France (out of Paris, from Parisian servants deliver
me ! ) and Germany seem the favored lands where one
servant does the work of three or four. Yet even they,
are, they say, degenerating. Let us, then, be contented
and make the best of what we have, assured that even
Biddy is not so hopeless as she is painted. Kindness
ii6 Culture and Cooking.
(not weakness), firmness, and patience work wonders,
eyen with the roughest Emerald that eyer crossed the
sea.
I haye said somewhere else that you must beware of at-
tempting too much at once ; perfect yourself in one thing
before you attempt another. Take breaded chops or
fried oysters, make opportunities for haying them rather
often, and do not rest satisfied until you haye them as
well fried as you haye eyer seen them anywhere ; " prac-
tice makes perfect," and you certainly will achieye per-
fection if you are not discouraged by one failure. But
aboye all things neyer make experiments for company ;
let them be made when it really matters little whether
you succeed or not, and let your experiments be on a
small scale ; don't attempt to fry a large dish of oysters
or chops until it is a yery easy task, or make more than
half a pound of puff paste at first ; for if you fail with a
large task before you, you will be tired and disheartened,
hate the sight of what you are doing, and, as a conse-
quence, not be likely to return to it yery soon. The same
may be said of cooks ; some of them are yery fond of ex-
periments, which taste I should always encourage ; but do
not let them jump from one experiment to the other ;
if they try a dish and fail, they often make up their
minds that the fault is not theirs, that it is not worth
while to '' bother '^ with it. Here your knowledge will be
of seryice ; you will show them that it can be done, how
it should be done, and order the dish cook failed in, fre-
quently, giying it sufficient suryeillance to preyent your
family suffering from her inexperience ; for, as a witty
Frenchman said of Mme. du Deffaud's cook, ^' Between
her and Brinyilliers there is only the difference of in-
tention."
Chapter of Odds and Ends^ 117
Few things add more to a man or woman's social repu-
tation than the fact that they keep a good table. It
need not be one where
" The strong table groans
Beneath the smoking sirloin stretched immense ; "
but a table where whateyer you do have will be good,
be it pork and beans, or salmi ; the pork and beans
would satisfy a Bostonian, the salmi Grimod de la Eey-
niere himself. I do not admit with Di Walcott that
*' The turnpike road to people's hearts I find
Lies through their mouths, or I mistake mankind."
But it is a fact that good liying — by this I do not
mean extravagant liying — presupposes good breeding.
Well-bred people sometimes liye badly ; but ill-bred
people seldom or eyer liye well, in the right sense of
the term.
Page 63
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
France (out of Paris, from Parisian servants deliver me !) and Germany seem the favored lands where one servant does the work of three or four. Yet even they are, they say, degenerating. Let us, then, be contented and make the best of what we have, assured that even Biddy is not so hopeless as she is painted. Kindness (not weakness), firmness, and patience work wonders, even with the roughest Emerald that ever crossed the sea.
I have said somewhere else that you must beware of attempting too much at once ; perfect yourself in one thing before you attempt another. Take breaded chops or fried oysters, make opportunities for having them rather often, and do not rest satisfied until you have them as well fried as you have ever seen them anywhere ; "practice makes perfect," and you certainly will achieve perfection if you are not discouraged by one failure. But above all things never make experiments for company ; let them be made when it really matters little whether you succeed or not, and let your experiments be on a small scale ; don't attempt to fry a large dish of oysters or chops until it is a very easy task, or make more than half a pound of puff paste at first ; for if you fail with a large task before you, you will be tired and disheartened, hate the sight of what you are doing, and, as a consequence, not be likely to return to it very soon. The same may be said of cooks ; some of them are very fond of experiments, which taste I should always encourage ; but do not let them jump from one experiment to the other ; if they try a dish and fail, they often make up their minds that the fault is not theirs, that it is not worth while to "bother" with it. Here your knowledge will be of service ; you will show them that it can be done, how it should be done, and order the dish cook failed in, frequently, giving it sufficient surveillance to prevent your family suffering from her inexperience ; for, as a witty Frenchman said of Mme. du Deffand's cook, "Between her and Brinvilliers there is only the difference of intention."
Chapter of Odds and Ends^ 117
Few things add more to a man or woman's social reputation than the fact that they keep a good table. It need not be one where
" The strong table groans Beneath the smoking sirloin stretched immense ; "
but a table where whateyer you do have will be good, be it pork and beans, or salmi ; the pork and beans would satisfy a Bostonian, the salmi Grimod de la Eeyniere himself. I do not admit with Di Walcott that
*' The turnpike road to people's hearts I find Lies through their mouths, or I mistake mankind."
But it is a fact that good liying — by this I do not mean extravagant liying — presupposes good breeding. Well-bred people sometimes liye badly ; but ill-bred people seldom or eyer liye well, in the right sense of the term.