WOMEN NEGLECT COOKERY 181 



not in their food nor in their own party, but in pointing 

 out to one another the celebrities or notorieties or 

 eccentricities seated at other tables. So long as the 

 place is fashionable and noisy, the food is negligible and 

 neglected. 



For some reason, which I am unable to discover, the 

 women of England (it is not the case with those of France 

 and Germany) have, with rare exceptions, no interest in or 

 liking for lt cookery," and yet the men have left the 

 management of it entirely in their hands. Male "chefs" 

 of English nationality are rare specimens, though they 

 are, as a rule, the best at grilling and roasting. On the 

 other hand, in France, where women no less than men 

 value and understand cookery, there is an enormous body 

 of professional male cooks. Englishwomen of means and 

 education have to such a degree neglected all knowledge 

 of cookery and of the quality and criticism of kitchen 

 supplies, such as meat, fish, birds, and vegetables, that there 

 is no one to teach the poor country girls (who become 

 cooks in the majority of households) the elements of the 

 very difficult and important duties which they are expected 

 in virtue of some kind of inspiration or native genius 

 to discharge with skill and judgment : nor is there any 

 head of a household capable of seeing that the necessary 

 care and trouble are given. It is wonderful, under the 

 circumstances, how clever and willing our domestic cooks 

 are. A considerable section of English middle-class 

 women at the present day are allowed by the men, who 

 should guide them so as to make them honourable and 

 useful members of the community, to grow up in complete 

 ignorance of the essential parts of the art of cookery. 

 This was not the case a hundred years ago. Now a large 

 proportion of them have been led by bad example and 

 foolish notions to give up such matters to " the servants," 

 whether they are able to afford competent servants or even 



