New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-07-22
GOOD THINGS TO EAT.
GLIMPsEs OF GAsTRoNOMY IN FICTION
From The London Evening Standard.


literary critics and philosophers and the more so
that. insignificant as this feature may seem 10
the careless. there is none which Is more char-
acteristic Of the nation ideas and temperament
OF the individual TO whom we owe In each IN
stance the literary banquet women noVellsts,
with one or two exceptions, notably Ouida, rare
ly allow their heroes and heroines to partake OF
q generous feast: whereas in the pages or the
great male novelists dinners abound, and reject
the artistic tendencies as are discoverable
in the courage Of the hero, the purity or the
heroine and the general trend or the writer's
philosophy OF life Compare Dickens with
Thackeray. Note how the attitude towards life
OF each reveals itself in their gastronomic de-
scrptions. Thackeray is just as fond as Dickens
Of telling you what his characters eat and drink
upon all occasions. which details he very justly
understands are by no means unimportant ac-
cessories 10 their portraits; and whether II Is
Major Pendennis's elegant little dinners or the
Mugfords' plebeian but magnificent feasts. or
Becky's "salmi" prepared for the fascination OF
Mr.. Pitt by her own hands. according to the
veracious lady, or Talbot Twysden's shabby
cheap, pretentious affairs with his wretched
Chateau Margaux, there is always the same at
titude, slightly cynical. yet epicureanZthe atti-
tude Of the man of the world with fastldious
palate, who knows how to appreciate delicate
and rare viands and wine and has yet some
kind OF restraint which prevents his enjoying
them in open, hearty manner. How dlner-
ent from Dckens's very real, hearty and some
what coarse relish Of the food his personages eat.
and invariably enjoy Not saucepan or an
is safe from him, and he is never in more
hilarious spirits than when the fare Is or the
humblest kind Mr. Swiveller's boiled beef and
greens, which this ingenious gentleman obtains
on credit In his usual careless manner; poor Mrs
Quilps little tea party of new bread. fresh but
ter and lettuces the famous meal prepared
for Mr. Goblin at the Jolly Sandboys'-nothing
exceed the gusto with which he retails the
affair. Its a stew OF tripe." said the landlord,
smacking his lips; the COW heel" smacking
them again, land bacon" smacking them once
more. "and steak smacking them for the
fourth time. land peas. cauliflower, new pota-
and
In delicious gravy
All honest. wholesome appetites had the sym
pathy of Dickens and never was there a novel
list loyal to the British fare Of roast beef
and stout Between these two novelists stands
Scott, and. while less coarse and realistic than
Dickens more full Of homely. unaffected sim
plicity and thereby more nobly dignihed than
Thackeray. His breakfasts and dinners serve to
cement the bonds Of good fellowship and genial
ity, and there is ever hint of picturesque spen-
dor about them which saves them from degen-
Grating into mere animal eating and drinking
The noble meal which the Baron Of Bradwardine
sets before young Waverley upon the morning
that he proposes to fight the Laird of Balma-
whapple would have dtssipated the Ill humor of
the surliest youth. even had not the lovely Rose
presided at the table. loaded with warm bread
both of flour oatmeal and barley meal. in the
shape Of loaves. cakes. biscuits and other va
rieties together with eggs. reindeer. ham, NUT
ton and beef ditto, smoked salmon, marmalade,"
and all the other decacies which induced even
johnson himself to exto the luxury of Scotch
breakfast above that OF all other countries
There is another breakfast. the famous one OF
Quentin Durward. where Louis XI plays the
host in disguise which surpasses all similar in
cidents in its persuasive appeal to the readers
sympathes making him forget the French
Kings craft and subtlety, and even his detest-
able plot for the destruction Of Quentin, in genu-
ine admiration Of the delightful human fashion
in which he provides for the fine appetite Of a
bold, generous youth. There Is. perhaps. only
one other scene to match this, even In SCOTS
own pages, and this Is the famous supper In the
Hermitage Of st. Dunstan when another mon
arch plays with even finer success the part of
guest TO the jolly clerk Of Copmanhurst
There is something Of the same geniality and
good fellowship to be found In Levers lively
feasts, which, however, sometimes degenerate.
as Sir Walters never do, into scenes Of disorder
ly riot Who forgets the capital dinner In
Charles O'Malley" with the turbot the sirloin
"the turkey ianked by a picket of ham. and de-
tached squadron of chickens carefully ambushed
in a forest Of green's potatoes piled like shot in
an ordnance yard, and massive decanters Of
port and sherry. which stood proudly up like
standard bearers amidst goOdly array" of which
beverages the gallant young men appear to have
mbbed with generosity FOR II after Mr..
BOdkin had sung THE Man Of Galway that
Mr.. Charles OMaey threw a wineglass at his
head, and had later on to meet that distrn-
guished duellist. Although the young gentlemen
In these romances invariably drink more punch
than is prudent their cOnvivialites are pleas
ant innocent Aading, owing to the mirth. good
humor and flow of high animal spirits with
which they are portrayed and to the delightful
aspect of Irish character that they reveal There
Is something more wholesome and natural tool
in young man drinking more punch at supper
than is good for him than in a young spendthrift
aristocrat breakfasting early In the afternoon
on peaches, grapes, chocolate and claret In a
chamber fit for young princess. with it's azure
hangings its Russian cabinets and it's innumer-
able flowers" 1t is unnecessary to say that
heroes of this order to be found in the classic
pages of the inimitable Ouda, whose elegant
young men. strange TO say. though they habit
ually keep late hours, drink all night and break
fast In the afternoon on trufes and claret have
a way of preserving their superb constitution
and dexterity in shooting big game which is as
amazing as 1t is enviable. 1t is only fair to say
that q male novelist the once popular Guy Lv-
ingston, feeds his magnificent young men in a
similar artless fashion.
Disrae though he does not condescend to
minute particulars, has a way Of introducing
magnificent banquets, with countless courses
which Is at once picturesque and effective
EVERYTHING in 'T<othair" happens at dinner par
ties and nearly all memorable and intellectual
conversations took place at these functions
while the Fat little birds in aspic jey' and the
ortolans and the rest of the high class menu are
being consumed. 1t is more. however by impli-
cation than actual description that Disraeli per
mits us TO discern the imperial nature Of these
as. for instance, when St Aide |
gonde searches in vain among the pies and
preparations OF all climes at Brancepeth's din |
ner' for some cold meat, with which II ia salts
factory to learn he was. after some delay |
served. Perhaps In regard to this topic there is
no single writer more individual and charac-
teristic than Bulwer Lytton. His fashionable |
brilliant young gentlemen, diplomats. politicians |
philosophers or what not have the most su- |
preme contempt for British cookery, and their |
motto would seem to be: Tell me what a man |
eats, and will tell you what he is" THE low |
English people" he says. in the person of Pei |
ham. have entirely ruined Very's Restaurant |
and he asks gravely what respect can be given !
TO men who take no soup and begin with r0ti |
who cannot tell at the first taste whether the |
Beaune Is premiere quallte or the frcassee made |
or yesterdays chicken; who suffer in the stom- |
ach after champignon and die with indigestion |
OF a trufte. And he wittily adds: "Oh. English |
people English people! why can you not stay |
and perish OF apoplexy and Yorkshire pudding |
al nome? What miles all this is from the sim |
pie, wholesome venison pasties and eggs and |
MANS and oatmeal. upon which Sir Walters |
brave unspoiled youths fed with such capitaI |
appetites' and who happily for them were not |
laded libertines and cynical philosophers by the |
time they had reached twenty years of age.