Birmingham age-herald., 1895-07-16
THE INNER MAN WAS FIRST
The EngIishman a Hearty Liver
 and Has Six Meals a Day.
HOW AN AMERICAN PARED
In an English Middle Glass House With Break fast at 2, Supper at 9 and Four
 Meals in Between.

Any Englishman will acknowledge with perfect good humor that 1t is an old saying in his country that "an Englishman con siders his stomach first and his back after ward, D but no American can realize how universally true the love of good living is all over England, unless Inc has been for tunate enough to bo invited to spend scv- eral months as a guest in middle class English home.
 The house where such stay was had, and to which the writer will always look back with longing for return of tho de lightful days spent there, was presided over by a typical English hostess, round, ruddy and 50 jolly that, though sho must have been 60, one always thought of her us young.
 Breakfast began at 7o'clock, and we all ways found our hostess waiting for us in the breakfast room, in her place at the head of tho table. English etiquette de- mands that each person as he enters tho breakfast room should shake hands with the hostess first, and then with every one else in the room. This practice was of course new to tho American guest, but it was soon acquired, though moro difficult was tho getting used to interruptions half q dozen times in the course of tho meal to shake hands with the late risers as they camo in, ono by one.
 ,- Although it was summer we never had fruit for breakfast, nor is it eaten at any time as generally as here. Nor, of course, did wo have hot rolls or warm cakes, or even oatmeal, which was surprise, since the Scotch uso it so much. Of hot bread of any kind tho Britons have an abiding horror. rhore would always be two or three kinds of cold meat, beef, mutton, ham, etc., left over from the day before, hot sausage or eggs, and, in season, a Mel ton Mowbray pork pie. Along with these would be tho most delicious of toast and tea Coffee was little drunk and was, not particularly good, but the tea was al oways so much nicer than any tea which can be had in this country that one easily preferred it.
 About II o'clock comes what they call ia bite and a snatch. ]" This is merely bread and beer and bit of pastry, set in formally on an end of the dining table and eaten as one chooses. It follows ono about the house or into the garden, maid bring ing your sharc on a tray. This luncheon was to bo lodged when possible, as it only spoiled the appetite for dinner, which, in ? this house, was served at 1230.
 Dinner is a substantial meal, beginning with an enormous roast of beef, leg of mutton or a boiled ham. There was very seldom soup, but whenever the roast was of beef or mutton there was always deli cious Yorkshire pudding which was serv- ed before or with the roast. To make this 5 dish, comparatively unknown in America, the roast is put to cook upon an iron frame called "horse," which raises it from the bottom of the roasting pan. An hour or so before tho roast is done the pudding batter, mado of -four, milk and eggs, is poured into the pan and left to cook be- meath the drippings of the meat, the juices of which penetrate and flavor 1t.
 Of course everything is carved on the table. The Englishman has lofty con tempt for side dishes and your meat, pc ; tato, Yorkshire pudding and two kinds of , vegetables are always heapcd upon one T plate, which fortunately is a large ono. T By the middle of tho afternoon, when our hostess was fairly relieved of her do- 5 nestle duties for the day, sho liked to have j. ns drop in at her own little sitting room 2 for bit of cake, some fruit and glass of ] her homemade wine. Imposition as it was T felt this was upon one's digestive organs, her delicious wines, for the making of F which she was famous all over tho country, could seldom be resisted Her cellar seemed inexhaustible, and the kinds were ; various
 ! 5 At 5 o'clock. by which time we natu- rally needed something to cat, camo tea, .r and this was no "A o'clock affair, with ai tiny cups and waters of paper thinness. 4 The table was spread in the dining room, and we sat down to generous meal oi potted meat, salad, big plates piled high with thin slices of bread and butter, more toast, ten and pastry. Tho way in which the salad was served at this meal is new to an American. While the heads of lettuce are growing in the garden tho leaves are gathered tightly together and tied with strings. This makes the heads grow as 5 hard and crisp and white as cabbage. z When served, the strings and outer leaves are cut away, and the heads quartered like : m apple and sent to tho table to be eaten plain, with bread and butter. s At 9 o'clock comes supper, next to din { ner tho most solid meal of the day. This : is also the social meal, when conversation |, is at its best, and we were apt to finger, : loath to leave. If ncighbor dropped in, or more than one, as was often the case, : extra plates were put on, and they must have at least a mouthful, for tho sako of | Hospitality.
 The cold roasts from dinner, and usually
 
 came up for supper, with roast potatoes or "bubblo and squeak, " made regularly aft CT. tho first night because tho traveller liked it so we'll Bubble and squeak" is simply the cold potato and cabbage from dinner chopped together and then done in n frying pan to crisp brown. It doesn't sound nice, but try it and sec how good it is. This is not the notion of one particu- lar house, for directions for cooking it were found in an old cook book published in 1887.
 ( Supper brings more alc, or 'alf and alf, , drawn cold and sparkling from barrels in tho cellar.
 ss'd The bread for supper is always put on tho table in the loaf, one of those round cottage loaves which look as if the baker, ] ns an eafterthought, had added second : story to them. It was cut for this meal, not in slices, bu6 in "hunks, accom- plshed by tipping the loaf on edge, cut ting off section, and then cutting this again, so as to give piece shaped liko 0 three cornered pyramid.-New York
 Zenobia.