The Turks roast their _kebabs_--something near to
mutton-chops--by holding them to the fire on skewers. But the
inhabitants of Great Britain, accustomed to comforts unknown to any
other part of the world, are, when deprived of these comforts, the
most helpless in the world.
The natives of Ireland might be supposed to be excellent subjects for
emigration, for at home they have often only straw and rags for beds,
stones for seats, and one larger in the middle for a table; while the
basket or 'kish' that washes the potatoes, receives them again when
boiled: so that the pot and basket are the only articles of furniture.
Simplicity beyond this is hardly conceivable: there is but one step
beyond it--wanting the pot, and throwing the potatoes, however cooked,
broadcast upon the stone-table; and this is possible by roasting
the potatoes in the embers. The Guachos of South America teach how
even the most savoury meal of beef may be obtained without pot
or oven--namely, by roasting it in the skin! It is called
_carne-con-cuero_--flesh in the skin--and is pronounced delicious.
Diogenes threw away his dish, his only article of furniture, upon
seeing a boy drink from his hand; and after this example, an Irishman
might throw away his pot; though we would not recommend him to do so.
Unless people know how to prepare food, they may starve in the midst
of comparative plenty. It is alleged--though we do not vouch for the
fact--that when wheat and maize were carried into Ireland and given
gratis, the famine was not stayed.
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