The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-10-24
EATING IN GERMANY.
French Critic Mortified by the Cooker,
 nf the Eatherland


 The misfortunes of Little Mary in Germany are described in an article on cookery and habits of eating in the fatherland, which Jules Huret has re- centlv contributed to the Figaro. He finds that the science of Brillat-Savarin Is a low water mark in Germany and he makes a charge of gluttony against the nation as a whole.
 He attributes the lack of cultivation of the fine art of eating to the state of poverty in which Germany was sunk until the middle of the last century, and he admits that signs of an awak- ening may be dlscerned.
 Of all the horrors that impressed him in the German preparation of food, the one that caused him most disgust was the extravagant use of whipped cream, A cherry tart which was served to him somewhere, covered with layer of cream. impressed him as monu- mental blunder.
 The pinnacle of the unheard Of was reached in the ragout with apples, with cabbage served as q side dish. 'And what do you think" he asks of a shud- dering Parisan public. of salad sprinkled with sugar and mixed with cream?"
 German drinking habits also shocked his prejudices. Far too much cognac Is drunk, but 1t isn't the quantity that offenuS. but the method,
 Instead of absorbing 1t in tiny sips, enjoying .he grand aroma and rolling 1t around the tongue to catch tho dell cate details of flavor, the German takes it in great gulps ana swallows il in. l simultaneously. They deserve nothing peter than their potato brandy" OK 1 claims Nj Huret. but what can. you expect of a people who drink beer at o'clock in the forenoou?" The Irish tradition gets jar in the announcement that the potato is the national diet of Germany. The visitor
 established the fact to his own aats- faction that the use of bread was ex- tremely limited. He speaks of one in l which he was entertained and in which kitchen and celar were llberally stocked with good things but not a crust of bread could be found in il upon demand. The poor, he says, eat bread only when they can get nothing else,
 Next, M, Huret gives the history of a Rhenlsh workman's day from the alimentary point of view The sub jeot starts in at o'clock in the morn ing with bread and jam washed down | with coffee with milk. About o'clock l ha hae S1rnod orotp xyifb lard apd n glass of beer. At noon he has dIn- ner of thick soup, meat, gren vege- tables and beer or coffee; no bread, | About o'clock comes bread again, smeared with either lard or jam, and i at 6 o'clock this Is repeated. About o'clock the labors of his teth come to an end with suasage and vegetables. But all classes In Germany, M Huret goes on, eat far too much. All sorts of festivities are abused as excuses for eating Christeningsof which there is ID lack-cont1rmations and weddings People sit from o'clock in the evne- ling without interruption until II at din- ner. Then. when they stand up and go into the salon, there is always a cold ! buffet lunch eWating them to which the guests pay earnest attention. | Huret quotes an anecdote of the cat ] ing habit, again from the Rhenish province. An SEngllsl1man hired a washwoman to come in by the day and when they came 10 arrange terms this dialogue took place.
 T come at o'clock in the morn- ] ing" said the woman.
 "so early2" remarked the English man.
 Certainly. That Is the hour for first breakfast. take a good strong cup l of coffee with milk and bread and
 butter. Then I work until half past $ when have ham and eggs At half past 10 l must have something like coffee and bread and butter. About l o'clock I expect for lunch soup meat, vegetables, beer and coffee. About 1 o'clock comes with a slice of bread and bit of chese; about 6 o'clock a 1 little sausage will do, and for supper at you can give me anything you like. My pay Is three marks and a half a I day"
 "Oh, is it?" replied the Englishman, "and If compelled you to eat all day, how much would you charger"
 The German eats for the sake of re- pletion, M. Huret concludes, His most envied ideal is the man who can go into a restaurant, order for four, then have three covers removed and enjoy the whole meal by himself.
 The German dining room Is the largest room in the German house. Even the women are devoted to eating in way that Frenchwomen would never allow to be witnessed, and they devote part of every day to the pleas ire of assiOilitatinp f0d