Tant de la première viande
Se plusieurs en as en commande
Que d'austres ne puisses menger."
"What will be the price of a nice dinner," inquired the ecclesiast,—"a dinner that will leave us no cause for regret? We do not care for the menu in advance, as we prefer a surprise; but we wish a perfect dinner, neither too little nor too much."
The reply was promptly forthcoming, and here we transcribe a leaf from the ecclesiast's note-book:
"'Pour vingt francs un dîner ordinaire.
"'Pour quarante francs un très joli dîner!
"'Pour cent francs un grand dîner!!'—the voice of the restaurateur rising with the advancing prices."
These interesting notes then follow:
"Tuesday, June 3, 1860. Present:——,——,——,——. Dinner at 7 P.M. Dress suits. Voiture de remise. Portier with red waistcoat. Cabinet in entresol hung with pink silk tapestry. Three garçons, fine china, silver and table appointments. A bouquet of roses. Perfect service.
"Menu. Nine courses:—Melon musqué d'Algiers. Potage à la bisque (red soup with little red shrimps in centre of each dish). Vol-au-vent de saumon.... Salade. Checkerboard ice-cream (sixteen different colours and flavours). Great strawberries. Coffee (demi-tasse), cognac, cigars. Four wines: Sauterne, claret, and two champagnes."
Unfortunately, the menu itself has been lost, and the memory of our clerical informant has retained only a portion of the carte, which we have transcribed from the memoranda he has contributed. Was there a chapon à la Toulouse or noix de veau à la Soubise for the relevé; did lamb's ears à la Tortuë or carbonnades de mouton à la Macédoine form the entrée; did a caneton de Rouen, a poularde truffée, or a coq-vièrge do the honours of the roast; could des truffes au vin de Champagne or a gelée au marasquin have figured as the entremets; and, finally, what might have been the grosse pièce? Alas! these questions, like many questions of theology, must remain unanswered. It will be observed, notwithstanding, how the wall furnishings, the roses, the red of the bisque, the ripe hues of the melon and the salmon, the erubescence of the strawberries, and the very waistcoat of the avertisseur were happily combined; and also that as far back as 1860 the muskmelon had already been employed as an admirable prologue of the dinner during warm weather. As for the checkerboard crême glacée, with four flavours and four colours for each person, it is an addition to the dessert that is almost worthy of a sermon.
The following supplementary notes conclude the interesting account of the dinner: