The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-12


ply OF fresh meat for tho army and navy during
the campaign In tropical ATTITUDES is ono thai
can DO supplied only after n considerable lapse
OF time. II wo could wall OF n few of the
oighty.six refrigoratlng vessels employed oxclu.
sively in the transportation Of frozen meat
from Australia 10 England, the problem would
be ono easy Of solution. Some OF these steam
ers have a capacity Of 20, 900 carcassos OF NUT
ton or lamb ut one time. This immense traffic
is tho growth of only eighteen years, or since
1880. During this period those rofrlgorating
ships have carried to England from various
countries 43,277.02l carcasses OF frozen meat.
In 1897, 100000 were carried TO England
from Australia and New Zealand. Between 1860
and 1855 moro than n hundred patents were
issued for various processes for preserving meat
for a considerable period in n fresh condition,
mono of which was successful. Although It
was known that intense cold prevented tho do
composition of flesh, no one succeeded In do
viBing q commercially feasible method OF nc.
complaining 1t, until about 1880, so that meat
in a fresh condition could be transported indcf.
mite distances without deterioration. So per.
feet is tho modern systom that flesh products
brought from Australia, New Zealand, and the
River Platte pass through tho tropics, south
and north of tho equator, without loss.
The prejudice against frozen meat, which Is
fast disappearing, 10 due TO lack Of knowledge
OF the proper manner Of thawing 1t before cook
ing. As a rule, the lapse Of time between these
two processes 10 reduced to the lowest pnssi-
BILE limit, whereas II three or four days arc al
lowed for the gradual transition from the frozen
to the thawed state. refrigerated meat will BIO as
pliable as that freshly killed. Poultry and
game, however. do not emerge from the freez-
ing process so successfully ms otherflesh. Cold
storage fowls, when thawed. are almost al
ways infected with a fetid odor, although this
implies decomposition. for a turkey that was
frozen for eleven years was served recently at
a dinner ;. 3 With VI nr sGiIiSs,%c toH yu results so,Sisr. II trG frS ssPI.
ors at the South. tho rofrigerating ships should
be equipped with what :are, called "dcfrost,
gradually, otherwise It's sudden transition from
q temperature of about i've degrees above zero
to tropical heat will result In enormou loss
through rapid decomposition.
The Brillat-savarin of England was Thomas
Walker, a magistrate of London and the editor
and proprietor of a journal called the Original.
He died in 1886. This publication treated ex-
clusively Of three topics-the art OF dining and
Of giving dinners, the art Of travelling. and the
art of attaining high health. His theory and
practice OF the first were entirely sound, but In
o country so welded to conventional formulas
as England his views were received as evid ence
of n diseased brain. He divides meals into
three groups, the solitary, the everyday social,
and the set dinner. He condemns the first and
criticises the two last from the standpoint of
over elaboration. Mr.. Walker despises a large
retinue of servants about the table. He in
slsts that the only convenient plan when, for ex-
ample, there are eight persons-a number that
he claims should not be exceeded at a meal
Is to have everything upon the board that is
needed at the same time. If turbot and salmon
are served with doubles Of each OF the ad.
iunrta lnhatar oanna ntth ,hara youny poto n.
toes, cayenne and chilli vinegar, the guests can
assist one another with ease and dispense with
the presence Of fumbling. meddlesome domes-
tics. Thesehe would discard entirely. except to
place food upon the table. Mr.. Walker is par.
ticularly caustic on the subject Of the super.
says that it had its origin with the vulgar rich.
This was more than sixty years ago. Since
Mr.. Walker gives practical exemplincations
Of his theories on the art of dining. 1t Is easy
overladen courses at dinner was the fashion,
he might be readily looked upon as a mild lu-
matte. His dinner never exceeded eight plates.
Of his principles OF gastronomy. Mr.. Walker
gives numerous examples Of his practice. Tur-
menu Of one OF his dinners enjoyed hy, the most
tie he served punch, with the whitehall, cham
payne; and with the grouse claret. He per:
the present day. he held t" that great H"1 variety OF OF
wines was a mistake, At the conclusion of this
dinner a glass, of liquor was allowed to each
person; then the table was ordered out of tho
room. The only heresy committed on the oc:
casion was by one of the c%onyIyes, who asked
fosses that in the presence of this enormity he
was deprived temporarily of tho power of
speech, and the crime was contaminated be-
fore he could avail of a vocabulary sufficiently
forcible TO pre- rent 1t.
1t is a long reach from Thomas Walker to
| Graaca 2En rnaro hafnrn tha Cbriatian a,a Tn
Barthelcmy's Vovdge du Jeune Andrchnrsis en-
Greco there is an account Of a supper given at
tho house Of DiniaB, an opulent citizen of Ath-
ems. The banquet room was perfumed with
burning incense. The buffet was decorated
with silver and enamelled vases incrusted
with precious stones. slaves washed tho hands
OF the guests and placed crowns upon their
heads. Lots were drawn to determine who
should be king OF the feast. His function was
to restrict license. regulate libatiOns of wine,
and to act as POSTMASTER. The guests reclined
on sofas placed within reach of the table. Each
was waited upon by his own servant. The
first course OF the supper consisted of shell fish
served either raw, fried, or broilod, hens eggs
and those Of the pea fowl, the latter considered
the greater delicacy; the small intestinos oil
swine. pigs feet. bears liver. a sleeps head,
COWS belly seasoned with caraway seed. vim
egar and sulphium; small birds drenched with
a not sauce composed OF OIL, vinegar ana SUI
phium. The second course comprised fish. fowl
and game. The dessert was of fruit. Conv"r
sation was'mainly on gastronomiC topics.
Each person in turn extolled his epicurenr
accomplishments. ,Dinias., the host. boasted
Of his cook. n Sicilian. This functionary, like
all OF his kind, took himself very Seriously. lie
claimed that his, culinary re'eminonce was
due to his exquisite sense OF taste. smell, and
perfect health. With these qualities he as
serted that he possessed superlatiye .taleni
and the widest range of knowledge. This goc'
to show that a lapse Of 2,400 years has moi
changed the character OF the male cook. lii
conference.-the reveal to Dinias's friends the
secrets Of his profession. He employed the SAM
ingredients that we do to-day. His sauces
f~arcies, methods OF broiling and roasting ant
schemes OF decoration did not vary much frou
our own. From whom did the Greeks loarI
the culinary artf II Is claimed that Cadmus
the alleged forefather OF tho mythical Bacchus
was cook to the King OF Sidon. 1t Is probable
TINT the art OF cookery was impaired TO neigh
boring peoples by the Egyptians. In any event
In thousands Of years we have made few or n
additions to the ingredients that give piQuanc!
or SAVIOR to culinary preparations. We exec
only In mechanical appliances OF the cuisine.