124 THE ART OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA.
another which is hardly less important. I refer to the
crude cookery which is bestowed on the ordinary vegetables
at present in daily use. That there is any monotony in an
endless recurrence of boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, boiled
this and boiled that, never seems to occur to the vast
majority of people in this country, who seem incapable of
understanding that these different vegetables are worthy of
being served in an infinite number of ways. It will doubt-
less shock those who cling to this belief, but the following
remarks by Dr. Mitchell, an English physician practising
in Paris, directed against his own countrymen be it under-
stood, are forcible enough : — " The plain boiled potato,"
says he, " whatever else it may be, is clearly a cattle food ;
" so for the matter of that are cabbages, carrots, turnips,
" beans, peas, and almost every other vegetable when plain
" boiled. None of them in that condition would be
*' refused by a cow in fair appetite." Xow, there are so
many appetising ways of preparing vegetables for table, and
at no additional expense, that it is lamentable to find people
offering no protest against tliis feeble exhibition of culinary
skill. Why, if there be nothing in the preparation of vege-
tables for the table beyond plain boiling, it must be acknow-
ledged that Cookery has made mighty little progress since
the time it first came into existence.
Having seen, then, what faults exist and what improve-
ments might be made, it may well be asked how these latter
are to be brought about, or, rather, how can Australians be
induced to live in accordance with climatic requirements ?
The answer is by no means easy. It may be said, in truth,
that till the great mass of the people recognise their food
faults, reform will not be of a national character. As I
have already said, the acceptation of that valuable and
nutritious vegetable fruit, the tomato, took years to accom-
plish. In the same way, I fear, a universal recognition that
FOOD HABITS AND THEIR FAULTS. 125
excessive meat indulgence is a climatic error will take many
decades before it is an article of national belief. In the
schools, Cookery must form an all-important part of a girl's
education — not a superficial knowledge of the science, but
practical instruction, thorough, complete, real. The dietetic
properties of meat, vegetables, of salad vegetables, and of
fruit, from an Australian standpoint, should be so thoroughly
inculcated that a proper conception of their respective food
values should remain for a lifetime. The prizes for pro-
ficiency and excellence in culinary matters, too, should be
such as to render them worth the winning, and sers'e as a
stimulus for future exertions.
Page 88
Presented as published in 1893. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
another which is hardly less important. I refer to the crude cookery which is bestowed on the ordinary vegetables at present in daily use. That there is any monotony in an endless recurrence of boiled potatoes, boiled cabbage, boiled this and boiled that, never seems to occur to the vast majority of people in this country, who seem incapable of understanding that these different vegetables are worthy of being served in an infinite number of ways. It will doubtless shock those who cling to this belief, but the following remarks by Dr. Mitchell, an English physician practising in Paris, directed against his own countrymen be it understood, are forcible enough : — " The plain boiled potato," says he, " whatever else it may be, is clearly a cattle food ; " so for the matter of that are cabbages, carrots, turnips, " beans, peas, and almost every other vegetable when plain " boiled. None of them in that condition would be *' refused by a cow in fair appetite." Xow, there are so many appetising ways of preparing vegetables for table, and at no additional expense, that it is lamentable to find people offering no protest against this feeble exhibition of culinary skill. Why, if there be nothing in the preparation of vegetables for the table beyond plain boiling, it must be acknowledged that Cookery has made mighty little progress since the time it first came into existence.
Having seen, then, what faults exist and what improvements might be made, it may well be asked how these latter are to be brought about, or, rather, how can Australians be induced to live in accordance with climatic requirements ? The answer is by no means easy. It may be said, in truth, that till the great mass of the people recognise their food faults, reform will not be of a national character. As I have already said, the acceptation of that valuable and nutritious vegetable fruit, the tomato, took years to accomplish. In the same way, I fear, a universal recognition that
excessive meat indulgence is a climatic error will take many decades before it is an article of national belief. In the schools, Cookery must form an all-important part of a girl's education — not a superficial knowledge of the science, but practical instruction, thorough, complete, real. The dietetic properties of meat, vegetables, of salad vegetables, and of fruit, from an Australian standpoint, should be so thoroughly inculcated that a proper conception of their respective food values should remain for a lifetime. The prizes for proficiency and excellence in culinary matters, too, should be such as to render them worth the winning, and serve as a stimulus for future exertions.