The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-04-15
Facts Touching the
Food We Eat.

Little Tour in America" praises the
excellence and variety Of our food. He
focuses his criticism on the dullness OF
our table knives. 1t Is rare for an
Englishman to acknowledge the super
iority OF our ailments over those of his
own country. That ours are more num-
erous. and in many respects of bet
ter flavor, II Is only necessary. says the
Sun. to compare the retail market lists
Of New York and London. Dean Hole
says that our fish are not the equal Of
those on 1.-The other side" This Is
easily disDroved. In the matter of
oysters. what in England are called
best natives" are small. and cost 75
cents per dozen, whereas here the larg-
est and finer favored sell for 81. so for
fifty or a hundred. Blue Point Amer
lean oysters cost twenty-five cents a
dozen In London: here the same guam
tity may be had for five cents or less.
or fish the only sorts procurable In
England and no. here are turbots and
soles. As an Offset to these, we have
at this season Spanish maokerel. shad,
smelt. terrapin, green turtle, eheeps-
head. pompano. blueflsh. striped bass,
whitefish, and oyster crabs. There is
nothing in the way of fruit, with the
exception Of hot house pineapples, at
the command Of the English tina. we
do not possess. In addition we have
many sorts OF apples Of which they
know nothing. and numerous varieties
OF California fruit that are not ex-
ported. Their winter grapes are all of
the no: house kind and very costly,
whereas We have them from California
In great perfection and profusion. OF
vegetables. celery, now abundant with
9 n To- xtno
market. Celeriac Is advertised, but
that is used only In cookery. In addi-
tion we have green peas. fresh aspar-
agus. new turnips, egg plant, and many
other sorts now out of market in Eng
land. or very early potatoes neither
country has very much to boast, for It
Is stated both here and abroad, with
considerable positiveness, that many Of
those that are sold as early and new
are stunted specimens of the old crop.
which are put In water and trod by men
In their bare feet, In order to remove
the outer skin Of the tubers.
A writer In the Speaker of London
calls attention to the value Of conver-
sation at meals as an aid to digestion.
He says with truth that the frugal re-
past eaten In silence is more harmful
than copious one enjoyed In the soci-
ETY. of gay and vivacieus companions.
He asserts that an English dinner is,
as rule, funeral rite Of taciturnity,
and that his countrymen reserve all of
this talk for the political platform and
sessions OF parliament. The writer in
the Speaker contrasts this habit Of the
English with that Of Americans and
Frenchmen, who. he maintains, are To-
quacious at meals. So far as the latter
are concerned he is correct. but his as
sertton In regard to the former Is only
partly true. To those who have given
attention to this subject the habit of
our people who take their meals at ho-
tells or more notable restaurants ia.
during their reDas.s, one OF timid hes
itatton In indulging In conversation.
Men and women seated at the same
table are more than sparing of words.
Each separate group appears to be Cd.
pressed with fear of the Others Oblique
looks and an occasional sentence ut
tered In low tones take the place of ami
mated tax. Those who are eating,
have an air of furtive apprehensive-
ness. The writer in the Speaker has
probably drawn his conclusions in re-
gard to the vivaclty Of Americans at
meals from experience at minor French
and other foreign restaurants in this
country. In those, the funereal tao
iturnity that Oppresses our men and
women who take their meals at pre-
tentious establishments collapses under
the inspiration of example and uncon-
ventional environment, and with al
most boisterous gayety they give free
impulse to natural love Of conversa-
tion.
DIR. johnson never tired Of ridiculing
the gastronomic methods, II that term
can be applied to them, of the Scotch.
One hundred and thirty years have ef-
fected a great change in the alimentary
processes of that race. A writer in an
article In the New Review calls atten-
ton to the rapid If not total disappear
ance Of most Of the national dishes of
Scotland. Tartan, pansowdie, scad-
lips, brochan, and drammock are gone.
Even haggis, an awful concoction, con-
sisting of minced leg Of mutton, suet,
bread crumbs. spices, mushrooms, and
red wine. enclosed in a caul and baked
In quick oven, Is becoming a thing of
the past. Moreover it Is a dangerous
dish. for IL the caul be not we'll pricked
before being put to cook. to admit Of
the escape Of team engendered In bak-
ing, when -punctured at the able, It is
apt to explode and throw its contents
over the diners, a matter of small in
convenience to some Scotchmen. but
somewhat dlsheartening to visitors
from over the border. Carlyle a
Scotchman Of the old school. even af-
ter a long residence in London, always
clung to the culinary processes of Scot
land. The meals served at his house in
Cheyne row are described as awful ex-
amples Of old Scotch gastronomic
methods. No cook would remain with
him for any length of time, and the
revelations of these functionaries
when they left his employ appalled,
even natives of his own land. Carlyle
thought he knew something of cookery.
A rice pudding, however, that he fire.
quently concocted was the cause Of
many arrangements between his
friends and himself.