4.      ENGLISH COOKING

Vegetable Soup

Peel and cut into very small pieces three onions, three turnips, one carrot and four potatoes; put them into a pan with a quarter of a pound of butter, a 1/4 of a po^nd of ham and a bunch of parsley; pass them ten minutes over a sharp fire; then add a spoonful of flour, mix well in; add 4 pints (2 litres) of broth and a pint of boiling milk; boil up, keeping it stirred; skim it; season with a little salt and sugar and run it through a sieve into another pan; boil again and serve with fried bread in it.

Potatoes Fried in Slices

Peel large potatoes, slice them about a quarter of an inch thick or cut them into shavings as you would slice a lemon; dry them and fry in lard or dripping. The pan should be put on a quick fire, and as soon as the lard boils put in the slices of potatoes and keep moving them until they are crisp; take them up and lay them to drain on a sieve. Send to table with a little salt sprinkled over them.

Stewed Beef and Pork

Put into a saucepan about 2 pounds (800 gr.) of well-soaked beef cut into 8 pieces; 1/2 a pound of soaked pork cut into 2 pieces; six tablespoonfuls of rice; 4 middle-sized onions peeled and sliced; a tablespoonful of sugar; a little pepper and salt; add 4 pints of water; simmer gently for three hours; remove the fat from top and serve.

Accepting these few hints on English cooking as a base, describe the way you do your own cooking.

5.      ON ENGLISH FOOD

The usual meals are breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. Breakfast is really a big meal, but one would find that lunch is not small either. The usual breakfast is porridge with milk or cream and sugar, bacon and eggs, marmalade with buttered toast, and tea or coffee.

At lunch, which is at about one o’clock, cold mutton (left over probably from yesterday’s dinner) or fish with potatoes, salad and pickles generally grace the table. English mutton is a treat, and it is prepared in such a way that you wouldn’t know it is mutton. Salad is a little different from ours. You only get the clean green leaves and the so-called “salad-dressing”, a mixture of oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and maoynnaise, that you may take according to your taste.

After lunch most people take coffee, though tea is the favourite beverage in England. That is why there are no “coffee-houses” there, but tea-rooms and luncheon-rooms there are in abundance. There is nothing like an English tea-party, be it at home or in the open air. Such little at-homes and outings do much to further sociability and make you feel on good terms with all the company in a short time, which is very helpful to a foreigner in England. Afternoon tea can hardly be called a meal. Tea is made at the table. It is very strong and mostly drunk with sugar and cream. It would be an offence to take lemon in your tea.

When outing, that is, on a picnic, the English load their luncheon baskets with all sorts of sandwiches made of thin slices of bread (as thin as a sheet) and butter with meat, ham, raw tomatoes or even cucumber in between. The latter are, of course, more refreshing than nourishing. There in the basket you would likely find, besides cakes and biscuits, some bottles of gingerbeer (wine is very dear in England as it is being imported from overseas).

Dinner, which is around 7 o’clock in the evening, begins with what might correspond to a Russian “zakuska,” followed by a clear soup, fish, roast chicken, potatoes and vegetables and dessert.

In simpler homes the schedule is somewhat different. In the morning they have breakfast, at midday-dinner, which is considered to be the chief meal, tea in the afternoon and supper in the evening. The supper might consist of an omelette or sausage, sometimes bacon and eggs or even a sandwich of bread and butter with cheese with a cup of coffee or cocoa.

VIII. Shopping

1. DEPARTMENT STORE

a) At the Hat Department

CUSTOMER. Have you a hat that will fit me, sir?

SALESMAN. Velour or felt, black or grey, sir?

C. A grey felt, if not too dear. What is the price of a good felt hat?

S. Here is one of superior quality for ... shillings.

C. Let me try it on. It is too small.

S. Let’s try another. This will do very well, I am sure.

С. I do not like the shape. Hats with so wide a brim are not to my taste; besides the crown is too high.

S. Excuse me, sir. Hats with narrow brims and low crowns are quite unfashionable now.

C. Well, then I must take it, but the band is too narrow; can’t you change it?

S. Yes, we can, but you will be charged one shilling extra for this kind of alteration, sir.

C. Never mind. How long do I have to wait?

S. Oh, it’ll be done in 10—15 minutes.

C. Very good. I’ll go over to the shoe department in the meantime. Which way am I to go?

S. It’s on the second floor to your right, sir.

{After some time the customer comes back.)

S. Here is your hat, sir. Would you like to see how it looks now?

C. Yes, please. Ah! That’s a great improvement. What is the price all in all?

S. ... shillings, sir.

b) Buying Gloves

SALESMAN. What can I do for you, young lady?

CUSTOMER. Will you, please, show me some gloves. I should like grey ones.

S. What kind of gloves would you like? Kid gloves or suede?

C. Kid gloves, please.

S. What size do you wear?

C. Really, I don’t know. I’d like to try them on.

S. Sorry, but it is not allowed to try gloves on. Permit me to take your measure, if you please.

C. With pleasure.

S. Your size is number 7. Here are gloves of that size. They are of the best quality.

C. They are nice, indeed. What’s the price?

S.... roubles.

C. That’s too dear. Have you no other, cheaper ones?

S. Oh, yes. Now do you like these?

C. They are not bad. How much are they?

S. ... roubles. We have still cheaper ones, but they are not so good.

C. I’ll take them. No, you need not wrap them up. I’ll put them on.

c) At the Textiles Counter

S. Are you being served, madam?

C. Not yet.

S. What can I do for you?

С. I should like some silk for a dress, please.

S. Natural silk? And what colour would you like?

C. Really I don’t know. May I ask you to help me make¹ my choice?

S. With the greatest pleasure. Now, would you like it with a pattern or plain?

C. Well, show me something with a pattern, if you please.

S. Here is some fine silk that I am sure you will like.

C. The pattern is too showy. Something quieter, please. Show me that roll on the third shelf, please, the light blue one.

S. This one?

C. No, the other next to it, please.

S. Here you are. You might look at this as well — this is of much better quality.

C. Oh, yes, it is indeed. How wide is it?

S. 48 inches, madam. It’s folded, you see.

C. Yes, I do. How much would I need for a dress?

S. Well, it depends upon the fashion you choose.

С. I don’t want anything stylish — a dress of severe lines is what I like.

¹ In colloquial speech (especially in American English) the verb to help often takes the infinitive without to.

S. I suppose six yards would do.

C. What’ll that come up to?

S. 3 pounds 6 shillings, madam. Shall I cut off the piece?

C. Do, please. Here you —.

S. No, you must pay to the cashier, please.

2.      THE GROCERY SHOP

Going out to Shop

MARY. Isn’t it good that we have bought this refrigerator, mamma? Now we can buy in the things we need for the whole week.

MOTHER. Yes, it is very convenient indeed. Now, Mary dear, I’d like you to do some shopping as I am very busy now. I’ll send Tom along with you.