Early Breakfast.—We are of opinion that everybody ought to eat as little meat as possible, and drink no wine, beer, or any other liquor at an early breakfast, no matter what the sex or age may be, except when prescribed by the physician in case of sickness, debility, etc. The food may be selected from the following: bread and butter, eggs, omelets, fried fish, fried vegetables, sardines, and fruit, according to the season.
As for meat, in case it should be eaten, it ought to be cold, such as fowl or veal, cooked the day before.
Muffins, and other cakes or pastes, served warm, are very bad for the stomach and teeth.
The beverage ought to be either coffee, with milk, chocolate, cocoa, choca, or cold water, but do not by any means drink tea at breakfast; it is too astringent.
Although cold meat is not by far so injurious as warm meat for breakfast, it ought, nevertheless, to be as little partaken of as possible, and especially by the young.
Late Breakfast, Lunch, Tea, and early Supper.—At these meals the following dishes may be served:
Every dish served as a hors-d'oeuvre, calf's head and feet, bear hams, head-cheese, eggs cooked in any way, omelets, mutton chops, veal cutlets, fried fish, ripe fruit, boned birds, ham, cold meat of any kind, oysters, pâté de foies gras, salads of chicken, or any other birds, and of lobster, sandwiches, sardines, fried vegetables, sweet dishes, and pastry.
Late Supper.—This being the last meal taken before retiring, persons should be careful about what they eat then, especially those who take no bodily exercise, or retire soon after it. Some are not aware that their rest depends nearly, if not entirely, on what they have eaten at supper. The lighter the food the better; such as fried fish, sardines, lait de poule, bavaroise, well-ripened fruit, a cream, a little iced fruit, fruit-jelly, prunes, etc.
The gastronomical or hygienic rule to be observed in eating, it will be seen, is therefore, after the soup and hors-d'oeuvres, to commence with the heaviest or most substantial dishes, and to finish with the lightest. The rule is just the opposite for wines. Here we must commence with the lightest, and end with those which contain the most alcohol, and are consequently the heaviest.