Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-09


ing all our vegetables out of what he de-
| scribed as little soap dishes" In FACT
| have never met an Englishman who had
been in America and neglected to refer TO
those little soap Dishes meaning the
oval or round sauce plates from which
Americans usually eat their corn and to-
| matoes. When recently interviewing Sir
Edwin Arnold asked him what he thought
| OF America, he answered me by asking
questions concerning these soap dishes.
Walter Besant made similar observations
| when ] called on him the day after his re-
turn. George X. Sims, Of Mrs. James Brown
Potter fame who has never visited the
land of liberty, says he Is sure he will cb-
| tect to that style OF eating when he does
go, and w. T. Stead when as he stood on
the good ship New York at Southampton
1 called UP to him to tell me his impress
sions OF America, answered me back
| through the tube of a rolied-up newspaper
say what makes the Yankees eat out of
soap dishesy' Now, Mr.. Stead is without
doubt. the most enterprising Journalist IN
London, and as he usually has something
original to say about everything i was par
ticulariy disappointed that he should re-
turn with this miserabiy hackneyed oues-
ton on his lips. Mr. Stead also asserts
that American cooking il one of the worst
things he found i'm America. Americans
| living In London can all return the com
phmeGt, and say that English cooking is
diabo!ical TO American tastes
Horrsrs of English Cooking.
Take roast beef, for instance the national
hhgnsh Dish. Prepared by an English
COCK, II Is not nearly so tasty as when
roasted by Bridget in New York or Dinah
In Baltimore or Washington. In england
IL Is more frequently overdonc than under
oohe' but even when properly roasted on
| taxing IL from the oven. or the old-fash-
| Toned roasting spit" which is In general
| use here, about a quart Of hot water is
poured over II, and then, swimming about
IN the coiored water. II is brought to the
table, and woe be to the person who has
TO carve II, Tor the so-callCi gravy is
bound to slop over somewhere. This takes
away the very best part of il, according
10 our american ideas. Now when the
beef and the gravy are put On the plate
the potatoes, never well cooked are nut
into the midst of it, IL the potatoes are
boiled, they are only half done, if they
are mashed, they are not well mashed
The English cook is Invariably lazy and
she always does things the easiest way
10 mash potatoes properly requires con-
siderable time. else they will be lvmpy, so
lumpy they always are, with neither but
ter. pepper, salt nor milk to give them
that creamy appearance and delicious flavor
that American mashed potatoes always
have Other vegetahle are put also on the
plate. unless they are each served in sep
arate courses. In short, the plate con-
tains a mess that could not be found in
the cheapest restaurants or poorest homes
OF America. The English woman, be she
Of the higher or lower classes, is not rat
urally gifted In the way Of cookery. The
ordinary English servant knows absolutely
nothing about cooking, and the greatest
curse a man can have In his house is the
self-styled plain cook
Now, this plain cook Is the kind of cock
usually employed In the majority OF London
houses. ! refer, Of course, TO the middle
classes Of English people, and when i speak
of English cooking mean that of the mid
die classes. The wages OF the ''professed
cooks" are so high that only the wealthy
can afford 70 hire them They spend sew
erai years in cooking schools. learning TO
cook. usually from French teachers, or at
least, teachers who have learned the French
way OF cooking. The professed cook is
somewhat Of an Improvement on the plain
one, but even she will insist on pouring the
water over the beef. Steaks are treated In
the same way and are brought 10 the table
almost Immersed In water. All English
cooking. whether ''professed" or plain"
lacks seasoning.
Failure in Vegetables.
Plum pudding. which has its origin in
England. Is another of the dishes on which
John Bull prides himself. And. indeed. II
is not thing to be despised. but we Amerf-
cans have improved on II, although ours is
too rich for English tastes.
No vegetables are properly cooked. Peas.
beans, tomatoes. carrots, turnips are always
hard when brought on the table. Stewed
tomatoes, which the American cook so prides
herself upon. are always hard and insipid
In taste. In England there are but five ways
OF cooking potatoes-boiled mashed, fried
In strips, baked and Saratoga chips. In
America We have twenty-three that every
housewife knows However. ! must admit
that the professcd English cook knows how
to broil or grill chop well, and, taking
into consideration the fact that English
mutton is the best mutton In the world, IL
Is easy TO understand just how delicious that
chop can be. To be sure. II needs to be
salted when IL IS eaten. for the cook will
not season her food under any considera-
ton. The roast mutton Joints" Qegs of
mutton) would be quite tasty. except for the
watsry gravy that must needs also be
served with them.
II the English people have a particular
vice II Is that Of tea drinking. The mil
lions Of gallons OF tea that are daily taken
into the English system would form an ocean
large enough for the whole British 1eet to
sail upon. Tea before breakfast, tea at
breakfast, tea for luncheon, five O'Clock tea.
and tea before going 10 bed, is a matter OF
course. John Bull and his wife and his
daughters cannot dispense with tea, any
more than Jonathan can live without ice
water. and 1t is a question among doctors
of both coun tries as to which of the two is
the more Injurious. The Indian brand is
almost always used, whether as q matter of
patriotism, cheapness or preference, I do
not know. possibly IL ts all three. Jerome
X. Jerome who loves tea better than he
loves his pipe. Is an authority in the tea
brewing art. His receipt is: Two tea
spoonsful of tea for each cupr Let my
readers judge OF the strength Of the bev-
erage.
They Call Them Sweets.
"Mince pies" This is sign often OBJ
served In the bakery windows of London,
which often lures the hungry Yankee with
in. What is his disappointment to find a
bit OF pastry somewhat after the style of a
baked apple dumping. filled with a mixture
Of suet, raisins and currants, without a
sign Of apple or meat, Still, the mincemeat
Is not half bad when taken hot but from
ting 1t cold. the saints deliver him!
All things that are sweetened are called
sweets. Cakes, candies, custards and
buildings are all sweets" They lack the
richness OF the American sweet things
Coffee is usually made in the French corfee
rcts. after the French method. Except
as an after-dinner drink, coffee is not often
seen on the thoroughly English table. For
dinner. claret Is as necessary to the Eng
iishman as ice water is to the American.
Among the majority OF Americans the
California clarets are looked upon as some
thing inferior, but in England they are
much liked.
i recently read I'm a book on etiquette by
| member of the afistocracy that properly
bred English girls would not eat cheese at
| dinner, neither should they partake of the
savories. To do so would be considered
Incorrect. Since the 'revoiting daughters"
began to make their lately famous stir