Charlie wrote home regularly about food, both from Oxford and from his between-term travels in England and Europe. His focus included the food and how much it cost. This was probably an apt subject to share with his family, who would have less to care or think about Justinian in Latin, and Roman Law.
Below are thoughts and observations on food from Charlie’s first term and first vacation break.
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The scout does everything for one in the way of taking care of things. Builds a fire, pours out your bath and then wakes you in the morning, takes your order for breakfast and then in 1/2 hour brings it in. Washes dishes, cleans up and keeps the fire going during the day. I just had lunch, bread and butter strawberry ham and cheese. The food is very good and well cooked. In fact by paying for it you can get anything you want. [10/15/05]
A decent breakfast, say for instance oatmeal, bacon and eggs with coffee and dry toast costs about 45 cts. Dinner, three courses with potatoes and turnips cost about 50 cts. with sweets extra. [10/15/05]
They serve ale or beer at dinner and practically everybody smokes. I’ve called on three of the tutors and they all smoked most of the time.[10/15/05]
Didn’t get up in the morning until 10 and went down town for breakfast. It’s cheaper to get as many meals in town as possible but you can only cut a few [college dining hall meals] each week. If you cut without sending in notice the day before or over three meals of one kind per week you have to pay the price anyhow.[10/30/05]
I’m cutting dinner tonight to keep down my battels [meal accounts]. Alburn and I are going down to try out a little place for dinner that I found out and looks pretty clean & cheap. A hard combination to find together. Besides, tho I’m pretty fond of meat, when it comes to making your meals consist of meat almost alone it’s a little stretched. The only meal one can get potatoes here is dinner, then only boiled and no butter or gravy. Not withstand[ing] a few changes from what I’m used to it’s a fine place to board. [10/30/05]
I cut breakfast this morning–didn’t get up until 9 so am drinking cocoa instead. Haven’t drank any coffee for a week, am doing pretty well don’t you think. Am likely to get the cocoa habit in place of it tho because I drink that for breakfast and then make some every night. [11/12/05]
Have been out to tea every day this week and am getting to rather enjoy the custom. It’s a long stretch from lunch to dinner and a good chance to spend half an hour getting better acquainted with people. [11/19/05]
Mohler was just up wishing he had some fried potatoes and some beans. He never was away from home long before, and tho the cooking here is fairly good, isn’t used to but one kind yet. The worst thing here is that you have to salt everything after it is brought in. Almost spoils some things. [11/26/05]
They [Christ’s College, their opponent for a track meet] gave us a dinner that so far as eating goes had the best of any I’ve seen here. [11/26/05]
Below is what was on the menu card for that dinner, which Charlie kept.
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Tuesday, November 28, 1905
MENU
Consomme d’Esclignac.
Filets de Turbot, sauce d huitres.
Cotelettes de Volaille aux puree de Navet.
Aloyau de Boeuf.
Sauce Raifort.
Legumes.
Faisons rotis.
Pomme de terre frits.
Biscuits glacee au Maraschino.
Croutes a la Florentine.
Dessert. Cafe au lait.
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The food reports continued from New Quay where Charlie went for vacation after his first term:
Had a pretty good feed—three courses. A roast first with cauliflower and boiled spuds—as usual— and then a big apple pie with whipped cream and after that coffee and cheese. No butter. A funny thing in this country is that the bread is always put on uncut. Beef here is fine. Ship only fat cattle in, and is retailed not very much higher than at home too. [12/10/05]
And supper the same day:
We had supper consisting of bread and butter cheese and celery about an hour ago. You always 4 meals per here. Lunch usually in place of supper tho. Tea today was buttered bread, strawberry jam, cake, and of course tea. Breakfast, dry toast and butter, fried fish, bacon and marmalade & coffee. [12/10/05]
Before I forget, we did have turkey alright Thanksgiving and there was supposed to be cranberry sauce to go with it but it surely was the sickliest looking sauce I ever met, looked more like fermented mashed tomatoes—pronounced with the a short over here. I think I’ve told you about the mince pie they gave us, a couple of tarts with a little mince sandwiched in between. [01/08/06]
John: These bits are great fun to read…thank you for the research time and effort to categorize them for easy digestion! Vickie
Vickie, Glad you are enjoying these posts. I think you, like me, enjoy the “non-fiction” first hand accounts, and voice from the old days. Plus it’s England!
John