Part 9

There was once upon a time an English statesman (it was either Lord Melbourne or Lord Palmerston) who asked a schoolboy what his ideal luncheon would be. The boy thought for a long time and said, “Roast duck, with peas and new potatoes, and then some raspberry-and-black-currant tart.” And the statesman, struck by the extraordinary wisdom of the reply, prophesied a great future for the boy, who was none other than--well, I quite forget. But it was not Winston Churchill.

It is on record, I believe, that Macaulay gave a house-warming dinner to two friends in Albany, and after expending much thought and all the resources of his immense erudition on the subject, came to the conclusion that the following would be the ideal menu for the occasion. The season was autumn.

Mulligatawny Soup Broiled Turbot Roast Partridge Toasted Cheese

I once asked a Frenchman who, at the time, was supposed to have, and rightly, the best cook in Paris, where and what was the best dinner he had ever had. He said the best dinner he had ever had was in a small country house in England and had consisted of a fried sole and roast grouse.

If I were Emperor of Rome, and had at my disposal the manual labor of ancient Rome, the skilled cooks of all nations, and the railway service of the world, and if I liked to give a perfect dinner, I should arrange it thus.

The season is, let us say, autumn or winter.

A cocktail made by an American Hors d’œuvre, consisting of fresh caviare from Russia, prawns from Seville Oysters: Blue Points Soup: Bortsch, made by a peasant of Little Russia Cold lobster Whitebait Veau à la bourgeoise, cooked by a Frenchwoman from a farm Roast grouse--Corn on the cob Salad, made by a Frenchman Marrow bones Toasted cheese A German apple tart Mince pies--Indigestion.

That is, perhaps, enough about food and the comforts of life. However the comforts of life in America may stand with regard to those in other countries, they are in America very remarkable, very characteristic, and worthy of study and still more of experience.

THE END

Transcriber's Notes:

Italics are shown thus: _sloping_.

Variations in spelling and hyphenation are retained.

Perceived typographical errors have been changed.