THE CHUB. 289 



but I have not a word to say in favour of his flesh, boiled, 

 fried, or broiled. Walton seems " to beat about the 

 bush " as regards the edibility of a chub, and as he 

 dramatizes his discourse, he has every facility for so 

 doing. Says "Venator," — "Oh, sir, a chub is the worst 

 fish that swims" ;" to whom in answer " Piscator," — 

 " Though a chub be by you and many others reckoned 

 the worst of fish, yet you shall see I 3 11 make it a good 

 dish by dressing it." After the " hostess " has dressed 

 it, and grace has been said, and the anglers have " fallen " 

 to their supper, " Venator " is made to say, " J Tis as good 

 meat as I ever tasted." But later on, when " Piscator " 

 (Walton) discourseth more fully on the chub, he saith, 

 " The chub, though he eat well thus dressed, yet as he is 

 usually dressed, he does not. He is objected against, not 

 only for being full of small forked bones, dispersed 

 through all his body, but that he eats waterish, and that 

 the flesh of him is not firm, but short and tasteless." On 

 another occasion, when " Venator " asks, " What shall be 

 done with my chub V "Piscator" answereth, "Marry, 

 sir, it shall be given away to some poor body." A 

 dictionary I have just referred to is somewhat cautious, 

 and says, "It is not considered a great dainty." A 

 modern angler of the highest repute, who does his best, 

 gastronomically, to uphold fresh-water fish, and at whose 

 house (cold) roach baked in a pie- dish with spices and 

 bay leaves are often on table, declares against the chub 

 as " watery, coarse, and tasteless ;" but, after referring 

 to Izaak Walton's recipe for cooking him, says that 

 " small chub of some half-pound weight, if crimped and 

 fried dry, are not so bad as the fish is generally repre- 

 sented." Another writer, with whom I am much more 



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