FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF THE

SCIENCE.

I.

But for life the universe were nothing, and all that has life requires nourishment.

II.

Animals feed, man eats; the man of sense and culture alone understands eating.

III.

The fate of nations depends upon how they are fed.

IV.

Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you

are.

V.

In compelling man to eat that he may live, Nature gives appetite to invite him, and pleasure to reward him.

VI.

Good living is due to that action of the judgment by which the things which please our taste are preferred to all others.

VII.

The pleasures of the table are common to all ages and ranks, to all countries and times; they not only harmonize with all the other pleasures, but remain to console us for their loss.

VIII.

It is only at table that a man never feels bored during the first hour.

IX.

The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a planet.

X.

A drunkard knows not how to drink, and he who eats too much, or too quickly, knows not how to eat.

XI.

In eating, the order is from the more substantial to the lighter.

XII.

In drinking, the order is from the milder to that which is stronger and of finer flavour.

XIII.

To maintain that a man must not change his wine is a heresy: the palate becomes cloyed, and, after three or four glasses, it is but a deadened sensation that even the best wine provokes.

XIV.

A last course at dinner, wanting cheese, is like a pretty woman with only one eye.

XV.

Cookery is an art, but to roast requires genius.

XVI.

In a cook, the most essential quality is punctuality; it should be also that of the guest.

XVII.

It is a breach of politeness towards those guests who are punctual when they are kept long waiting for one who is late.

XVIII.

He who receives friends without himself bestowing some pains upon the repast prepared for them, does not deserve to have friends.

XIX.

As the coffee after dinner is the special care of the lady of the house, so the host must see that the liqueurs are the choicest possible.

XX.

To receive any one as our guest is to become responsible for his happiness during the whole of the time he is under our roof.