In The State Of Society In Which

Whosoever Says Truffle, Utters A Grand Word, Which Awakens Erotic And Gastronomic Ideas.

Gastronomers Of The Year 1825, Who Find Sateity In The Lap Of Abundance, And Dream Of Some Newly-made Dishes, You Will Not Enjoy The Discoveries Which Science Has In Store For The Year 1900, Such As Foods Drawn From The Mineral Kingdom, Liqueurs Produced By The Pressure Of A Hundred Atmospheres; You Will Never See The Importations Which Travelers Yet Unborn Will Bring To You From That Half Of The Globe Which Has Still To Be Discovered Or Explored. How I Pity You!

Meals, In The Sense In Which We Understand This Word, Began With The Second Age Of The Human Species.

Once Fire Was Discovered, The Instinct For Improvement Made Men Bring Food To It. First To Dry It, Then To Put It On The Coals To Cook.

'monsieur,' Madame D'arestel, Superior Of The Convent Of The Visitation At Belley, Once Said To Me More Than Fifty Years Ago, 'whenever You Want To Have A Really Good Cup Of Chocolate, Make It The Day Before, In A Porcelain Coffeepot, And Let It Set. The Night's Rest Will Concentrate It And Give It A Velvety Quality Which Will Make It Better. Our Good God Cannot Possibly Take Offense At This Little Refinement, Since He Himself Is Everything That Is Most Perfect.'