The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-19
.NAsTY FRENCH GRAVES.
Julian Ralph Compliments English
and American Cooking.

London Mail
Tired to death of fancy cooling-lile the
proprietor of great hotel know in Amer
lea, who told me that once week he went
to the modest home of his head porter to
eat boiled beef and cabbage-I used every
now and then, to go to one of the few chop
houses in New York and eat a meal of
English food Our domestic cooking is
very like the English, plain and sukstan-
tial, but in the restaurants and hotels it is
eclectic, made up of French, German and
Italian Dishes with French at the bottom of
it all. Our women's fashions are from
France, our style of house furnishing is
Err FRENCH our art Is from the same source.
the older republic in America a very great
deal
Simply. chops and steaks and hoiied or
roasted meats, with plainly cooked vege-
tables. I have an idea. that the English
first time ever went to France arrived
at Dover, and saw the channel standing on
Its head and waving its myriad feet in the
my Side that we an would 9P have Sasi0r plenty eS
OF seaSick passengers for company. No"
said he 'there'll be moody sick there
never is any sickness going to France. IT'S
coming from France that we get tile Suck
ones" Astcnished to hear Of TINS eccen-
tric1ty OF nature, | asked how Il was to
be accounted for ''Well, SIR, said the sail
or, you see, the English leaves their own
mind bit of a shaking 10, bnt when they
come back from France, all full C rasty
little thing upsets them.
There's 9 comment on English fc cd that
speaks volumes.
The eccentricities of English eating which
please American tourists far more than the
food itself are those that pertain to the sur
rOundings of the meals it is possible to get
here. To have a waiter roll a smoking Joint
up TO you on fOur-wheeled truck and serve
you just the cut you want or to dine off
deal boards down a tiny alley in dingy
place hallowed by the traditions of am
earlier century, or to find ones self in a
Dagmans hotei. where one goes to the side
board and helps himself to the ham, the
beef or the mutton, taking a bunch of crisp
lettuce and pulling tasseled bell cord Ia
peled waitress IN order 20 get cup of
tea or a half of butter such experiences
are captivating to one accustomed to the
monotonOuS modern machinery Of perfected
motel and restaurant life. where everything
is up-to-date and stitf, and fnnicky to the
last degree. This is how English fare first
captures the tourist, but after he has trav-
eled and got more than his fill of nasty
continent he finds himself counting the days
before his return TO England and to plain
wholesome fare. Then he looks forward,
not TO the accessories, but TO the food itself.
In this respect England is the sanatorium
Of the tourists in Europe just as crossing
the boisterous channel is a complete course
OF hygiene. The well-infOrmed tourist
knows that the "rcast beef of England and
the tabled Southdown mutton are both
more apt TO be from Australia, Chicago or
Canada; but If he be philosophical as well
as knowing he cannot help thinking how
fortunate IL IS Tor England that when her
home supply of meat ran short she had tu
go so far to reinforce it; for certainly tho
long voyage in refrigerated boxes gives to
both meats a tenderness they cannot boast
IN the lands where they are raised.
We used to have a famous tavern In New
York dating from Washingtons time, to-
which we repaired to order a meal ten days
before we meant TO sit down to it Nothing
was served there but beefsteak and bread,
but the beef had been hung up for q week
and half-just as the greater part Of the
beef of old England is kept in the same
way, but for different reason. 1t may in
terest beef-eating nation to know how
that tavern keeper treated his steaks in or
der to become famous and rich When his
visitor, who had ordered a meal. arrived to
eat it, the proprietor cut into fingers the
thick steaks that had been ordered and
hung up These fingers he put in double
wire broiler, whose sides locked together.
with the meat between them. He sprinkled
the upper side of the meat literally with
salt and pepper, and put on each finger q
generous bit of butter thus demon stratiner
anew that men are better cooks than won1-
en-, because men use freely the ingredients
that are most necessary, no matter how
costly they maybe. He broiled the meat
till the other side was well cooked and
then treated the other side in the same
way. lie served each piece of beef on a
bit of bread, little larger than itself-soft
white bread, with the crust cut away To
enjoy feast Of that steak after 36l davs
of French cooking. was like taking sea
bath without clothing. or getting out In
the country in loose flannels after day in
month in France or like any other long
desired return n Sfp1ula natural err,