"Why, this: you see, Cousm Emeline, no
home can be what it ought to be, unless there is
a good cook in the establishment. A great many
of the sins of the world are traceable to bad food.
A carnal stomach has often more to do with crime
than a carnal heart. A popular writer says, 'you
may make houses enchantingly beautiful, hang
them with pictures, have them clean, airy, and
convenient ; but if the stomach is fed with sour
bread and burnt meats, it will raise such rebellion
that the eyes will see no beauty an3^where.' In-
deed, I cannot conceive of a man being a Christian
husband or father who is fed regularly upon half-
baked bread, burnt or raw beef, and vile tea and
coffee. Comfort with most of us is essential to
happiness. And I have seen the peace of a whole
family destroyed for the day by having muddy
coffee for breakfast. Now, Emeline, I'm coming
to the point. For years this matter has been a
burden upon my mind, day and night. I have
been longing to reach the ears and hearts of my
countrywomen upon this subject. At last the
longing has taking shape and form, and I see now
in what way I can approach them. As so much
of wealth and happiness, as well as enjoyment, is
dependent upon the food we eat, and as no home
can deserve the name without a- well-ordered table,
I have concluded to write a cook-book."
"Write a cook-book! W^eli, why in the name
HOW IT HAPPENED. 13
%of all that is sensible, didn't you say so? But I
can't for the life of me sec how your writing a
cook-book will remedy the evils of which you
complain, or enable us to dispense with servants
at AVestfield. We have n perfect library of cook-
books already, and of making them there appears
to be no end. It requires an ordinary lifetime,
almost, to even glance at the thousands and tens
of thousands of recipes our numberless cook-
books contain, many of them proved perfect, and
handed down from generation to generation, along
with the family china and silver. Don't do it,
Kate."
" Cousin Emeline, you fail to comprehend my
purpose. I'm not going to add another to the list
of abominations miscalled cook-books, in which it
is impossil)le to find a recipe whereby an unskilled
or inexperienced housewife can make a loaf of
bread equal to that made by our best bakers. In
this one, which I pick up at random, I find only
eleven recipes in any way touching bread, — not
one of them minute and careful in detail, — while
I find in it sixty for cake, and fifty-eight for pies
and puddings. From glancing over our popular
cook-books, one Avould be apt to conclude the
leading praA^er of their writers Avas, ' Give us this
day our daily pastry.' In my cook-book I will
deal with the essential articles of food. I will
dilate upon the charms of bread, meats, and vcge-
14 COOKING AND CASTLE-BUILDING.
Page 3
Presented as published in 1880. 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
"Why, this: you see, Cousm Emeline, no home can be what it ought to be, unless there is a good cook in the establishment. A great many of the sins of the world are traceable to bad food. A carnal stomach has often more to do with crime than a carnal heart. A popular writer says, 'you may make houses enchantingly beautiful, hang them with pictures, have them clean, airy, and convenient ; but if the stomach is fed with sour bread and burnt meats, it will raise such rebellion that the eyes will see no beauty anywhere.' Indeed, I cannot conceive of a man being a Christian husband or father who is fed regularly upon halfbaked bread, burnt or raw beef, and vile tea and coffee. Comfort with most of us is essential to happiness. And I have seen the peace of a whole family destroyed for the day by having muddy coffee for breakfast. Now, Emeline, I'm coming to the point. For years this matter has been a burden upon my mind, day and night. I have been longing to reach the ears and hearts of my countrywomen upon this subject. At last the longing has taking shape and form, and I see now in what way I can approach them. As so much of wealth and happiness, as well as enjoyment, is dependent upon the food we eat, and as no home can deserve the name without a- well-ordered table, I have concluded to write a cook-book."
"Write a cook-book! W^Well, why in the name of all that is sensible, didn't you say so? But I can't for the life of me sec how your writing a cook-book will remedy the evils of which you complain, or enable us to dispense with servants at Westfield. We have n perfect library of cookbooks already, and of making them there appears to be no end. It requires an ordinary lifetime, almost, to even glance at the thousands and tens of thousands of recipes our numberless cookbooks contain, many of them proved perfect, and handed down from generation to generation, along with the family china and silver. Don't do it, Kate."
" Cousin Emeline, you fail to comprehend my purpose. I'm not going to add another to the list of abominations miscalled cook-books, in which it is impossible to find a recipe whereby an unskilled or inexperienced housewife can make a loaf of bread equal to that made by our best bakers. In this one, which I pick up at random, I find only eleven recipes in any way touching bread, — not one of them minute and careful in detail, — while I find in it sixty for cake, and fifty-eight for pies and puddings. From glancing over our popular cook-books, one Avould be apt to conclude the leading prayer of their writers Avas, ' Give us this day our daily pastry.' In my cook-book I will deal with the essential articles of food. I will dilate upon the charms of bread, meats, and vege-