MAX O'RELL ON ' PARRTCH.'

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1781, 5 March 1888, Page 3

MAX O'RELL ON ' PARRTCH.'

Tbe following ex'rsot Is from M. O'Rell's uew book entitled " L'Aml Macdonald " : —

"The national dish of Scotland is oatmeal pudding, called porridge, pronounoed by tbe natives parritch. Ponidge is served to breakfast m all Scottish houses, from the oastle to the cot. It is the first diih or the only one, Bcoording to the means Porridge is a food which both satisfies and strengthens, aud which, it wmld appear, is a considerable aid to the normal developement of the bony system. More than one sturdy Scotch student, with healthy hue but empty purse, breakfasts on a pla eful of porridge that he prepares himself ; while tbe gilded youth of Oxford and Cambridge breakfast like prlnods. I have met a roadman near Dumfries, who, with a wage of twelve shillings a week, his raised a family of eight children, all very chubby and radiant with health, thanks to porridge. The eldest, a fine lad of 18 years, has gained a bursary at Aberdeen University. In England none of the

liberal professions would have been open to him. The lower claaaea m England do not condesoend to eat porridge. They must have their butcher meat twice a day, with beer and other liquors, Twenty years of prosperity and high wages have spoilt and ruined the working class m England. Now the wages are low, or, rather, there is lees work, these people never dreamed of laying by a penny during their palmy days, and they now pull a wry face. They are not cured for all that. They would feel insulted if you offered them porridge. A young lady, who, quite recently wished to oonfer upon us the honor of serving as m the capacity of cook, refused one day to take tome porridge that my wife offered her saying, ' It is good enough for the people m the workhouse this oatmeal pudding, but, thank goodness I have not come to that yet.' No but It will come to that. When a Scottish servant receives her wages, she imitates the wisdom of the French servant of the provinces ; she pays a visit to the savings bank. When an English servant receives her wages aha goes right off to buy a new bonnet and to hove a photograph ' took.' I had always imagined that porridge should be token before other food. But having heard a stout Scotsman ask to be served with bis porridge after sausage and potatoes, I ventured to ask him the re&Bon. How Is it you take porridge last V said I. 'Ay mon,' replied he, ' it's to fill up the chinks. 1 Ask a Scottish country lad what he haß for bteakfaßt, and he will proudly reply 'Parritoh mon.' And for Dinner? •Parrltoh.' And for support 'Panritoh.' I If he had a fourth meal he would manage to introduce an 'r' more, I like the people who roll their V a 1 ; they h»ve some vim. (This is a poor version of Dean Ramsey's story.) To make hare soup yon must first catch your hare ; to make a Zouave, you must have a Frenchman ; to make aourkraut, you must bo a German (to treat, also) ; to make porridge you must \ be a Scotsman."