Page:A short history of social life in England.djvu/273

Rh "The English eat a great deal at dinner," says a famous French traveller of these days. "Their supper is moderate: gluttons at noon and abstinent at night. I always heard they were great flesh-eaters, and I found it true. I have known several people in England that never eat any bread; they nibble a few crumbs, while they chew Meat by whole Mouthfuls. Generally speaking the English tables are not delicately served: the middling sort of people have ten or twelve sorts of common Meats which infallibly take their Turns at their Tables, and two dishes are their dinners; a Pudding, for instance, and a piece of Roast Beef; another time they will have a piece of Boil'd Beef, and then they salt it some days beforehand and besiege it with five or six heaps of Cabbage, Carrots, Turnips, or some other Herbs or Roots, well pepper'd and salted and swimming in Butter: A leg of roast or boil'd mutton, dished up with the same dainties. Fowls, Pigs, Ox Tripes and Tongues, Rabbits, Pigeons, all well moistened with Butter. Two of these dishes, always served up one after the other, made the usual Dinner of a Substantial Gentleman or wealthy Citizen." But the French traveller becomes enthusiastic over the English pudding. "The pudding is a dish very