214 FOOD AND FEEDING 



actually experience them. Moreover, a great many eatable 

 objects have hardly any taste of their own, properly speak- 

 ing, but only a feeling of softness, or hardness, or glutinous- 

 ness in the mouth, mainly observed in the act of chewing 

 them. For example, plain boiled rice is almost wholly 

 insipid ; but even in its plainest form salt has usually been 

 boiled with it, and in practice we generally eat it witJi 

 sugar, preserves, curry, or some other strongly flavoured 

 condiment. Again, plain boiled tapioca and sago (in 

 water) are as nearly tasteless as anything can be ; they 

 merely yield a feeling of gumminess ; but milk, in which 

 they are oftenest cooked, gives them a relish (in the sense 

 here restricted), and sugar, eggs, cinnamon, or nutmeg are 

 usually added by way of flavouring. Even turbot has 

 liprdly any taste proper, except in the glutinous skin, 

 which has a faint relish ; the epicure values it rather be- 

 cause of its softness, its delicacy, and its light flesh. 

 Gelatine by itself is merely very swallowable ; we must mix 

 sugar, wine, lemon -juice, and other flavourings in order to 

 make it into good jelly. Salt, spices, essences, vanilla, 

 vinegar, pickles, capers, ketchups, sauces, chutneys, lime- 

 juice, curry, and all the rest, are just our civilised expedients 

 for adding the pleasure of pungency and acidity to naturally 

 insipid foods, by stimulating the nerves of touch in the 

 tongue, just as sugar is our tribute to the pure gustatory 

 sense, and oil, butter, bacon, lard, and the various fats used 

 in frying to the sense of relish which forms the last 

 element in our compound taste. A boiled sole is all very 

 well when one is just convalescent, but in robust health we 

 demand the delights of egg and bread-crumb, which are 

 after all only the vehicle for the appetising grease. Plain 

 boiled macaroni may pass muster in the unsophisticated 

 nursery, but in the pampered dining-room it requires the 

 aid of toasted parmesan. Good modern cookery is the 



