Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-04-22
HEARTY DINERS IN OLD DAYS

HEARTY DINERS IN OLD DAYS.
Tho editor OF local paper, In 1929. |
dcvotes almost a column Of space
scoldinE the sturdy New York de-
scendants OF thrifty tight wad" scions
OF Dutch settlers for gormandizing.
citing a dinner given by one OF the
good old families in the mid-social
SEASON. One can quite understand
why the feast created much discus
sion, when we read the list Of edibles
and drinkables served at the function
The first course consisted OF turtle
and white soups. boiled and stewed
cod. barbecued bass. chickens, ducks.
turkeys. ham. tongue. partridges.
green turtles. callipee. quail pies.
oyster pies. calf's foot custard, roast
beef. For the second course there
were saddles Of venison, Wild turkeys,
green turtle. Galapagos turtle steaks
white and brown-fricasseed Cam
adian hares and canvasback ducks.
The dessert was no less tempting
and plentiful In variety. 1t Is thus
listed: Plum pudding. oranges, mince
pies. tarts. puffs, tellies. blanc mango,
syllabub. ice cream, trines .custards,
fruit; with Madeira. port, claret and
champagne wines served through the
feast.
II Is scarcely to be wondered that
the descendants OF the people OF n
hundred years ago are taking much
medicine for indigestion, II the all
ment following an overtaxing OF the
stomach is transmitted from one gen.
Grafton TO another. Fine old feeders
were our ancestors. They liked tre-
mendous abundance and great variety.
They regarded the table with high
favor.
But our journalistic ancestor might
have found almost as much to protest
against right here at home. for pos
sibly no other section OF the country
served better prepared food, nor In
greater variety and abundance, than
did the people Of Delaware a century
ago. Some OF the dinners and feasts
preserved In some of the old time rec
ords OF such eating functions, read
almost like the marketing list of G
large hotel. 1t Is recorded that ar
early dinner in Delaware included
every kind OF fish, meats, poultry ant
vegetables. and all kinds OF game ant
wild fowl indigenous to the Peninsula
with desserts OF almost endless pro
fusion to top of with. 1t may b,
taken for granted there was al
abundance OF fine wines, for the earl,
cellars here left little to be desired
Men OF substance imported their owl
liquors on their own sailing Graf,
without fear of Mr.. volstead or Mrs
Grundy.
Men and women have acquire
much wisdom in dietary matters 4
the last sixty Or seventy years, an
= have ascertained that the simple
food is preferable for conserving tn
health and maintaining mental an
physical efficiency. Were we to ca
- as freely as did our great-grandpar
ents, we should possibly have short
ened the span of life by ten or fiftee
years, and probably have greatly al
rested our mental processes.
y All this brings to mind that 'neithe
can the men and women of toda
= do SO much hard. taxing work as dl
IL those of a century ago, for the ma
le who could cradle wheat or rye all da
% and take two big glasses full
, whisky and continue his work in II
l. whiting heat of the sun depart,
At years ago. So did the two bott
ly man." who could dispose Of two quar-
lg of good old Burgundy or Madeira al
81 walk away with It without makiI
a misstep Or batting an eye. Th
ut species Is almost as extinct as Il
ne dodo, yet he was plentiful two ge
is erations ago. The man who could e
is his way through such a menu as
OF quoted aboye--and which was not u
heard Of in Delaware-has also Ego
IN from our midst" fortunately, inde,
re we might add, when one contemplat