Year: 1871

From the San Francisco Figarol


Nothing, protests Judge Halibur


ton, is so uncomfortable or uninvit


ing as a solitary meal. Indeed he


thinks conversation absolutely neces


sary to digestion; it compels you to


eat slowly, and enables you to en-


joy your wine, which you are never


inclined to do when alone. Theo.


dore Hook once apologized for being


found one evening out of condition


by saying, when one is alone, the


bottle does not come around SC


often" And Sir Hercules Langrishe,


on similar occasion, being asked if


lie had finished "all that port {three


bottles) without assistance" is said


to have answered, "No-not quite


that. I had the assistance of bot


tie of Madeira" Rousseau exclaims


against dining alone as not dining at
all. He describes himself as de-


vouring alternately a mouthful from


his plate and page from his book.
and altogether it was as if he had


the book to dine with him.


The diary and note book of Ma
thaniel Hawthorne contain frequent


lamentations over the imposed ne


cessitv of solitary dinners. For in
stance, to begin with veal, not
minced, like Mr.. Windham's: AT
dinner, behold an immense joint of
roast veal, | would willingly have
had some assistance in the discussion
of this great piece of calf. l am
ashamed t, eat alone. 1t becomes
the mere qualification of animal
appetite-the tribute which we are
compelled to pay to our grosser ma
ture; whereas in the company of
another it is refined and moralized
and spiritualized, and over our
earthly victuals is ditfused scene of
lofty and tender thoughts, and tough
meat is Modified with tender feelings.
But, these solitary meals are the dis
malest part of my present expert
ence." And the reluctant and recall
citrant recluse goes on to tell how,
when the company rose from the
table that day, they all, in his single
person, ascended to the study, and
employed themseles in reading an
article in the Democratic Review.
Yet was the author of Transformation
anything but a willing diner-out. |
Indeed, in another page of his
journal he takes note of George
Hillard's telling him with unmiti
gable resolution of the necessity of |
my going to dine with Longfellow
before returning to Concord, but |
have an almost miraculous power of
escaping from necessities of this
kind" Destiny itself, he declares,
had been often worsted in the attempt
to get him out to dinner. But be.
tween dining out and dining alone
there was to him a golden mean; and
that was the home companionship of
one, or even two, all to himself and
all his own.


The man who habitually dimes
alone eats like a beast; he simply fills
himself up with food which he bolts
like a famished wallapus, in huge
Jumps. The sense of taste is uncul-
tivated and at length becomes almost
dead. A man of this kind can dis
tinguish salt from sugar. but the
delicate mingling of tiavors in an
prepared entree his dead
ened palate is incapable of perceiv-
ing. A pleasant companion at din
ner, adds a relish to the feast.
Lively conversation stimulates the
digestion. We have a few restaur-
ants in San Francisco where one can
get a really first class dinner at a
moderate cost. but few know how to
order dinner, few know how to en-
Joy it, There are in this city quite
a number of gentlemen from Europe
where the art of dining is studied
who in a measure act as missionaries
in the cause of Epicurianism. They
come not to save souls, but stomachs;
hey do their best to rouse those who a
,rovel among messes of pork and