News You Can Bruise for 2003 September 1

Sumana gave me an old book, The History Of Popular Culture Since 1815. It's one of those old Books Of Concern, or maybe it's a textbook (it has a UIUC bookstore sticker on it). There are a bunch of interesting essays in it, such as one called "Gargantuan Victorian Meals" which lays out the menu for "twelve to fourteen persons":

• FIRST COURSE
  • Two Potages.
    • Good Woman's Soup, dite flamande, white and thick.
    • Soup a la beauveau, brown and clear.
  • Two Fishes.
    • Turbot with lobster sauce.
    • Slices of crimped salmon, boiled, with same sauce.
  • Two Removes.
    • Turkey a la perigeaux, puree of chestnut.
    • Leg of mutton roasted.
  • Six Entrees.
    • Cutlets of mutton braised with soubise suace.
    • Salmi of young partridges a la Espagnole.
    • Vol a vent of salt fish a la maitre d'hotel.
    • Casserole of rice with puree of game.
    • Saute of fillets of fowl a la lucullus, with truffles.
    • Fillets of young rabbits a la orlies, white sharp sauce.
• SECOND COURSE
  • Two Roasts.
    • Three partridges roasted.
    • Three woodcocks.
  • Six Entrements.
    • Spinach with consomme, garnished with fried bread.
    • Whole truffles with champaign [sic].
    • Jelly of marasquino.
    • Buisson of gateau a la polonaise.
    • Charlotte of apples with apricot.
  • Two Removes of the Roast.
    • Biscuit a la creme.
    • Fondus.

More gems from the past coming soon. (What is a "remove"?)