The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-11-21

housekeepers know that white meat IN
the shape Of a bird should never be serv-
ed unless accompanied either by bacon
or ham to give it the flavor? On Friday
night there will be specially good hot
fish, and following this will come the
leg of mutton, to be eaten cold with hot
vegetables, or else, if the host is a bit
of a cook and an adept with the chatting
dish, he will, when the mutton appears,
cut off several slick slices of the meat,
put pepper and salt; mustard, tobacco
and Worcestershire sauce on each slice
and then devil them in the hot dish be-
fore him. After that the mutton win
not he seen again until it appears in the
form of meat pie, which, as it has POI
tatOes and onions in it, besides the deli
cate party that covers it, needs no dish
to accompany it, though it may be follow
ed by a salad
The economical housekeeper cares for
each bit OF bacon and ham as if they
were were diamonds, since in a small
family they may he utilized at almost
any time to give flavor to a dish which
lacks it. She is learning, is the Ameri-
can housekeeper, a bit Of economy which
she had not regarded as such. At her
first dinner in fashionable London
house, she noticed that toast racks hold
ing cold toast were passed around. She
grew to like the taste of the dry toast
with her dinner. and coming home she
has introduced the sensible economy, for
OF course it is an economy as well as
luxury. Not being able TO buy a silver
rack, she may be glad to know that in
the best china shops in New York she
can, at slight expense, get a dainty
porcelain rack that answers every pur-
pose. Why use rack? Because when
toast is laid in piles it grows soppy. To
know what goes with each other is a
something that must be learned. The
dishes that assimilate are eaten with an
appetite. Those that are either too much
alike or too different are wasted.
1t seemed bit of extravaganza to the
northern housekeeper when she saw her
Southern sister serve a small piece of
preserved ginger with each helping of the
cream. She did not realize that this was
wisdom that came from India, that
country where diseases Of the stomach
are only too common, and that the rich
ginger not only gave taste to the cold
dessert but it kept it from shocking
the stomach and causing a sudden ill.,
ness to follow For every union in dishes
there is a sensible reason.
The other morning passed a number
of workingmen eating their dinners. AS
| was yelled, / dared to look at them.
In dirty pieces Of brown paper there
were thickly cut slices of bread daubed
with huge bits Of butter and with slick
slices of greasy meat between them.
Each man had either a kettle of beer
or glass of something to drink. There
was no lack of bread, or of butter, or of
meat. There was simply a disgusting
arrangement of food. / do not wonder
that such men become nihilists or wife
heaters, for no matter how poor woman
is she can, if she will, arrange the lun-
cheon of working man neatly. LACKING
a napkin, there can be kept two clean
cloths, each being washed after its use.
Bread could be cut in nicer way, the
butter more evenly spread, the meat
minced finely and daintily put in place,
while there could always be at least an
apple.
The American workingman is not poor,
but he will he will be kept poor just as
long as his wife does not understand the
value of food or the proper method of
cooking and serving it. Our poor are
more eXtrayagant than our rich, and the
wife Of the average workingman, instead
of thinking Of giving her husband lun- /
cheon that would sustain, that would
be taStefuI TO hlm, spends entirely too
much time in getting fnery for herself
or her children, gossiping with her neigh
bors, or too often simply hanging listless-
~ out of window. | have said about /
one-twentieth of what 1 would like to
say about things to eat. In this case it
was man who tempted me, and i have
yielded.
don't want to seem severe on any
woman, but i do know that it is within
the power of every woman not burdened
with the cares of many children to make
her dining room heaven OF delight, her
table joy forever, and dining with her
a pleasure looked forward to every day,
even by her own husband. AS we feed
our men, 80 will they be. 1t rests with
us to make them courteous, brave, hon.
est, gentlemen, or rough, uncouth Doors.
Which do You PREFER Bah.