The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-11-25
DELIGHTS OF DINING.
HOW EASILY TIE SPELL or SOLEMN
ENJOYMENT NAY BE BROKEN.
Dishes Ths6 From Their Peculiarly Sub
tie and Lonely Character Demand At
teEtion, Reverence and silence-An Epi-
cures Serious Addiction.

cures Serious Addiction.
For my thorough appreciation Of a
large and good dinner l am, I believe,
indebted to nv father. He was a great
diner, and i is well known that the fn-
est qualities Of the English race are her
editarv. Ay father suffered from govt,
and the doctors, who are a mass Of pref
udices. tel ne that / also have got il.
However. / am thankful 10 say that l
know my own constitution. What is
really the matter with me is a sort Of
cold ACCOMPANIED by Inflammation in
one toe. Il arises, | should say, from
overwork. Old port is good for it.
A fine appreciation Of dinner should
BE accompanied by a large income.
When my father died Of apoplexy
drought On by a quarrel with his cook.
who was a fair instance OF talent as dis
hnct from g~enius), / succeeded to bis
position in the firm, and to an income
which even in the city Is considered to
be fairly large. l love largeness. love
large incomes, large houses. large appe-
ttes. large waistcoats, large dinners. l
can never be too thankful that / can well
afford large dinners. 1t was ALWAYS nv
ambition 70 be. like my father. a great
diner, and it would be but false humility
to say that l shall die without having
earned the reputation.
l distinguish between the diner and
the diner out. | do not want to be IN
charitable, but l have no high opinion Of
the diner u He does not, as a rule,
take the dinner itself quite seriously. He
Is liable TO show an interest in the
women whom he takes in or in the con-
~versation. Now, life is too short for
that division Of interests; we only have
time to do one thing well. Let dinner
be that one thing. l say, dine-merelv
dine. That is enough. Do that well,
and you have the best delight that this
world a give you. As for converse
ton, l despise it.
Now, there was the case Of Charles
Nutcomb. He was with Us at one time
and might for family reasons have come
into a small partnership. 1t would not
have been much-some GO, 600 a year
but ample for a young and unmarried
man who Is willing to exercise ordinary
care. Charles was a diner out. and for
family reasons | once asked him to dine
with me, although in a general way I
will not have young men at nv table.
AT the very moment when we were eat
ing a vol-au-vent that from its peculiar
ly subtle and lovely character demanded
the eaters attention, reverence and ST.
lence-at that very moment. Charles
Nutcomb was t~actl<ss enough to tell
a story. 1t caused noisy laughter. II.
If | may use the phrase, completely
broke the spell twas like whistling in
church. However, it was not in conse-
quence OF this indiscretion alone that I
finally decided to get rid Of Nu.comb.
He refused port. A man who refuses
port-my ports a fool and conse-
quently unfit to be a partner in Gorg-
bury & Pigge. 4 fortnight afterward I
managed to make some excuse for get
ting him out of Office. l feel positively
certain that he would have ernbezzled
money if he had remained. His after
career only confirmed my low opinion
Of him. He went completely to the dogs
became an author, in fact.
But | am not unduly devoted to wine.
Indeed | sometimes wonder whether I
am more fond of that or Of the solid part
of the dinner. Both are good. Both
bring out all that is best in q man. The
feeling of gratitude, for instance. is com
mendable. 1t is impossible to think
much about the commonest viands-as-
paragus, the simple oyster, or even a cut
from a perfect saddle of mutton-with-
out feeling grateful. Then, too, dinner
promotes the kindly spirit. When | lie
back In my chair after dinner, breathing
my temper becomes kindly
to the verge of f~atuousness.
When in the morning a clerk arrives
an hour late and makes some paltrv ex-
his wife is dead. or some non
sense of that sort-I of curse dismiss
him at once. But if / were to defer nv
decision until the evening | should very
likely confne myself to fning him a
weeks salary. If it were his first ofensa
and my dinner had been particularly
good, mig Il ven let him off with a
reprimand. That is the reason Why | do
business under any pretext after din
ner. 1t is all very well to feel kindli-
ness, but one has to be careful that the
shall not influence ones actions.
How inseparable from our dearest de-
lights are our deepest sorrows. have
but one seriorS affiiction the r-.aa+ o,,
the soup of the city-has not a real at
traction for me. 1t is richly expensive:
t is hallowed by a thousand historical
associations; it has brought ecstasy to the
hearts of men with larrer incnmna than