The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1909-04-17
COOKING AND EATING.

| There is undoubtedly an intimate relation be-
| tween cookery, the govt and dyspepsia. Just what
that relation is we will not attempt to state; 1T Is
| so apparent there is some relation that we be-
lieve no one will question its existence and we will
leave each one to draw his own conclusions in the
matter But it is said that the American nation
| is nation of dyspeptics which is another state
ment that must be taken with grain of salt,
There is no doubt certain amount of dyspepsia
among our people, as there is among others, and
the relation of cooking to dyspepsia would in this
case indicate that we also poor cooks. In those
nations where govt is prevalent, it would be fair
to surmse that the art of cookery has been brought
to such a state of perfection that the tempting
viands are too much for weak human nature to re-
sst. Between govt and dyspepsia there ought to be
a happy medium, and the good housewives of
America ought to try to strike that medium.
There are movements on foot in several states
to establish in the schools course in cooking
There is no such department in various Utah
schools but they call it domestic science, which is
about the same thing with more appealing title.
For the best cook is not cook at ALL but an artist,
and school of cooking under the name of school
of domestic science sounds better and it ought to
produce correspondingly better grade of food
good cook can produce palatabe food out of things
a poorer cook could not make appetizing. Every
body knows how poor beefsteak can be made into
tasty hash, and many is the good meal which
has been prepared of the eaveovers of the big meal
of the day. There is art and economy in using up
what would go to waste if it we're not for the skill
of the cook and this skill should be encouraged to
do its best, whether it be called domestic science
domestic economy or just plain cooking.
We don't know of anything that will promote
domestic tranquility and happiness like wel-pre-
pared meals coming at regular intervals And it is
not at all necessary that the man of the house
should have "Epicurean cooks sharpen with coyless
sauce his appetite" as Shakespeare says. A good
appetite is usually the forerunner of good meal,
for the best meal ever prepared would not tempt
one whose stomach is surfeited and on which dys-
pepsia has taken hold The Chinese have proverb
that we dig our graves with our teeth The Chi
nese proverb contains more than germ of truth,
too. For with poor cookery we get dyspepsia and
die Cor our friends wish we woui die) and with
good cooks get govt from indulging too freely
in the good things prepared and set before us.
We believe it was Napoleon L that established
the Academic de Cuisine in France, from which is
derived the American and the American
Dictionary of Kitchen French" The French Ian
guage is about all that has come to America if we
to credit the reports of the skill of the chef and
compare the products of the American kitchen un-
der the French title with those reports 1t is very
confusing to the plain American man unacauaint-
ed with the Kitchen French to know what he wants
to eat. but in pinch, and with an appetite worthy
of a man. he can fall back on the great American
oh of ham md be "a
reference to the card with its solemn titles.
By all means let us encourage any school of
cooking that will make the American table attrac-
tive, and then we can look with satisfaction upon
our progress, forget our dyspepsia and go after
5he govt, as being more fashionable