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strictly limit their orders. Again, at almost every hotel, coffee- 

 room, or public restaurant here, and whatever the hour of 

 day, it is rare indeed if the waiter summoned to an appli- 

 cant demanding fish does not first suggest the inevitable fried 

 sole, whatever else he may have to offer ; and it is generally 

 accepted as probably the safest order to give, and the most 

 likely to be promptly executed. No desire for variety in 

 material, or in cookery is manifested, for if the host sug- 

 gested something less familiarly known, a troublesome 

 doubt as to his motive would probably be aroused in the 

 mind of the guest* 



To return to the list of fish j ust given, it may be remarked 

 that the sole, the whiting and the smelt are the most 

 delicate in flavour, contain the least nutritious matter, and 

 are the easiest of digestion ; fitting them admirably to the 

 invalid commencing after illness to make a trial of solid 

 food ; the two former being also susceptible of very varied 

 treatment in high class cooking for the production of 

 elegant entrees. The turbot, rightly esteemed, is stronger 

 food and agrees well with most persons. The cod for some 

 is not quite so readily taken ; but is not only more pala- 

 table but is sometimes more easily assimilated when 

 " crimped." The same may be said of the salmon, a lead- 

 ing characteristic of which is the presence of fat. This 

 element in fish is more apt to disagree with the stomach 

 than fat from other sources ; and on this account it is, that 

 many either avoid, or eat sparingly of salmon. As the 



* Since writing the above, I have learned that in the fish restaurant 

 here, a similar experience has been met with. Notwithstanding the 

 efforts of the accomplished lady superintendent to introduce to the 

 public new modes of cooking fish, curries, stews, &c., she informs me 

 that these have been entirely neglected, and among the thousand or 

 more daily visitors, three-fourths demand fried fish, and the other 

 fourth take it boiled, or rather steamed. 



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