[Vwoolf] "Jacob's Room" : crux #4 -- some progress with Mrs B.

[Stuart N. Clarke]

I have never heard of anyone eating bone-marrow, but, now that I’ve mentioned it to people, they say “Oh yes [of course]”.  However, ISTM that it is somewhat of a delicacy, presumably because there’s not much of it (you can have my portion, but I’m prepared to taste it to check whether I could just possibly get through it).  I have borrowed “Mrs Beeton” from next-door, and, while I was studying it, my neighbour came in with his smart phone, going on about -- bone-marrow, of course!  Anyway, it’s easier to use a hard copy of Mrs B. in conjunction with the internet, rather than either alone.
http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/10136/pg10136.html

Para. 644 gives the recipe for “Rib of Beef Bones (A Pretty Dish)”, 635 for “Boiled Marrow-Bones” (very informative), and 614 for “Broiled Beef Bones”:

614. INGREDIENTS.—The bones of ribs or sirloin; salt, pepper, and cayenne.

Mode.—Separate the bones, taking care that the meat on them is not too thick in any part; sprinkle them well with the above seasoning, and broil over a very clear fire. When nicely browned they are done; but do not allow them to blacken.


Surely this is what we would call spareribs (tho’ they are pork, aren’t they)?

If we turn to Mrs. B’s suggested dinners, I think we find marrow-bones for more special occasions and broiled bones for ordinary ones (cf. 1914, 1952, 1942, 1994, 2011, 2117, 2124).  Here’s para. 2124:

PLAIN FAMILY DINNERS FOR DECEMBER.
2122. Sunday.—1. Carrot soup. 2. Roast beef, horseradish sauce, vegetables. 3. Plum-pudding, mince pies.

2123. Monday.—1. Fried whitings, melted butter. 2. Rabbit pie, cold beef, mashed potatoes. 3. Plum-pudding cut in slices and warmed; apple tart.

2124. Tuesday.—1. Hashed beef and broiled bones, pork cutlets and tomata sauce; vegetables. 2. Baked lemon pudding.

2125. Wednesday.—1. Boiled neck of mutton and vegetables; the broth served first with a little pearl barley or rice boiled in it 2. Bakewell pudding.

2126. Thursday.—1. Roast leg of pork, apple sauce, vegetables. 2. Rice snowballs.

2127. Friday.—1. Soles à la Creme. 2. Cold pork and mashed potatoes, broiled rump-steaks and oyster sauce. 3. Rolled jam pudding.

2128. Saturday.—1. The remains of cold pork curried, dish of rice, mutton cutlets, and mashed potatoes. 2. Baked apple dumplings.



Broiled bones as an ordinary dish fits in with the opening scene in Milne’s “The Great Broxopp”: it seemed such a funny thing to have when you went out for a meal, says Nancy (the mistress of the house).  [Old “Punch” joke: “Do you realise, Mary, that I can write my name in the dust on this bureau?” “Lor, mum, now I never ‘ad no education meself.”]



Anyway, I’ve kindly been given 3 refs by contributors to the list, so I will check them out in the British Library next month, and hope that I can come to a final conclusion.  otherwise, we’ll never get the remaining 500 (are there?) notes done.



However, if I’m right about the (equivalent of) spareribs, that leaves the oddity of Jacob wanting “grilled bone” rather than “grilled bones”.  However, if I said I’d like a chop for dinner, I wouldn’t necessarily be restricting myself to just one.  Just as asking for “bacon and eggs” may mean that I only want one egg!



Stuart


> > “What’s the French for grilled bone?”
> > 
> > Unfortunately, I have no real interest in food, and know very little about it.
> > 
> > Vara says in her notes: “Broiled steak with the bone in.”
> > 
> > In the UK, we don’t now say “broiled” (it’s N. American), although we may talk about a broiling sun. There’s no problem with “grilled”; it’s the bone that’s the difficulty.
> > 
> > The OED has a couple of unhelpful examples from the 19th C, such as “The grilled bone that browned upon the fire.”
> > 
> > VW used the expression: ‘I’m burnt like a grilled bone’ (L5 186).
> > 
> > Is it really steak? I incline towards a chop. If it’s a chop, can I really ask for “une côtelette grillée” in France?
> > 
> > Turning to the French translations, I find that Jean Talva (Livre de Poche) quite reasonably sidesteps the problem: “J’ai envie d’un «grilled bone». Comment dit-on «grilled bone» en français?” (p. 159)
> > 
> > Ado Haberer (Folio classique) has almost the same translation: “J’ai envie de «grilled bone». Comment dit-on «grilled bone» en français?” (p. 206). However, as his is an annotated edn, he explains: ‘qu’il s’agisse de boeuf ou de porc, on dirait «côte à l’os» en français.’ (p. 350). Does that mean ‘spare rib’, Ado?
> > 
> > I really don’t think the expression has any current meaning now, yet it must have had a clear meaning in VW’s time.
> > 
> > Stuart
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