some cases the utmost trouble is taken to make everything as clean and as nice as possible, that every available appliance is given to the cook with a generous hand, and that the mistress of the house prides herself upon visiting her kitchen and seehnj that her orders are carried out. Xo : it is not to the energetic few that I dedicate these com- ments, but to the apathetic many who actually know not what they do — to themselves and to their friends — by permitting the preparation of their food to take care of itself. People who refrain from all interference, who hand everything over to their butlers, and take cleanliness for granted, do so, I know, sometimes through sheer ignorance, sometimes on account of idleness, and sometimes because they are not physicallj- cquiil to the exertion. I frankly admit that the labour is frequently very disheartening. It strikes me, however, that if reform were made easier and pleasanter, many who are now content to let things ' slide' might wake up and become enthusiastic, while even those, who do not know what trouble means in the matter of perfecting their cuisine, would be thankful to find their daily task less irksome. Let us, therefore, briefly consider how that object might be achieved. Taking the kitchen itself first : why on earth should we continue to accept as places fit for the cooking of our food the dismal hovels that are attached to our godowns, and called cook-rooms ? These places may have suSiced for the culinary necessities of our forefathers, who chiefly preyed upon curry and rice, and lived to all intents and purposes a la mode Indienne. But nous avons change tout cela. The delicate cookery which day by day gains popu- larity in India now demands a clean airy room, properly furnished, with plenty of light, and many accessories borrowed from civilized Europe. It has become essential, in fact, that to every house there should be attached a small building reserved solely OUR KITCHENS IN INDIA. 501 for kitchen work and — nothing else. It should be quite close to the house, and connected with the back verandah by a covered way. It should be constructed with a frontage towards the north or south so that the rays of the morning and evening sun may strike its sides. It should contain three rooms : — the work-room, the cooking-room, and the scullery, all opening into a good verandah. In the first, the food, pastry, &c., should be prepared ; it should therefore be well ventilated, and have a good glass window or sky light, a large dresser, a marble pastry slab, a rack for plates and dishes, shelves for cups, jugs, bowls, &c., a cupboard for culinary stores, and a gauze meatsafe to protect meat, &c., from flies. Communication between this room and the cooking-room should be shut off so that no smoke could find its way into it : things should be carried to the kitchen via the verandah. The cooking-room should, if possible, contain an English or American range. Failing that, a country-made range upon English principles, the construction of which I will discuss by-and-by. It should be well ventilated, well lighted, and, in any circumstances, should contain a chimney. A table for dishing up, &c., would be required here, and also racks for ladles, dredgers, &c., with shelves for the utensils.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

some cases the utmost trouble is taken to make everything as clean and as nice as possible, that every available appliance is given to the cook with a generous hand, and that the mistress of the house prides herself upon visiting her kitchen and seeing that her orders are carried out. Xo : it is not to the energetic few that I dedicate these comments, but to the apathetic many who actually know not what they do — to themselves and to their friends — by permitting the preparation of their food to take care of itself. People who refrain from all interference, who hand everything over to their butlers, and take cleanliness for granted, do so, I know, sometimes through sheer ignorance, sometimes on account of idleness, and sometimes because they are not physically equal to the exertion. I frankly admit that the labour is frequently very disheartening. It strikes me, however, that if reform were made easier and pleasanter, many who are now content to let things ' slide' might wake up and become enthusiastic, while even those, who do not know what trouble means in the matter of perfecting their cuisine, would be thankful to find their daily task less irksome. Let us, therefore, briefly consider how that object might be achieved. Taking the kitchen itself first : why on earth should we continue to accept as places fit for the cooking of our food the dismal hovels that are attached to our godowns, and called cook-rooms ? These places may have sufficed for the culinary necessities of our forefathers, who chiefly preyed upon curry and rice, and lived to all intents and purposes a la mode Indienne. But nous avons change tout cela. The delicate cookery which day by day gains popularity in India now demands a clean airy room, properly furnished, with plenty of light, and many accessories borrowed from civilized Europe. It has become essential, in fact, that to every house there should be attached a small building reserved solely for kitchen work and — nothing else. It should be quite close to the house, and connected with the back verandah by a covered way. It should be constructed with a frontage towards the north or south so that the rays of the morning and evening sun may strike its sides. It should contain three rooms : — the work-room, the cooking-room, and the scullery, all opening into a good verandah. In the first, the food, pastry, &c., should be prepared ; it should therefore be well ventilated, and have a good glass window or sky light, a large dresser, a marble pastry slab, a rack for plates and dishes, shelves for cups, jugs, bowls, &c., a cupboard for culinary stores, and a gauze meatsafe to protect meat, &c., from flies. Communication between this room and the cooking-room should be shut off so that no smoke could find its way into it : things should be carried to the kitchen via the verandah. The cooking-room should, if possible, contain an English or American range. Failing that, a country-made range upon English principles, the construction of which I will discuss by-and-by. It should be well ventilated, well lighted, and, in any circumstances, should contain a chimney. A table for dishing up, &c., would be required here, and also racks for ladles, dredgers, &c., with shelves for the utensils.

Culinary jottings