Four Years in France: or, Narrative of an English Family's Residence there during that Period; Preceded by some Account of the Conversion of the Author to the Catholic FaithBeste, Henry Digby
Religion
Four Years in France: or, Narrative of an English Family's Residence there during that Period; Preceded by some Account of the Conversion of the Author to the Catholic Faith
Beste, Henry Digby
France -- Description and travel
It will be seen, that the arbitrary parts of a French dinner are the
made dishes and the sweets: the bouilli and rôti are obligatory; the
former because you are hungry, the latter, lest you should still be so.
I approve of the order in which the fish appears, having seen many
persons choke themselves in England by eating of it with an appetite as
yet unsatiated. Even to the fried fish I ventured, contrary to usage, to
add a sauce, (in a sauce-boat be it well understood,) which those who
partook of it admitted to be an improvement. A stuffed turkey, with
sausage balls, was allowed to be better than a dry rôti: a hare, with a
pudding and currant jelly, was declared to be delicious. I obtained
permission to serve the cheese, as a thing of mauvaise odeur, by itself,
recalling only the salad, instead of making it a part of the dessert. By
these means, and by the help of stuffed loins of mutton, roasted
tongues, or boiled, with but little flavour of salt, new college
puddings, and other unknown luxuries too tedious to mention, (a phrase I
ought to have employed long ago,) I have the patriotic consolation of
thinking that I gave a favourable idea of the English kitchen, which, in
defiance of popular opinion, I affirm to be better than the French,
though their artists in this line are superior. The chief differences
are, that the French make prepared and high-seasoned dishes of their
vegetables, and think it barbarous to eat them, au naturel, along with
their meat; and that they will not believe that their meat contains any
juice, or gravy, or flavour, till they have extracted it by culinary
process, and laid it beside the meat in the dish. Indeed their climate,
which provides for them so many excellent things, refuses them pasture
to fatten beef; but they have fine artificial grasses and hay: of every
other object of gourmandise, except fat beef, they have all that the
most voracious, or the most delicate appetite can demand.
An invitation to dinner is always taken au pied de la lettre; it never
trenches on the evening parties;--all retire immediately after coffee.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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