The Big Stone post. (Big Stone Gap, Va.) 1890-1892, 1890-10-31
DINNERS AND COOKS.
ward McAIlister Tells What They Are
and What They Should BE.
trrom his new book.)

of fashion keeping frst-class chef or 9
famous Gordon bleu. In the last six year:
Swedish women cooks have come over
here. and are excellent, and by some sup.
posed TO be better than chefs. No woman
in my opinion, can give as finished din
ner rs a man. There is always some
thing in the dinner which has escaped her
II is like German and Italian opera-thcre
| is a finish to the Italian that the Germans
can never get. But Swedish cooks de-
serve special mention: they are really
wonderful-clcanlines itself. That is
where the French chef fails. He must
have solutions tracking his very footsteps
to keep things clean, while the Swedish
woman does her work without making
dirt. These women get nearly as large
wages as the men-$60 a month and Il
scullion maid What contrast to living
in France, ] had the best chef in Pau in
1856 for $25, and the scullion received IS
month.
The question is often asked What is
the difference in expense to q household
between a chef or IL woman cook! This
question is only learned by experience.
which teaches me that with Il woman, my
butchers bill would he $3.50 to $215 a
month with chef, $50 to $500. Gro
GERS bill, with Il woman cook, say, $40;
with chef, 1925 This does not include
entertaining For a dinner of twelve or
fourteen ones marketing is easily $50,
without the foic gras or fruit. An al
chefs wages is 800 a month; he takes 10
per cent commission on the butcher, gro
Ger, baker and milkman's bill. If he does
not get it directly, he gets it indirectly.
In other words, besides his wages, he
counts on these commissions. speak
now of the ablcst and best; others not
quite so capable take ) per cent.
Always remember that the Frcnchman
is creature of impulses, and works for
two things, glory and money. An every
day dinner wearies him, but dinner
privc, special dinner, oh, this calls forth
his talent, which shows that the custom
some have of calling in and employing a
chef TO cook them Il special dinner is cor
rect. If you do not keep chef out of
respect for your purse or your health, it is
Il good plan to know of an artist" whom
YOU can employ on special occasions, with
the express agreement that he submits
the list of what he wants, and lets you
make the purchases, for these gentry like
to make Il little economic, which always
benefits themselves, and such economic
gives YOU poor material for him to work
upon, instead of good.
How often have heard Il hostess boast,
81 never give any attention to the details
Of my dinner, simply tell my butler how
many people we are to have In nine
cases out of ten this is apparent in the
dinner. Madame Rothschid, who has
always given the best dinners in Paris,
personally superviscs everything. The
great Duchess of Sutherland, the Queens
friend, when she entertained, inspected
every arrangement personally herself.
daily comment TO my cook on the per-
Torrance Of the previous day. No one,
especially in this country. can accomplish
great results without giving time and at
tention to these details. No French cook
will take any interest in his work unless
he receives praise and criticism; but
above all things, YOU must know how to
crticise. If he finds You are able to APP
preciatc his work when good, and con-
denim it when bad, he improves, and gives
YOU something of value.
Now let us treat of dinners as given be-
fore the introduction of chefs, and still
preferred by the majority Of people.
The best talent with poor material may
give fair dinner, but if the material is
poor, the dinner will evidence it. For
forty years | have always marketed myself
and sccurccd the respect of my butcher,
letting him know that ! knew as much If
not more than he did.
In selecting your shin of beef, rcmcm-
Der that fresh shin is always the best
for soup In choosing fish, look at their
gills, which should be Il bright rcd
See your filct cut with the fat well mar
blcd, cut from young beef. Swcethreads
come in pairs one fine, one inferior. Pay
an extra price, and get your butcher to cut
them apart and give you only the two
large heart breads, leaving to him the two
thin throat breads to sell ut reduced
price.
In poultry there are two kinds of fat,
yellow and white. Fowls fed on rice have
white fat those on corn meal, yellow fat
BY the feet of the bird you can tell its
age.
The black and the red fcathercd fowls
are always preferred. Never take gray
fcathcred bird.
Look at the head of the canvasback
and the rcdhcad; see them together, and
then YOU will readily see the birds to pick,
j. G., the canvasback. Weigh in your
hand each snipe or woodcock; the weight
will tell YOU if the bird is fat and plump.
In buying tcrrapin. look at each one,
and see if they arc the Sinon-purc dia-
mondback Chcsapeakcs.
In choosing your saddle of mutton, take
the short-legged ones, the meat coming
well down the leg, nearly reaching the
foot; Il short, thick, stubby tail must have
the look of the pure Southdown, with
black legs and feet.
Of dollhouse grapes, find the large
white grapes the best, Muscats of Alex
andria.
Parch and grind your coffee the. day
YOU drink it. Always buy green coffee.
Never use the small timl,alcs of pate
dc foie gras, generally given one to each
guest Always have an entire grass, be
it large Or small, for in this way You are
apt to get old foie grass thus worked up.
Always buy your foe gras from an a !
house, never from the butcher or or fruit
crer.
here give as a recollection of the past
the
MENU ar An oLp-rAslIoNEp SOUTHERN DINNER
Terrapin Soup and Oyster Soup. Mock Turtle Soup.
Soft-shcll or Cylindrica-nOSc Turtles
Boiled frcsh-wacr Trout fknown with us ut the North
us Chub.)
Slad stuffed and baked 1--WE boil IT,
Boiled Turkey. Oyster Sauce. \ Roast Peahen
Boiled Southern Ham.
Escallope Oysters. Maccaroni with cheese Prawn Pie
Crabs stuffed in shell.
Roast Ducks. \ hauuch 0f NenSion.
Dessert.
Plum Pudding. Mincc Pies. rrite. Floating Island.
Blanc Mango. Jelly.
Ice Cream.