Under the system, or no
system, which obtains in most houses, the musolchi and the
sweeper are the only two servants who ever condescend
to clean anything. Curiously enough, in these cases they
acquire a strange similarity in dress and demeanour ; possibly
because, being everybody’s slave, they lose all spirit and self-
respect. Both slink from sight, and become furtive even
in their methods of work, and both contrive to assimilate
an incredible amount of pure griminess around their own
persons.
In many so-called good houses the musolchi is the motive-
pow'er underlying the simulated activity of the Mahomedan
servants. He lights the early fire, makes the tea and toast,
and prepares everything for the khitmutgar, who is generally
a lordly relative. It is he who washes up the early breakfast
cups and saucers, and makes it possible for his real master,
the khitmutgar, to lay the table leisurely.
Breakfast over, the lordly one retires for recess, while the
musolchi, left in sole possession of the pantry, proceeds to
wash up everything in one poor pennyworth of water, with .an
intolerable amount of greasy cloth. Jharans (cloths) here,
there, everywhere ; all more or less filthy, .all more or less
capable of leaving .a fine bold smear on your plates and dishes
Housekeeper and Cook 8i
The process, as patented by the unchangeable law of musolchi-
dom, is simple : —
1. Plates are plates, and include cups and saucers, teapots,
side-dishes, and milk-jugs.
2. Spoons are spoons, and include knives, forks, toast-
racks, &c.
3. Water is water, so long as it is fluid.
4. Cloths are cloths, so long as they hold together. After
that they are used as swabs.
5. The floor is a floor, and nature made it as a table.
6. Variety is jileasing; therefore always intersperse your
stoneware plates with china teacups.
7. At the same time, union is strength ; so pile everything
together, use one water and one cloth, and do not move from
your station till everything is dried and spread carefully in
tlie dust.
8. Only one side of a plate is used by the m/iid logue ; it
is therefore purely unreasonable for them to cavil at the other
side being dirty.
The cleaning of knives follows, and musolclii-iSoxa has long
ago reduced this to a science in the way of destruction.
Given a little of his o\vn productions in the way of broken
china, and a slanting wooden board destitute of leather, and
the imisolchi will produce an Indian knife, i.e. a two-edged
pliable spatula, out of the best shear steel, in an incredibly short
space of time. In extreme cases he has been known to clean
your silver with bathbrick ; and being invariably a slave to his
work, he may be seen all day wiping and smearing, smearing
and wiping, whilst the khitmutgdrs lounge on their beds or smoke
pipes in the kitchen. Such a state of affairs will, however,
never be allowed by a good mistress. Even if a musolchi be
kept, which is by no means advisable, he should be a respon-
on good wages ; indeed, it is an admirable plan,
if khitmutgdrs object to washing up, to keep one khit and
put on a musolchi on higher wages ; it generally settles the
matter.
Where a musolchi is really needed is in the cook-room.
I here, just when clean hands are necessary, the scouring of
a saucepan may become imperative ; and some one to shuid
F
82 The Complete Indian
Page 55
Presented as published in 1898. 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
Under the system, or no system, which obtains in most houses, the musolchi and the sweeper are the only two servants who ever condescend to clean anything. Curiously enough, in these cases they acquire a strange similarity in dress and demeanour ; possibly because, being everybody’s slave, they lose all spirit and selfrespect. Both slink from sight, and become furtive even in their methods of work, and both contrive to assimilate an incredible amount of pure griminess around their own persons.
In many so-called good houses the musolchi is the motive-power underlying the simulated activity of the Mahomedan servants. He lights the early fire, makes the tea and toast, and prepares everything for the khitmutgar, who is generally a lordly relative. It is he who washes up the early breakfast cups and saucers, and makes it possible for his real master, the khitmutgar, to lay the table leisurely.
Breakfast over, the lordly one retires for recess, while the musolchi, left in sole possession of the pantry, proceeds to wash up everything in one poor pennyworth of water, with .an intolerable amount of greasy cloth. Jharans (cloths) here, there, everywhere ; all more or less filthy, .all more or less capable of leaving .a fine bold smear on your plates and dishes
Housekeeper and Cook 8i
The process, as patented by the unchangeable law of musolchidom, is simple : —
1. Plates are plates, and include cups and saucers, teapots, side-dishes, and milk-jugs.
2. Spoons are spoons, and include knives, forks, toastracks, &c.
3. Water is water, so long as it is fluid.
4. Cloths are cloths, so long as they hold together. After that they are used as swabs.
5. The floor is a floor, and nature made it as a table.
6. Variety is pleasing; therefore always intersperse your stoneware plates with china teacups.
7. At the same time, union is strength ; so pile everything together, use one water and one cloth, and do not move from your station till everything is dried and spread carefully in tlie dust.
8. Only one side of a plate is used by the maid logue ; it is therefore purely unreasonable for them to cavil at the other side being dirty.
The cleaning of knives follows, and musolclii-iSoxa has long ago reduced this to a science in the way of destruction. Given a little of his o\vn productions in the way of broken china, and a slanting wooden board destitute of leather, and the imusolchi will produce an Indian knife, i.e. a two-edged pliable spatula, out of the best shear steel, in an incredibly short space of time. In extreme cases he has been known to clean your silver with bathbrick ; and being invariably a slave to his work, he may be seen all day wiping and smearing, smearing and wiping, whilst the khitmutgars lounge on their beds or smoke pipes in the kitchen. Such a state of affairs will, however, never be allowed by a good mistress. Even if a musolchi be kept, which is by no means advisable, he should be a responsible good wages ; indeed, it is an admirable plan, if khitmutgdrs object to washing up, to keep one khit and
put on a musolchi on higher wages ; it generally settles the matter.
Where a musolchi is really needed is in the cook-room.
I here, just when clean hands are necessary, the scouring of a saucepan may become imperative ; and some one to should
F
82 The Complete Indian