The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1902-01-22
CURIOUS ENGLISH MENUS.
FOmpeiinn Apples and Butter Made
Many Years Ago In the Reign
Of Queen Elizabeth.

There has been no more eccentri,
banquet served than that parlaken o
IN Liverpool recently by couple o
Tell-known antiquaries, says Londor
Answers.
Practically, the dinner was vege
tartan one, consisting. as it did, Of
tpples, bread, butter and wine. The
apples were at least l,s0O years old
having been taken from hermetical l.
" sealed jar uncarthed at Pompeii.
The Tread was made from wbea
Dotted from a recently opened Egyp-
ian tomb, the hieroglyphics thereon
showing it to have been grown in the
reign of that Pharaoh "who knew not
Joseph" and who afterwurd persisted,
together with his armies, in the Red
sea. The butter, discovered on a
stone shelf in an ancient and long
dlsused well, dated from the DAYS of
Good Queen Bass" while the wine
Vas old when Columbus was boy,
and came from a vault in Corinth.
Dinners OF sauces have been not
lnfrequen,ly tried by epicures crav-
ing for new gastroh omic sensations.
One OF the most famous was given
some few years back by an ccccn-
! trio member of n wel-known West
| End club. The soup was represented
BY gravy sauce; and, in lieu of fish.
oyster and lobster sauces were hand
ed round. Egg sauce did duty for
joint, and bread sauce recalled the
memory OF pheasant; while the abb
sent plum pudding was suggested by
brandy sauce.
Flower breakfasts threatened to
become a society fad the season be-
lore last. The viands at these unique
repaSis were entiSeiy composed of
flowers, and infinite was the insenui-
~ expended in devising new and
nppetizing dishes. Salad made from
the SNOWY, warm-tastina blossoms Of
the nasturtium alternated with caper
Jelly and myrt!e-tiower soup. Usual
" the iirWers Of Il particular species
OF pumpkin vina constituted the
principal dish. They were yellow in
color, t1eshy and about the size of
fre-shiling piece The edible
blooms were plurkcd before the net
ais were fully expanded. baked or
stewed in fresh milk. and Favored
with cloves, which latter, as every
one knows, are merely the uneXpand-
ed fowers of an evergreen plant from
the Indian archipelago. The feast
was finished off with Il plentiful sup
ply OF randed rose leaves, violets, etc.
or strange gastronomic fads of
individual ecccntrics there is literally
no end
Death dinners, as they were called,
Were Il gruesome fad Of London So
riety early in the sos. There is
sun living certain lady of high rank
who, not 50 very long ago used an
mally to give one of these somber
banHucts in memory of her dead
husband. The room was draDed in
black and manve, the linen was
mauvr, the ladies wore dresses to
match, while he walters were attired
IN black silk knee brooches, black
coats aud nlanve silk stockings. The
menu was modelled after the memori-
am cards in fashion, and even the
vands were either black, mauve or
white.
IN alphabetical dinner was given
only the other day at one Of the
best known Strand hotels. Every
item on the menu began with the let
ter {. Banquets at which the guests
recliued on couchcs and fed them
selves with their fingers, as did the
1a&hiona5lrS Of Augustan Rome. con-
stitutcd another society fad that was
popular for awhile OF
course, the menus for these queer
dinners had to he so cOntrivrd as to
permit Of the guests feeding them
selves with the minimum Of discom-
tort and grease. Among the items
in a bill Of fare that lies
before ne rs | write are houilon in
ups, asparagus, fried smells, lamb
'hops en- papllotr, wuohcocA and
:hcese straWs.
The most eccentric diner thc world
las ever seen was certain regular
customer of a famous Partisan res
aurant known to the walters as
the butter man" lie ate next to
'othing. but his soup toureen. filled
WITH Il ronSommc specially prepared
or him, was always put before him.
lie took few spoonfuls and had it
AIKEN away. Next came whole
lllet Of beef, which +" barely tasted.
he next course consisted of a fine
at capon or four quails, but which
yer it was he consumed of it but
ne mouthful. together with two
.t'llce leaves and one radish His !.
essert consisted Of four grapes-
ever single one ,'Jr.--and tiny
up of black and highly concentrated
offee. \ bottle Of The best claret
nd another of chs m A@ae were in .
lriab!y served with the repast, but
e only whetted his lips with drop ,
ON each and let them go. lie took :
40 OF these meals a day. and the -.
rice for each meal was 100 francs. II
ut this was not all. Every time the ,
utter man got up from his extraor- :
nary meal he gave 40 francs to the
Fad waiter, 20 francs to his table =
alter. 10 francs to the lady cashier =
I'd francs to the porter Thus =.
leh meal came to 200 francs, or ~
s! One day the mysterious million .
re doubled his tips all around the -
'Nt day he went away and was never
en- again.