New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-21
AS ] BULL SEES HIMSELF.
HIS COOKING AND HIS ADJUSTMENTS
THE DINNERS OF TWO NATIONS

cooking which it deserves. Thus, the French
are the worst governed and the best fed people
in Europe for the reason that the majority or
Eroncbmen are perfectly Indifferent to politics
and keenly interested in food. The English are
the worst fed and the best governed people IN
the world because, with few exceptions, they
care a great deal more about the programme or
the government than the menu OF the COOK In
the ''Vieux Marcheur" there is a scene in the
cabinet of Partisan restaurant which nus
trates the anxious deliberaton with when
French party debate their bill of fare What
are you going to give us. AdrienT asks the
host "J'ai pense differences chooses, replies
the waiter Fancy asking an English waiter
what he was going to give you for luncheon and
his answering, Il have been thinking OF several
things" Adrien then proposes potage Jeanne
OAR. whereupon a young gentleman asks in
dignantly, DE la soupe dejeuner?" Adrien's
rebuke is magnificent Non. monsieur, pas de
la soupe du potage. C'est la vielle ecole, ct Jy
sus fdee. L'homme ne Sc maintient que par
les potages. lie grand Careme qui a ecrit un
tres beau livre sur les potages, les appeile les
Portiques du Temple.
This is no very exaggerated caricature of
what French head waiter might say. But
Just imagine such a discourse being addressed
to by the apathetic person In greasy plack
who jerks out cold beef or chicken and am!
1t is not only that English people are Indifferent
to what they eat; they regard an interest In
food as positively immoral. Whether this be
remnant of Puritanism or not 1t is certain that
a man who dscourses learnedly or lovingly
about cooking Is despiscd by half his audience
as a gutton, and distrusted by the other half
as a man Of loose principles True, DR.. john
son declared that a man who cou.ck I get his
dinner well cooked not TO be trusted in the
more important affairs OF life. But the Doctors
standard was not very high; besides, he was an
original. The common view-not OF course
among upper-class epicureans, but the national
VIEWS that so long as man gets enough ii is
ingratiude something worse to criticiSe the
quality of his victuals
There is story OF an Edinburgh advocate or
the new school who always blowing up the
club servants about his dinner At last an old
member OF the committee was depued to bring
the young man to reason by pointing out to him
the wickedness of his appetite. The complain
ant defended himself by explaining that he was
a refined sensualist I'VE may ca yerser
fined sensualist: / ca ye just a gusty beggar.
was the conclusion. And that is the popular
view OF the man who makes fuss about his
food
French women do quite as much as French
men to keep up the standard of cookery; and
English women are quite as much to blame as
English men for the absence of any standard in
this country. Ask any lady OF your acquaint-
ance what she thinks Of a certain restaurant
and she will say Such a lovely room l like
those dark red hangings by Waring so much"
But the dinner, my dear lady, what about the
dinner" "Oh, the dinner. l don't think l re-
member much about that" This fatal indiffer-
cree filters down from the table through the SER
vice to the kitchen. The experiment is con-
stantly tried OF getting over celebrated chefs
from Paris. and those who know these artists
on their native heath are at a loss TO account
for their cold and careless performances in
London. The reasons are not far to seek The
foreign chef is badly served in the kitchen and
In the dining room This distresses him at first,
until he learns that his patrons are too busy ad
mirng the furniture and another to know
whether his dinner is hot or cold. For the
truth is that long the upholstery is mag
nifcent. and the company numerous and smart.
English people are quite happy. Given ala bas-
ter pillars, saddle bag setteeS plenty OF cleo
trio light, and the restaurant or hotel is voted
charming The garbage which we placidy
swallow at very expensive hotels and on
board our crack steamers is horrible to think of.
Nor are our clubs much better. In 1886 Abb
raham Hayward wrote: The best judges are
agreed that 1t Is utterly impossible to dine bet
ter than at the Carlton" Would the members
of that institution indorse this statement now?
In private houses there is the same indiffer-
ence above stairs, the same carelessness below
Even among the upper class, where money is
no object. the contrast is too painful between
the splendor OF the table and the common
place. addressed fare. With the exception OF
one two OF our great mobiles who entertain
royalty. the best cooking is to be found as
might be expected in the houses Of the cosmopol-
itan hnanciers. In the upper middle class the
difficulty of obtaining a decent cook is nOtori-
Gus. because the working English woman re-
CARDS serious interest in the preparation Of
food as derogatory To produce good dinner
at o'clock the cook should begin thinking of
different things like Adren. at early period
of the afternoon; whereas she never dreams Of
beginning her duty until about an hour and a
half before the time. After all, why should she
bother If master and mistress don't mind? Be
low the upper middle class cooking and dining
disappear. and you get boiling, baking and
feeding. Things will never mend until the ma !
5ority recognize that good cooking is an impor |
tant factor in happiness. and insist upon get
ting it, Nothing is difficult as to force a
taste upon people; but we really think that a |
resOute effort might be made by English trav- |
ellers to raise the culinary standard in their |
own hotels. which in this respect are simply |
scandalous. Verify. We are a great and good
nation: but at the bare imagination Of our |
national cookery the stomach weeps.
AN ENGLISH MUSIC HALL.