Gluttony Is Mankind's Exclusive Prerogative.

All Languages Had Their Birth, Their Apogee And Decline.

The Pleasure Of The Table Belongs To All Ages, To All Conditions, To All Countries, And To All Areas; It Mingles With All Other Pleasures, And Remains At Last To Console Us For Their Departure.

The First Thing We Become Convinced Of Is That Man Is Organized So As To Be Far More Sensible Of Pain Than Of Pleasure.

The Torrent Of Centuries Rolling Over The Human Race, Has Continually Brought New Perfections, The Cause Of Which, Ever Active Though Unseen, Is Found In The Demands Made By Our Senses, Which Always In Their Turns Demand To Be Occupied.

In The Centre Of A Spacious Table Rose A Pastry As Large As A Church, Flanked On The North By A Quarter Of Cold Veal, On The South By An Enormous Ham, On The East By A Monumental Pile Of Butter, And On The West By An Enormous Dish Of Artichokes, With A Hot Sauce.