The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-11-13
copyright. 1871

Dear Bah, wish you would talk lll-
lie about things 10 eat" IL was a Tor
tunate request, since II he had asked me
10 discuss parliamentary law or the ad-
yantages of Greek in everyday life or
demanded my opinion regarding some
very abstruse book, ] should have been
unable to answer him. But l nave
opinions on things 10 eat. very decided
opinions, and, fatter myself, very SEN
eible opinions. Once in awhile one Is
privileged to bow 10 oneself ana appre-
ciate ones own ability. and / do this
when il comes TO choosing dinner.
Talking about eating, did you ever
happen to think that we were the most
fortunate people in the world-we peo-
ple who live in the United StatesE Ihere
arc not more than two months III the
wear when fruit is not plentiful ana
s.heap. and during these two months
we have superb apples and hne nuts
We have the best beef and mutton,
quantities OF game, great deal ot Sood
fish. the greatest variety or vegetables
and an embarrassment OF rlches as iar
as fruit goes. But there are women VINO
wonder what they can order for dinner!
The English or French woman looks at
us with horror. She cannot understand
our great waste. She does not realize
that we are a young nation. ana that
everything 20 eat is so plentiful that we
40 NOT find the necessity for economy
that exists i'm the older countries and
those where the earth Is less bountiful.
sometimes i think that all over this
br land of ours the earth absolutely
laughs. because il gives forth such good
things. Our cousin across the sea pays
81 for a pineapple and $3.50 for a taste
less melon. The pineapple is put on the
table when a great dinner is given. ON
its first appearance IL is not cut, but Is
simply a decoration. On its second ap-
pearance 1t will be cut in tiny squares,
one given 10 each person. and that pine
ample is made to serve for at least three
dinners. A melon has the samG<freat-
ment accorded TO it. And while 1t Is
gloated over. IL no more compares with
our magnificent watermelons and our
spicy cantaloupes than filtered water
does with the richest burgundy.
Having everything that can be desir-
ed in the eating line, we do not appreci-
ate il. The average American woman
does not study out how each dish can
be made most dainty and most attract
i've. Her market basket comes home
filled to the brim, and for dessert she
can choose many fruits and many
sweets where her English or French
cousin has but two or three fruits from
which to make her choice and is forced
70 fall back on made dishes. We have
too much, and the consequence is that
in the average household proper service
Until within the last ten years the
American dinner consisted OF heavy
meat. served with as many vegetables
rs the market afforded. all put upon the
table at once, and topped off with a rich
dessert. oftenest pastry or a pudding
no fruit--and tea or coffee served with
the main dinner. OF course all this was
wrong. You who are delicate i'm your
taste lose all appetite when the steam
from a vegetable OF which YOU do not
care flies i'm your face. You who are
sired and have hoped 10 find rest during
The dinner hour become disgusted at
seeing so much, and consequently can
cat but little, and there is waste and
waste and waste.
Even among the people that we call
poor there are no such hungry faces
as are noted among the poor in the old
countries. In the proper seasons our
poor get fruit OF the best, and only oc
Casionally Is absolute starvation found.
while absolute starvation my friend
exists every day in the magnificent citv
OF London.
The first mistake made by the Ameri- :
can housekeeper is that she buys In too
great quantities. She would consider
herself mean If she locked nm her GRO
cories. And as for giving out the ouan-
tity required for every day she would
scoff at that as stingy. The wiser wo-
man who elects 10 buy enough 10 las,
for one week finds but little waste i'm
her household. for before purchasing she
has discovered just how much of each
will last for certain length OF time
so that no impertinent cook can tell her
that she does not know what she Is talk
ing about.
She Is poor housekeeper who does
not comprehend the meaning of the or
Ger which she gives. and IL IS strange
but true, that the best housekeepers
IN this country are among the very
wealthy. The wife OF the man who has
$1,000 year who keeps one maid is less
apt 70 study household economy than
the wire or the millionaire. who has a
nousekeeper and many servants under
her control. You insist upon saving
that where there is only a moderate i'm.
come there cannot be daintiness of serv-
ice. and tell you. because I know bv
personal experience. that this is not
true.
The woman who looks well 20 the way
OF her household can be economical. can
have dainty table. can offer appetiz-
Ing dishes TO her husband, and yet she
need not be oyerworked. nor need she
leave her table for one minute during
oinner Properly trained. the maid who
ms ccofr1 ufHnVr can serve N. I do not
advise the housekeeper who has deter
mined % 90 right 60 engage as her one
maid an elderly woman who has what
the servants call "set ways" but in
Wead let her chooge young woman.
one AZ least youngtr than herself. Who
>4E j. 80 IA flt. tayaftty with ~. .p.