Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
235
The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft
·
George Gissing
200
What
is
the
intellectual
and
moral
state
of
that
man
who
really
believes
that
chemical
analysis
can
be
an
equivalent
for
natural
gusto?--I
will
get
more
nourishment
out
of
an
inch
of
right
Cambridge
sausage;
aye,
out
of
a
couple
of
ounces
of
honest
tripe;
than
can
be
yielded
me
by
half
a
hundredweight
of
the
best
lentils
ever
grown.
X.
Talking
of
vegetables,
can
the
inhabited
globe
offer
anything
to
vie
with
the
English
potato
justly
steamed?
I
do
not
say
that
it
is
always--or
often--to
be
seen
on
our
tables,
for
the
steaming
of
a
potato
is
one
of
the
great
achievements
of
culinary
art;
but,
when
it
is
set
before
you,
how
flesh
and
spirit
exult!
A
modest
palate
will
find
more
than
simple
comfort
in
your
boiled
potato
of
every
day,
as
served
in
the
decent
household.
New
or
old,
it
is
beyond
challenge
delectable.
Try
to
think
that
civilized
nations
exist
to
whom
this
food
is
unknown--nay,
who
speak
of
it,
on
hearsay,
with
contempt!
Such
critics,
little
as
they
suspect
it,
never
ate
a
potato
in
their
lives.
What
they
have
swallowed
under
that
name
was
the
vegetable
with
all
its
exquisite
characteristics
vulgarized
or
destroyed.
Picture
the
"ball
of
flour"
(as
old-fashioned
housewives
call
it)
lying
in
the
dish,
diffusing
the
softest,
subtlest
aroma,
ready
to
crumble,
all
but
to
melt,
as
soon
as
it
is
touched;
recall
its
gust
and
its
after-gust,
blending
so
consummately
with
that
of
the
joint,
hot
or
cold.
Then
think
of
the
same
potato
cooked
in
any
other
way,
and
what
sadness
will
come
upon
you!
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
