Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-10-09
DICKENS AS A DINER.
His Pride in Making a Certain Delicious
Gin Punch

Dickens, says John Hollingshead in
bis lately published Niagara SproH
was neither a gourmet nor gour-
nand; but, as man taking an i'm
mense amount of walking exercise
daily. he possessed a healthy appetite,
and was not ashamed of it. He was
Uorn and lived in the DAYS of taverns
and chop-houses, before the town was
filled with restaurants of French or
Italian origin. His taste for good food,
plainly cooked, may have been in
grained in him in his youth, but it was
kept alive by the three or four leading
London taveras. The Garrick club
probably owed to him the introduction
of a monster steak called the ''Garrick
steak, " adopted from America, with
out acknowledgment, where it is
known as the porter house." The
Albion was his fayorite tavern. The
old boxes with leather seats gave a
semi-privacy to a small and select
party in the public coffee-room, and
the endless procession of joints gave
a varied and substantial meal at
moderate price, without the trouble of
ordering a seat dinner from a menu
like a British museum catalogue. La
his own house, or office, at Household
Words, where he had little dinner or
supper room, he seldom, except on
show occasions, departed from his
favorite simplicity. The chief APP
proach to artificiality at these little
banquets was noticeable in a leg of
mutton prepared in manner not gen
orally popular. The bone of the joint
was taken out and the place supplied
with veal stuffing and oysters, and the
whole roasted or baked in the usual
fashion. The result, as it was cooked
in the little kitchen at Household
Words, was always a success; and if it
had not been there was ample compen-
sation afterwards in the masters I'M
riyaled gin punch.
verify believe that Charles Dickens
was more proud of his skill in manu-
featuring this seductive compound
than being the author of all his great
works. The preparations for all this
concoctiou (Which | named five shil-
lings and cost') were simple and yet
elaborate. First of all the Jug was
produced-the vat or the receptacle of
the brew. Then came a plate and
knives, then the lemons, the sugar
basin, and then finally large table
napkin. In the meantime the kettle
on the hob had prepared the boiling
water, and the bottle of distilled liquid
an important factor as the phrase
goes-was placed in the hands of the
master. | shall be guilty of no irrev-
erenee if | say that at this point his
eyes twinkled and generally winked.
The process of blending was like
conj1ring trick performed by an
accomplished professor The mix
ture being made with care and de-
licacy, and with a certain amount of
demonstrative pride, the jug was plac
ed upon the table and the napkin
thrust into its mouth. The brew,
timed by the masters watch, had COM
menced, and in a few minutes the nap
kin was withdrawn, and ''five shiliings
and cost" was ready for convivial dis
tribution.
Among those who drank (moder
ately) and admired (hugely) this Dick
ems nectar was Wilkie Collins, who
told me that, next to a well-made APP
pie pudding, he knew of nothing more
agreeable. Wilkes tastes like Dick
ems, though he knew the culinary ways
OF the cultivated foreigners, were es-
sentially simple, and so were Thack
eray's. Night after night the author
of Vanity Fair" leaving the delights
of the Garrick club a few doors higher
up in King street, Convent garden,
was constant visitor of Evans sup
per-rooms (the original of his Gave
of Harmony'), where he was not
afraid to eat solid mutton chops and
baked potatoes at midnight, and not
ashamed to show his delight in the
part singing of the choir boys, who
divided their time between the cellars
and a Roman Catholic cathedral