THE PLEASURES OF THE TABLE.
The Pleasures of the Table. By George H. Ellwanger, M.A. (W. Heinemann. 12s. net.)—This is not a book of recipes and menus. Such of these things as it gives are of the Gargantuan kind. It deals with the principles rather than with the rules of the culinary art, and vindicates its place in the cosmos of human enowledge and practice. It is full of good stories from cover to cover. There is no question that the gastronomic capacities of this generation show a great falling-off from the high traditions of the past. The inconvenience of the goose as being "too much for one, and not enough for two" is still a current story ; but is there any one now to match the Abbe Morelet, who was accus- tomed to say : "There needs be two to eat a truffied turkey. I never do otherwise. I have one to-day : we will be two,—the turkey and myself " ? (How good, a propos of turkeys, is the say- ing of Archbishop Sauzai to his Grand Vicar,—the dignitary had lost a truffled turkey on a wager, and delayed paying up because, as he alleged, "truffles were bad that year." " Bah ! Bah ! we will chance the truffles. This is a false report that has been circulated by the turkeys.") Where shall we find the champion eater who modestly claimed to be equal to "not many sirloins—five or six at the most " ? or the hero who, having offered to devour a whole calf, when he had swallowed about three-fourths, elaborately served up in various appetising ways, remarked: "You had better have the calf brought in ; all these little kickehaws will end by taking up room " ? The dinners which Mr. Pepya describes—and Pepys was not a rich man— startle the modern housekeeper. One hears with something like astonishment that a great City dinner costs £5 a head; but what of the Viscount de Vieil-Castel, as celebrated by Dumas, who laid and won a wager that he would dine at the cost of 500 francs ? He won it, generously adding 48.50. Soup of swallows' nests cost 150 francs, but then there was a beefsteak with potatoes, which added 2 francs only. Four bottles of wine —Johannisberg (1), Bordeaux (2), Constance (4), sherry (I) (retour de l'Inde)—totalled 164 francs. Altogether this is one of the most amusing of books. But why so little about Italian cookery? The complete triumph of the Italians, who have driven all other foreigners out of London, is very remarkable. There are some excellent illustrations. Of ‘the three concerning partridge- shooting—you must kill your partridge as well as your hare— one is curious. It represents a beater beating a bush, with the sportsman standing a yard or so off, and a spaniel.
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