Omaha daily bee., 1914-08-09
EPICURES THE WORLD OYER
Paper on Rare Dishes that Have
Tickled Foreign Pslates.
SOME MODERN FRENCH IDEAS
Southern France and Italy-A
Greek Lady In London-off
o. the Beaten Tracks of the
Restanrateur.

heNtnmEHNeuNs
"Jints, YOU understand" said my father,
-none OF your hagmags and skewer bits."
in these words, put into the mouth OF Mr..
Burton the elder, Henry Kingsley summed
up the typical English attitude towards
food. Wha has not met the l0ndlady
who IN response TO a request for some
thing besides chop for dinner suggests
two chops? with her and her class joints
crown the higher end OF the scale which
descends 10 hagInags and kickshaws-the
contumelious term kickshaw expressing
our insular contempt for the Frenchman's
art OF making "queiauechose" out OF
nothing Have we even a neutral word
OF our own for what kiokshaw stands for
a word that does not suggest our dis
like for the thing7 There Is hash, OF
course. and there is mince; but to make
minccmeat OF an argument is to show
Il at It's weakest and TO make hash OF
Sob is to do badly what might have been
done well
Food for Philosophers.
N English we're n dead language de-
ciphered from ouneiform inscription some
learned philologist would write a paper
upon these metaphors, and would prove
that the race which used them had suf-
fcred much at tho hands OF its cooks 20
whose incompetence It's early and com
picte extinction was no doubt due. And
perhaps just abou; the time that explor-
ers exhumed and interpreted Voltaires
gibe about country with one sauce some
still more learned philoiogist would put
forward a rival theory In a longer book.
lie would begin. by oxtoillng the ideals
OF a people which immortalized In ia
common speech It's preference for plain
food plainly cooked; and then he would
demonstrate that unnumberedi nameloss
Tinglishmen must have piled knife and
fork In high seriousness for thousands Of
years before evolving the national bill Of
fare and the Jaw OF the cobtemporaneous
Piitdown skull With COPIED with it--'a Jaw
which h:st for me presence OF two dis
tinotively human teeth would certainly
have been referred to a chimpanzee or
gorilla" There would be n lengthy dIgros-
sion on tho debased civilizations OF Ger
many and Italy as typified by sauerkraut
and bologna sausage, respectively. and OF
IEdia as typified by bombay duck; and
we should learn that as the Greek had
expressed himself in his temples and the
Irrenchman In his prose. 30 the English-
man had expressed himself In his roast
beef. On the appendix there would be- a
variorum edition OF the ode. THE Roast
Beef OF Old Engiand') Finally the au-
thor would ask himself how the English
man, who In art generally showed no
bent towards the classical, came 20 devise
the noble lines OF his Christmas dinner
Here we must leave him; nor have we
space to discuss whether the English-
mans dislike to made dishes is 10 be as
cribed TO the Englishwoman's inability
to make them; that g q subject for So
ciai economist.
Fodder in France.
This dislike. though noticeable enough
In the tourist on the continent Is not a
Characteristic OF the true traveller In
whom the spirit OF Inquiry manifests It,
self also IN the palate
Your true traveller calls for the special
dish OF the district just as he orders the
wine OF the country; In France he VIII eat
not only omelettes and roast chicken. but
should he find himself for instance at
Marguery's restaurant In Paris he will
acquiesce. perhaps with sigh. at the
walters suggestion and allow his sole to
be served a la Marguery-that L. sub
merged In yellow sauce and shell fish and
sundry garnishings. Very good Il Is. but
disciples Of Mr.. Burton will deny that II
Is an Improvement on fresh sole plainly
grilled when the griller understands bott
soies and Erilling However, Il leads thu
novice on 10 feasts OF high emprise-tS
graphing with vol-au-vent OF frogs legs
u.rlk ~ -
snails. dressed with white wine.
On reaching the south OF France Oui
traveller discovers that the country IL n,
longer divided as In Caesars time int
three parts. hut into two; ana that on,
cooks with oil and the other. with butter
according 70 Alphonse Daudet the anti
patty based on this culinary distinction
IL ineradIcable. and one understands tina
it has TO DO reckoned with by all states
men. on can be put to good purpos
even by those who do not use 81 habit
ualiy; many worthy people in Italy stud,
both their oonseiences and their stom
achs at ono and tho same time by sub
shutting 81 for butter In Lent. when tn
cereals they consume In so many form
might otherwise be unpalatable. Not tina
tho Italians are timid trenchermen o
vegetarians by conviction, they smac
their lips over such little monsters a
Euarricini and seorfani c'the diiferene
between a scorfano and a toad being tha
the latter has twice as much meat o
it'') and agugile and toteri. Those in
terested may be referred 20 Mr.. Norma
Douglas SIREN Land He deals yer
faithfully with the totero.
Everybody knows the totero or aquic
an animated inkbag OF perverse leaningy
which Hwims backwards because all othe
creatures so forwards. and whose indi
rubber flesh might be useful for deludin
hunger on desert islands, since, lik
American chewing gum, you can chew
for months, but never get Il down.
TerPorE of the Fishm Onger.
Round the east OF the mediterranean IN
preDaratlon OF food ls reeognized as a