While reading and transcribing my notes, I underwent a strict self-examination.  I passed in review all I had seen, all I had felt, and scrupulously challenged every expression of disapprobation; the result was, that I omitted in transcription much that I had written, as containing unnecessary details of things which had displeased me; yet, as I did so, I felt strongly that there was no exaggeration in them; but such details, though true, might be ill-natured, and I retained no more than were necessary to convey the general impressions received.  While thus reviewing my notes, I discovered that many points, which all scribbling travellers are expected to notice, had been omitted; but a few pages of miscellaneous observations will, I think, supply all that can be expected from so idle a pen.

CHAPTER 28

American Cooking—­Evening Parties—­Dress—­Sleighing—­ Money-getting Habits—­Tax-Gatherer’s Notice—­Indian Summer—­Anecdote of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar

In relating all I know of America, I surely must not omit so important a feature as the cooking.  There are sundry anomalies in the mode of serving even a first-rate table; but as these are altogether matters of custom, they by no means indicate either indifference or neglect in this important business; and whether castors are placed on the table or on the sideboard; whether soup, fish, patties, and salad be eaten in orthodox order or not, signifies but little.  I am hardly capable, I fear, of giving a very erudite critique on the subject; general observations therefore must suffice.  The ordinary mode of living is abundant, but not delicate.  They consume an extraordinary quantity of bacon.  Ham and beaf-steaks appear morning, noon, and night.  In eating, they mix things together with the strangest incongruity imaginable.  I have seen eggs and oysters eaten together:  the sempiternal ham with apple-sauce; beefsteak with stewed peaches; and salt fish with onions.  The bread is everywhere excellent, but they rarely enjoy it themselves, as they insist upon eating horrible half-baked hot rolls both morning and evening.  The butter is tolerable; but they have seldom such cream as every little dairy produces in England; in fact, the cows are very roughly kept, compared with our’s.  Common vegetables are abundant and very fine.  I never saw sea-cale or cauliflowers, and either from the want of summer rain, or the want of care, the harvest of green vegetables is much sooner over than with us.  They eat the Indian corn in a great variety of forms; sometimes it is dressed green, and eaten like peas; sometimes it is broken to pieces when dry, boiled plain, and brought to table like rice; this dish is called hominy.  The flour of it is made into at least a dozen different sorts of cakes; but in my opinion all bad.  This flour, mixed in the proportion of one-third with fine wheat, makes by far the best bread I ever tasted.