living, as am fort
innate enough to do, or we may be obliged
TO put up with the disagreeables Of third
rate boarding house, as have had to do.
But at either OF these extremes and all the
way between, we eat in public, and all the
world may, if it takes the trouble to notice,
see just how and what we eat, so that as
travelling generally deprives me of an ap-
petite not very robust at the best. and as life
has trained me to quick observance, have
allowed myself to notice a good deal, and,
let me confess it little shamefacedly, 1 am
always rather pleased when am placed at
a big table filled with travelling companions,
rather than little one with only nv own
party who are generally more pleasing than
amusing.
THE FRENCH STYLE.
The dinners in large hotels and boarding
houses are nowadays served in the French
fashion, with French names for the different
courses, but trenchman never expects to
do more than taste each dish as il comes
before him in due order. He e'opens his
appetite" as the Spaniard saws. with an
olive, q shrimp or raw oyster with lemon
and ice. He takes q spoonful or two of
soup, and perhaps a square inch of fish.
He partakes sparingly OF an entree, coming,
as its name implies, between the courses
He has small slice of the roast, but does
not heap his plate with every vegetable
under the sun, to eat with it. The salad
and bird make rather the point of his
dinner, but a very little sufiees him. He
uses the sherbet to revive and freshen his
palate after the heavy course, and prepare
il to appreciate the more delicate havors to
come. He generally does not care for
sweets, puddings and pastries, but likes
some cool and juicy fruit and a little cup OF
strong, black coffee to finish with, and rises
from the table fully fed and satisfied, but
not gOrged. Everything has been done
decently and in order, and the process of
eating has been, as far as possible, redeemed
from its animal and humilisting character
istics.
Now 1 am not saying that it is obligatory
upon Americans to eat just as French peo-
pie do. We are (speaking Impersonally) q
more robust race than they, we have more
money and spend it more freely, we live in