THE VAGARIES OF EATING.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10063, 8 June 1910, Page 4

THE VAGARIES OF EATING.

It is significant of the gradual change that has come over the eating customs of portions, at least, I

of the London community that the management of one of the most famous restaurants—the Criterion —should have discovered the expediency of dedicating a large and' beautiful room solely to the purposes of vegetarianism. The c»lt, hitherto, has been associated in the popular mind with aesthetic, anaemic individuals enanmured of the virtues

of weird "Jems, dabbling in "spooks" perhaps, garbing themselves in something loose ar,d flowing and faring sumptuously tivery day 'ipon dishes of beans and nuts. All this, however, j has been changed—at least so far as the Oriteriun 13 concerned. The fruitarian banqueting hall was opened recently with considerable flourish of trumpats, and tnough tha dinners were drawn largtly from the ranks of habitual vegetarians, there was still a numerous sprinkling of. reprobate meat-eaters and nondescript scoffers. Considering the somewhat circurn-

scribad area of the field of his selec- ! tion, the chef contributed admirably for the inaugural feast Twelve separate and distinct varieties of soup were available. The entrees presented a variety even more bewildering. There were corn croquettes with tomato sauce, cucumbers stuffed with mushroums, corn souffle with paprika, ar.d other dainty dishes fit to set i hefore a (nut-eating) king. Eggs were served in nine separate ways —from eyt;s simple and unadorned to eggs arrayefl in culinary purple and fine linen. There were five curries, rice in four charming shapes, omelettes in profusion, and maccar-

oni and its many cousins in various disguises. Potatoes cooked in ten different ways should,, have been worth whiie going to taste and see, and, needless to say, in the preparation of sweets absolutely no limitation was placed upon- the genius and versatility of the che f . The guests were permitted to indulge their individual tastes in the matter of wines, but concession to niodernity was made by the inclusion of some milk in an honoured position in the menu.