The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-11-11
WHAT PEOPLE EAT IN FICTION
Edna Kenton, in the November BoOl

Edna Kenton, In the November Book
 man.
 " IKE clothes, food In fiction is
 valuable for atmosphere, color, A tone-the touch that makes the page alive It may also aid greatly in in the interpretation of life. Never was more Illuminating line planned than the one given to Lord Steyne when the rascally old nobleman said to Becky, plotting for the Gaunt House COOK transference to her own little home in Curzon street: "Gad, I dined with the king yesterday, and we had neck of mutton and turnips." The serving of meals, the tinkling of ice in tall glasses the chill of salads, and the savor of roasts and entrees, as well as the list ed courses themselves, may, like clothes comes to give less of color than of philosophy. If 1t be true, and modern dieticians assert 1t, that man is what his food is, the matter of menus in the developing of character may we'll be- come of prime importance in fiction. There are two little books, more or less Illuminating as caricatures. "The Mai son de Shine and At the Actors Boarding House." by Helen Green, wherein food figures largely. Johnny McDuff seeks out Emma, the slavey, one night, and speaks: T seen the butcher boy bringin in chickens today and I'm Johnny at the mathole tonight fur some of the white meat, see! 1 didn't git nothin' but the bone of a leg last time. What is they fur dessert?" "Appil and leming pie. but take the leming, cause the appil is bum" replies Emma, plac- ing bread and sad looking pickles on the table.
 "Steak, poke chops an ham an aigs?" asked Emma of a bridge one morning. and Mrs de Shine, hearing the bride say distinctly Ham and eggs" mo- toned violently. "If she wants two she can have em. Emmar. this once. want her to like 1t here" Under the eggs when they were Wrought in, nestled coyly an inch or two of true Fourteenth street ham. It was hard and brittle and good for the teeth.
 Prunes, pound cake, cottage pudding and bread pudding figure largely on the menus at the Maison de shine. "Porkin beans or cornbif an cabbitch" comprise that of part a dinner where roast should figure. Milk is furnished for | the coffee. Canned peas are given throughout the year, and toast Is of- | fered when there Is a superabundance of stale bread, for, as Mrs de Shine remarked, This way they think they are gettin a favor did 'em." On the
 same principle pie is not often forth coming. "It's this way" explains the
 landlady "A lot of people say. feed
 'em on pie and they don't eat s'much
 meat. My experience is that you can
 give seven dolalrs' worth of pie and it's | like a-her doover. as the French say they eat more meat than before, an
 that's why don't have 1t"
 In William Lockes "Septimus and
 ''The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne'' there Is
 good deal of high class dining depicted,
 some of the food outrageously combined,
 however purposely. Carlotta, in Mar
 cus," had a passion for hard boiled eggs
 and lemonade. She also drank orangeade
 with her meals. imbided grenadine syr- up and soda and sours. Septimus' order one night at Monte Carlo for absinthe poached eggs and raspberry Ice might
 well make a self-respecting waiter com init the usual suicide following Monte Carloan depression. Again, Septimus
 awaking late one day. said he did not care for breakfast. Afternoon tea will do, with some bacon and eggs and
 things" Even casual reader would call both >Carlotta and Septimus ire
 sponsible souls. In "Septimus" there is g
 dinner at sypher's club; oysters witt
 lemon, sole bonne femme. partridge ana
 orange salad, and champagne.
 Here is a bit of ironic dining iron
 Mrs. Wharton's "The Other Two
 where waythorne, the third and lates
 husband, saw varick. the second hus
 band now divorced. at luncheon:
 ] When Waythorne first saw him he hat , been helping himself with critical deliber , ation to bit of Camembert at the idea point of liquefaction, and now. the ohees removed, he was just pouring his caf :. double from its little two-storied eathel 1 pot. He poured slowly, his ruddy profil :, bent above the task, and one beringe' rf a cof