Evening star., 1932-08-07


forget the responsibilities that await
him on the morrow. He feels that 1t
is a unique occasion; it celebrates the great
turning point in his Lfe-and more drink
won't do any harm
But, although he may not realize it at the
time, there are other bachelor dinners ahead
of hin1-solemn little festivals which occur
at irregular intervals during the years that fol-
low. Perhaps it would be more exact to call
them widowers dinners, since they signalize
his return to the single state. The return Is
temporary of course. Just before he goes raw
ing mad his wife comes home and releases him
from his padded celibacy.
Most of these impromptu banquets are held
in August and September for it Is then that
the family departs for the mountains or the
seashore, leaving papa to look after himself.
In vacation time as in time of peril, the cry Is,
Women and children first!" And inevitably
there comes a night-a very hot ntght-When
papa decides that he would rather get his own
dinner at home than put on his coat and go
out to Mr.. Nckapoulos' restaurant Those,
briefly, are the events leading to the tragedy.
Though all the great chefs in the world are
men, so-called home cooking" Is exclusively
a feminine accomplishment. Where culinary
matters are concerned. the average male is
more interested in consumption than In pro-
duction. He may be able to tell a waiter ex-
actly how he wants his filet mignon yet If he
were asked to do it himself he wouldn't know
There are men who enjoy reputation for
camp cookery Give them an open fire and
a few fiat stones and they can cook a beef
steak that will make your eyes water. But
they are exceptions to the rule; they are what
the biologists call sports" and in order to
demonstrate their prowess effectively they re-
quire the cooperation of fresh air, unlimited
space and ravenous appetites.
But the bachelor dinner must stand on its
own; the proof of warmed-over pudding is In
the heating If the food proves inedible there
is no compenSating scenery to turn to, no jolly
companionship to cheer the discouraged Chef
he stands between the oven and the deep blue
garbage can
Modern cook books are reasonably explicit.
They all contain few foolproof recipes de-
signed expressly for the backward housewife
or permanent bride" But even these simple
instructions are too complex for the temporary
bachelor They refer casually to Spiders"
"timbales" "ramikens" and shortening; they
make off-hand illusions to rolling in maca-
rooms" "parboiling," "basting" and other am
biguous processes. "Basting." for example, pre-
sents to the masculine mind a picture of well
stuffed chicken being sewed up with stout
twine The first time Mr. Mlllfret attempted
to baste a chicken for 10 minutes, as per Mrs.
Rorer, the result looked like an old New Eng
land sampler.
There should be glossary appended to the
white oilcloth- bound volume on the pantry
shelf-or better yet, companion volume, in
which each step in the preparation Of certain
standard dishes is outlined in plain, forceful
language that a man can understand.
To answer this crying need, MIR. Milfret has
given us a few tried-if not tested-recipes
which are intended for the guidance of Mid
summer bachelors. And now Is certainly the
time to pass them to waiting world. The
first one is:
Buckwheat Pancakes: Remember those pam
cakes that old Slewfoot, the Indian guide,
kad VII Vo hunting
in Maine-lovely light brown disks that bubbled
with real maple syrup when you pressed your
fork against them? Well, these are something
else again.
Dissolve half an ounce of compressed yeast
in a quart of warm water. Add to this three
cups of buckwheat -four, one teaspoon OF salt
COR sugar, If you aren't carefuD and two table
spoons of molasSes. Beat up this mixture
thoroughly and let it rise overnight. (This is
where the catch comes; you don't get your
pancakes until next morning. By that time
you will eat anything