tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24170237.post5886711752996445290..comments2024-03-24T01:15:08.693+10:00Comments on The Old Foodie: Conspicuous Consumption.The Old Foodiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00766403052971301718noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24170237.post-76472815852885712222008-03-27T07:23:00.000+10:002008-03-27T07:23:00.000+10:00Dear g(A)stronomer; I am so glad you stopped by ag...Dear g(A)stronomer; I am so glad you stopped by again, and especially glad that you reminded me of this lovely book: I read it so many years ago that I cant remember it well, but now that you have pointed me to this passage, I will read it again. Thankyou.The Old Foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00766403052971301718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24170237.post-30921357098274448462008-03-26T15:06:00.000+10:002008-03-26T15:06:00.000+10:00our dear Foodie:have you read Edith Wharton's The ...our dear Foodie:<BR/><BR/>have you read Edith Wharton's <I>The Age of Innocence</I>, which I think is on the same era? this post reminded me of a passage...<BR/><BR/><I>Mr. Jackson, if perfection had been attainable on earth, would also have asked that Mrs. Archer's food should be a little better. But then New York, as far back as the mind of man could travel, had been divided into the two great fundamental groups of the Mingotts and Mansons and all their clan, who cared about eating and clothes and money, and the Archer-Newland-van-der-Luyden tribe, who were devoted to travel, horticulture and the best fiction, and looked down on the grosser forms of pleasure.<BR/><BR/>You couldn't have everything, after all. If you dined with the Lovell Mingotts you got canvas-back and terrapin and vintage wines; at Adeline Archer's you could talk about Alpine scenery and "The Marble Faun;" and luckily the Archer Madeira had gone round the Cape. Therefore when a friendly summons came from Mrs. Archer, Mr. Jackson, who was a true eclectic, would usually say to his sister: "I've been a little gouty since my last dinner at the Lovell Mingotts' — it will do me good to diet at Adeline's."</I><BR/><BR/>i enjoy the dinner scene that follows; it's nothing special, except that Mr. Jackson is so balefully disappointed by everything upon the table. and it took me ages to figure out what "canvas-back" meant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com