Life — October 1, 1885 — page 5: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

-LI FRENCHMEN AS EDIBLES. HE latest cable advices announce that the King of Dahomey is shortly to give a Royal Feast to his subjects, at which will be served ¢2 bar- becue a band of one thousand Frenchmen, recently captured by His Royal Highness’ troops. If this proves to be true it will open up an entirely new field to the attention of epicures and caterers generally. The proverbial politeness of the Frenchman, as a man, gives the assurance that as an edible he cannot fail to be agreeable, and we doubt not that properly served he will be- come a most popular dish. But, with the Frenchman as with all other materials used in the construction of palate tickling dishes, much depends upon the manner in which he is cooked and seasoned, and we sincerely trust that for the sake of the inherent pride which will always remain in a French- man, no matter how thoroughly well done he may be, care will be taken to serve him up with neatness, and we may say dispatch. To be consistent he must be served hét, as when allowed to cool he is apt to lose his delicious French flavor and become indistinguishable from a phlegmatic Eng- lishman. If served as a salade, care must be taken that he be not what Carlyle, in his “ History of the French Revolution,” calls “sans culottes,” in other words, without dressing; for even the most ignorant will at once concede that a well-dressed Frenchman is not only a thing of beauty and a joy forever, but also in strict accord with his nationality. If perchance it was a German who was to grace the festive board in the capacity of a prece de resistance, the dressing would perhaps not so much matter; but in France the poorest beggar is never lacking in style and a certain czc-ness in his dress, and if a man is obliging enough to sacrifice himself to the inner king of a cannibal community, his feelings should be considered to this extent at least. His tongue should likewise be served with care, and his individuality preserved here as well as elsewhere, and as the | French are famous for their wit, Sauce Piguante would be a most appropriate dressing, and could hardly fail to please the most exacting of palates. To be sure there are those among the French for whom certain characteristics of tongue would make Sauce Tartare more appropriate, and in prepar- ing dishes of this nature the chef's discretion must be exer- cised to a certain extent. Leg of Frenchman with Caper sauce would be a most | exquisite compound, as French legs and capers have long been associated in the mind, but it would be well on all | occasions to avoid such a dish as Frenchman Fricassee @ FE~ 187 2’ Allemande, which would beyond all doubt prove a disa- greeable weight upon the clearest conscience. It is as a “ Turn-over,” however, that a Frenchman's political fickleness peculiarly fits him, but in cooking him in this style the most constant care is necessary, as it not unfre- quently occurs that he jumps from the frying pan into the fire, possessing to a large extent in his deceased state the properties of vitality which have hitherto supposed to have been distinctive of his much loved frog legs. It may be regarded as significant in this connection that the recipe for turn-overs in standard cook books invariably closes thus : Send around with a little Grévy in a boat. A point of etiquette which should always be observed at a feast where Frenchmen may be had in every style is that no dish in which they are ingredients should be washed down with German beer or Rhine wines, and, owing to the diver- sity of political opinion in France, if the dish’s politics are un- known, it would also be well to avoid such wines as “ Im- perial,” or others likely to conflict with his convictions. Of course, if it be known that he is an Imperialist, the above- named wine is the best to be had, but if he is actuated by Republican principles, Milwaukee beer or American wines are the most appropriate. When the Roast is believed to regard his eating as his burial, a light sauterne, such as Vin de Graves, is quite appropriate. We sincerely trust that the King of Dahomey will read, mark, learn and inwardly digest our injunctions before en- deavoring to assimilate a son of France, and by observing the proprieties here set forth, will avoid involving himself and his subjects in an unprofitable BROIL, with the great European Republic. F. K. Bangs. SURPRISING report comes from the East, that all the Mussulmen have been expelled from the Bulgarian | Army. They evidently do not believe in the manly art of self- defence out there.