A potent aid in making cheap cookery
savory is the judicious use of seasoning. In
some homes knowledge of these seems to be
confined to an acquaintance with pepper,
mustard, onion, and parsley. Little is known
of the variety of even simple herbs, hke
thyme, sweet-marjoram, and summer-savory ;
and still less of Worcestershire, Harvey's,
anchovy, and chilli sauces, of chutney, of
curry powder, of tarragon vinegar, of bay
leaves, of maitre cThdtel butter, of olives, of
tomato and walnut catsups, or of the paref ul
employment of spices in small quantities.
The magical improvement wrought by the
addition of a little lemon juice and a wine-
glassful of California sherry (at fifty cents a
quart bottle) is totally unknown.
Of course the first outlay for some of these
commodities may savor of extravagance.
But many of the articles are very cheap, and
even the more costly ones are used in such
smaU quantities that a supply of any one of
them will last a long time. Moreover, if a
woman's aim is to prepare dishes which
her family will eat and enjoy, she will find
245
WHAT TO EAT— HOW TO SEEVE IT
that the purchase of condiments pays, and
the variety their occasional use gives will
make a change back to simple diet more
agreeable.
^ 246
THB CHILDREN*S TABLB
IN comparatively few American homes
does the custom prevail of giving the
children their meals apart from their parents.
Domestic arrangements would be sadly com-
plicated were it common in the ordinary
household, as it is in England, to have a
separate breakfast served for the little ones
in their nursery while the seniors discuss their
more elaborate morning repast in their own
salle a manger.
Usually, and wisely, American children eat
at least two of their meals with their par-
ents, and thus have what benefit may be de-
rived from association with older people. It
is only when the father and mpther fail to
guard against letting the little ones gradually
assume the reins of government that affairs
reach a point which makes one long to ban-
ish the babies to the nursery, or even further,
247
WHAT TO EAT — HOW TO SEBVE IT
if by such means peace might be secured at
meal-times.
Nowhere does the spoiled child appear to
worse advantage, or make more of a nuisance
of himself, than, at the table. His incessant
chatter, the constant interruption his appeals
for attention make in the conversation of
the older people present, his clamorous de-
mands for any article of food which happens
to strike his fancy, his loud protests when
his wishes are denied him, his slovenly (often
disgusting) habits of eating, make the family
meal-times a pandemonium and penance to
the hapless guest upon whom the youngster
has no claims of affection to render his vaga-
ries amusing or interesting.
So long as custom and necessity render it
advisable to have a child at the same table
with his parents, these should fix upon a
plan of action, and adhere to it. Desiring
to have their children looked upon as com-
forts and not as spoil-sports, they should en-
force strict obedience, exact quiet at table,
and inculcate stringently the once-honored
maxim — of late years fallen sadly into disuse
248
THE children's TABLE
Page 64
Presented as published in 1891. 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
A potent aid in making cheap cookery savory is the judicious use of seasoning. In some homes knowledge of these seems to be confined to an acquaintance with pepper, mustard, onion, and parsley. Little is known of the variety of even simple herbs, hke thyme, sweet-marjoram, and summer-savory ; and still less of Worcestershire, Harvey's, anchovy, and chilli sauces, of chutney, of curry powder, of tarragon vinegar, of bay leaves, of maître d'hôtel butter, of olives, of tomato and walnut catsups, or of the paref ul employment of spices in small quantities. The magical improvement wrought by the addition of a little lemon juice and a wineglassful of California sherry (at fifty cents a quart bottle) is totally unknown.
Of course the first outlay for some of these
commodities may savor of extravagance.
But many of the articles are very cheap, and
even the more costly ones are used in such
small quantities that a supply of any one of
them will last a long time. Moreover, if a
woman's aim is to prepare dishes which
her family will eat and enjoy, she will find
that the purchase of condiments pays, and
the variety their occasional use gives will
make a change back to simple diet more
agreeable.
^ 246
THE CHILDREN'S TABLE
IN comparatively few American homes does the custom prevail of giving the children their meals apart from their parents. Domestic arrangements would be sadly complicated were it common in the ordinary household, as it is in England, to have a separate breakfast served for the little ones in their nursery while the seniors discuss their more elaborate morning repast in their own salle a manger.
Usually, and wisely, American children eat at least two of their meals with their parents, and thus have what benefit may be derived from association with older people. It is only when the father and mother fail to guard against letting the little ones gradually assume the reins of government that affairs reach a point which makes one long to banish the babies to the nursery, or even further,
if by such means peace might be secured at meal-times.
Nowhere does the spoiled child appear to worse advantage, or make more of a nuisance of himself, than, at the table. His incessant chatter, the constant interruption his appeals for attention make in the conversation of the older people present, his clamorous demands for any article of food which happens to strike his fancy, his loud protests when his wishes are denied him, his slovenly (often disgusting) habits of eating, make the family meal-times a pandemonium and penance to the hapless guest upon whom the youngster has no claims of affection to render his vagaries amusing or interesting.
So long as custom and necessity render it advisable to have a child at the same table with his parents, these should fix upon a plan of action, and adhere to it. Desiring to have their children looked upon as comforts and not as spoil-sports, they should enforce strict obedience, exact quiet at table, and inculcate stringently the once-honored maxim — of late years fallen sadly into disuse
THE children's TABLE