ss over the quality of charcoal consumed. She has to keep
her poise when, after ordering something especially nice for dinner,
the cook proudly passes around something quite different and not at all
nice. She dare not even visit her own cook-house without coughing and
making a noise, for fear that she will have a case of discipline on
hands that may leave her without a cook. Verily, she is not deceived by
the fact that when she enters the cook-house the cook and half a dozen
other men who have been playing cards and smoking are respectively
standing around like little tin soldiers. She _sees_ the hooka or big
water pipe standing behind the door, and she _knows_ that the bearer has
a deck of cards up his sleeves. But even knowing this, all she can do is
to meekly transact her business with the cook and go out without saying
a word.

However, in spite of all this, the Indian cook is a great comfort. He
grows on one. It is surprising how equal he is to emergencies and what
really fine things he can make with very few conveniences and often a
very stinted allowance of material. There are very few of them who do
not take pride in their cooking, and they are never happier than when
there are guests in the home and they are having a chance to show off.
Nor are they uncleanly, as is often supposed, but they keep their
kitchen in such mild disorder that things really appear much worse than
they really are.

And now for the last question. Often and often we are asked, "Aren't
you glad to get back to the food in America?" My answer is, "Rather,"
and it is to be spoken with a rising inflection.

We love the American people, and we enjoy the American food, but we
think that when it comes to making nice tasty somethings out of almost
nothing, America is not in it at all. Nearly every nation in the world
can do better.

I hope these recipes will help.

Contents.

Page

CHAPTER I. CURRY 15

1. Curry Powder. 2. Beef Curry. 3. Chicken Curry. 4. Curry
with Curds. 5. Meat Curry with Pastry. 6. Meat Curry with
Cabbage. 7. Meat and Split Pea Curry. 8. Massala Fry. 9.
Hamburg Steak Curry. 10. Cold Meat Curry. 11. Buffath, or
Curry with Vegetables. 12. Buffath of Cold Meat and
Vegetables. 13. Fish Curry. 14. Curry from Tinned Salmon,
Sardines, or Tuna. 15. Salt Fish Curry. 16. Ma