Sidney Beard - A Comprehensive Guide-Book to Natural, Hygienic and Humane Diet

Cooking by Gas saves Labour.Cooking by gas appliances is more easily controlled and regulated than when the old-fashioned fire is employed, and much labour for stoking and cleaning is avoided. Those who can do so, should obtain a gas hot-plate, consisting of two or three spiral burners, and a moderate-sized gas oven. If they cannot afford the ordinary gas cooking oven, a smaller substitute can be obtained, which can be placed upon any gas jet; this is very economical for cooking single dishes, and for warming plates, etc. A gas cooking jet can be obtained for eighteenpence, and two or three of these will take the place of a hot-plate if economy is necessary. In summer-time the kitchen range is quite a superfluity unless it is required for heating bath water.

A New Mission for Women.The ordinary public know very little of the variety and delicacy of a well chosen fruitarian dietary when thoughtfully prepared; ignorance and prejudice consequently cause thousands to turn a deaf ear to the evangel of Food-Reform. All women who desire to bring about the abolition of Butchery, and to hasten the Humane Era, should therefore educate themselves in artistic fruitarian cookery, and then help to instruct others.

To illustrate the truth of these remarks I may mention that at a banquet given by the Arcadian Lodge of Freemasons, at the Hotel Cecil, in London – the first Masonic Lodge which passed a resolution to banish animal-flesh from all its banquets – one of the Chief Officers of the Grand Lodge of England attended. He came filled with prejudice against the innovation and prepared to criticise the repast most unfavourably. In his after-dinner speech, however, he admitted that it was one of the best Masonic banquets he had ever attended, and said that if what if he had enjoyed was "vegetarian diet," he was prepared to adopt it if he found it possible to get it provided at home.

By practising the recipes which are given in the following pages, and by utilizing the hints which accompany them, readers of this book will find no difficulty in acquiring the skill which is requisite to win many from the flesh-pots, even when they cannot be induced to abandon them from any higher motives than self-interest or gustatory enjoyment.

Every woman should resolve to learn how to feed her children with pure and harmless food. Every mother should make her daughters study this art and thus educate them to worthily fulfil their domestic responsibilities. Here is a new profession for women – for teachers of high-class fruitarian and hygienic cookery will soon be greatly in demand.

The difficulty of being properly catered for when staying at Hotels was formerly a very real one, but owing to the enlightenment concerning diet which is now taking place, and the rapid increase of foreign restaurants and cafés in English-speaking countries it is becoming lessened every day. The great variety of fleshless dishes now supplied in nearly all light-refreshment restaurants, in response to the public demand, is compelling even the largest Hotels to modify their cuisine accordingly.

For breakfast it is sometimes a good plan to order what one wants the previous night, if any specially cooked dishes are required, but it is not advisable to inform the waiter that one is a vegetarian. It is generally possible to obtain porridge, grilled tomatoes on toast, poached or fried eggs, stewed mushrooms, etc., without giving extra trouble or exciting comment. Where these cannot be obtained, a plain breakfast of brown bread or toast and butter, with eggs, preserves and fruit should be taken.

At large hotels in our chief cities a Restaurant and a Grill Room are provided. The food-reformer should go to one of these for his dinner, rather than to the dining room, as he will then be able to obtain various simple à la carte dishes. One 'portion' of any particular dish will often suffice for two persons, thus enabling those whose means are limited to obtain greater variety without increasing expenditure. Care has to be exercised, however, concerning certain dishes; for instance, if macaroni is required, it is well to ask the waiter to request the cook not to introduce any chopped ham. He should be told that you wish macaroni served with tomato sauce and cheese only, in the "Neapolitan" style.

In most Continental Hotels and Restaurants the simplest, cheapest, and best plan is to take 'table d'hôte' – telling the head waiter well beforehand that the lunch or dinner is required 'maigre' (that is without flesh, just as it is usually served during Lent). A varied, well selected, and ample repast will then be supplied at a moderate cost. The same plan is best in 'Pensions.'

The general rule to be adopted in small British hotels is to think beforehand what dishes the cook is in the habit of making which are free from flesh; these should be ordered in preference to those which are strange and not likely to be understood. At the same time it is well to insist upon being supplied with anything which it is reasonable to expect the proprietor to furnish, because such action tends to improve the catering of the hotels of the country, to make it easier for other food-reformers, and to sweep away the difficulty which at present exists in some towns, of obtaining anything fit to eat in the orthodox hotel coffee rooms, except beasts, birds, or fishes.

Railway Journeys.Those who are making railway journeys can easily provide themselves with a simple luncheon basket containing fruits, sandwiches made with flaked nuts, eggs, cheese or preserves, or with such delicacies as haricot or lentil potted meat (directions for making which will be found later on, in the section devoted to Luncheon Recipes.) Travellers may perhaps be reminded that cheese and nuts contain much more nutriment than lean meat.

Food-reformers who are about to pay a prolonged visit in a private house should inform the hostess, when accepting her invitation, that they are abstainers from flesh, but that their tastes are very simple and that they enjoy anything except flesh food. As she might have erroneous ideas about the requirements of vegetarians she might otherwise feel perplexed as to what to provide. If the visitor takes fish the fact should be stated.

No Faddism.Care should be taken not to involve the hostess in any needless trouble, and she should be shown, by the simplicity of one's requirements, that she is easily capable of affording complete satisfaction. When she realizes this, she will probably take pleasure in learning something about hygienic living, and will be ready to read a pamphlet or a guide-book upon the subject, and to produce some of the dishes contained in it.

The Humane Diet Cause has been much hindered by the 'fads' of persons who have adopted very extreme views about diet and who worry themselves and other people about trifling matters in connection with their food until they are almost regarded as being pests in a household. Instead of cheerfully partaking of anything that is provided, except flesh, they parade their scruples about almost everything on the table, and, consequently, those who entertain them vow that they will never become such nuisances themselves or entertain such again.

I have always found that by letting my friends clearly understand that I abstain from butchered flesh chiefly because of humane reasons and for the sake of principle , they respect my sentiment, and evince a desire to discuss the matter without prejudice. If fruitarianism is adopted merely as a 'fad,' discordant vibrations are often aroused because one's acquaintances consider that one is giving needless trouble by being unconventional without sufficient justification.

Sea Voyages.Those who are making a sea voyage will find that many of the large steamship companies are quite prepared to furnish substitutes for flesh-diet if an arrangement is made beforehand. In such cases there should be a clear stipulation that brown bread, dried and fresh fruit, nuts, farinaceous puddings, omelets, or dishes made with cheese, macaroni, lentils, haricots, tomatoes, etc., should be obtainable in some form and in sufficient variety. A list of a few 'specialities' (such as Protose, Nuttoria, &c.) should be furnished when a long voyage is contemplated, so that the steward may stock them.