Always, as far as your means allow, have every con-
venience for cooking. By having utensils proper for
every purpose you save a great deal of work and much
vexation of spirit. Yet it should be no excuse for bad
work that such utensils are not at hand. A willing and
intelligent cook will make the best of what she has.
Apropos of this very thing Gouffe relates that a friend
of his, an ^^ artist'^ of renown, was sent for to the
chateau of a Baron Argenteuil, who had taken a large
company with him, unexpectedly crowding the chateau
in every part. He was shown into a dark passage in
which a plank was suspended from the ceiling, and told
this was to be his kitchen. He had to fashion his own
utensils, for there was nothing provided, and his pastry
he had to bake in a frying-pan — besides building two
monumental plats on that board — and prepare a cold en-
tree. But he cheerfully set to work to overcome diffi-
culties, achieved his task, and was rewarded by the plau-
dits of the diners. Such difficulties as these our servants
never have to encounter, and a cheerful endeavor to
make the best of everything should be the rule. Yet,
let us spare them all the labor we can, or rather make it
as easy and pleasant as possible ; they will be more
proud of their well-furnished kitchen, more cheerful in
it, than they will of one where everything for their, con-
venience is grudged, and such pride and cheerfulness
will be your gain.
There is always a great deal of talk about servants in
America, how bad and inefficient they are, how badly
they contrast with those of England. Certainly, they
Chapter of Odds and Ends, 115
are not so efficient as those of the older conntry ; how
could they be ? There^ girls who are intended for servants
haye ever held before their eyes what they may or may
not do in the future calling, and how it is to be done.
But take one of these orderly, efficient girls, put her in
an American family as general servant or as cook, where
two are kept, washing and ironing to do, and a variety
of other work, and see how your English servant would
stare at your requirements. She has been accustomed to
her own line of work at home ; if housemaid, she has
been dressed for the day at noon ; if cook, she has never
done even her own washing.
She may, and will no doubt, fall into the way of the
country, after a while, and on account of her early habits
of respect, will make a good servant perhaps. But many
of them would be quite indignant at being asked to do
the average servant's work here. I am speaking now of
the trained servants ; but, comparing the London " maid-
of-all-work" or ^^ slavey " with our own general servants,
and considering how much more is expected of the latter,
the comparison seems to me vastly in the favor of our own
Bridgets. We may rest assured, however smoothly the
wheels of household management glide along in wealthy
families across the water, people who can only keep one
or two have all our troubles with servants and a few
added, and their faults are just as general a subject of
conversation among ladies.
Page 62
Presented as published in 1885. 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
Always, as far as your means allow, have every convenience for cooking. By having utensils proper for every purpose you save a great deal of work and much vexation of spirit. Yet it should be no excuse for bad work that such utensils are not at hand. A willing and intelligent cook will make the best of what she has. Apropos of this very thing Gouffe relates that a friend of his, an "artist" of renown, was sent for to the chateau of a Baron Argenteuil, who had taken a large company with him, unexpectedly crowding the chateau in every part. He was shown into a dark passage in which a plank was suspended from the ceiling, and told this was to be his kitchen. He had to fashion his own utensils, for there was nothing provided, and his pastry he had to bake in a frying-pan — besides building two monumental plats on that board — and prepare a cold entree. But he cheerfully set to work to overcome difficulties, achieved his task, and was rewarded by the plaudits of the diners. Such difficulties as these our servants never have to encounter, and a cheerful endeavor to make the best of everything should be the rule. Yet, let us spare them all the labor we can, or rather make it as easy and pleasant as possible ; they will be more proud of their well-furnished kitchen, more cheerful in it, than they will of one where everything for their, convenience is grudged, and such pride and cheerfulness will be your gain.
There is always a great deal of talk about servants in America, how bad and inefficient they are, how badly they contrast with those of England. Certainly, they
Chapter of Odds and Ends, 115
are not so efficient as those of the older conntry ; how could they be ? Their girls who are intended for servants have ever held before their eyes what they may or may not do in the future calling, and how it is to be done. But take one of these orderly, efficient girls, put her in an American family as general servant or as cook, where two are kept, washing and ironing to do, and a variety of other work, and see how your English servant would stare at your requirements. She has been accustomed to her own line of work at home ; if housemaid, she has been dressed for the day at noon ; if cook, she has never done even her own washing.
She may, and will no doubt, fall into the way of the country, after a while, and on account of her early habits of respect, will make a good servant perhaps. But many of them would be quite indignant at being asked to do the average servant's work here. I am speaking now of the trained servants ; but, comparing the London "maid-of-all-work" or "slavey" with our own general servants, and considering how much more is expected of the latter, the comparison seems to me vastly in the favor of our own Bridgets. We may rest assured, however smoothly the wheels of household management glide along in wealthy families across the water, people who can only keep one or two have all our troubles with servants and a few added, and their faults are just as general a subject of conversation among ladies.