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Page 1
CARVING AND SERVING.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS.
"Do you teach your pupils how to carve?"
"Please give us a lecture on carving; my husband says he will come if
you will."
I have been so frequently addressed in this way that I have decided to
publish a manual on the Art of Carving. Instruction in this art cannot
be given at a lecture with any profit to my pupils or satisfaction to
myself. One cannot learn by simply seeing a person carve a few times. As
much as any other art, it requires study; and success is not attainable
without much practice. There are certain rules which should be
thoroughly understood; if followed faithfully in daily practice, they
will help more than mere observation.
This manual is not offered as a guide for special occasions, company
dinners, etc., nor for those whose experience renders it unnecessary, or
whose means allow them to employ one skilled in the art. But it is
earnestly hoped that the suggestions here offered will aid those who
desire, at their own table in everyday home life, to acquire that ease
and perfection of manner which, however suddenly it may be confronted
with obstacles, will be equal to every occasion.
Printed rules for carving are usually accompanied with cuts showing the
position of the joint or fowl on the platter, and having lines
indicating the method of cutting. But this will not be attempted in this
manual, as such illustrations seldom prove helpful; for the actual thing
before us bears faint resemblance to the pictures, which give us only
the surface, with no hint of what may be inside.
It is comparatively a slight matter to carve a solid mass of lean meat.
It is the bones, tough gristle, and tendons, that interfere with the
easy progress of the knife. To expect any one to carve well without any
conception of the internal structure of what may be placed before him is
as absurd as to expect one to amputate a limb successfully who has no
knowledge of human anatomy.
Some notion of the relative position of bones, joints, fat, tough and
tender muscles, is the first requisite to good carving. All agree that
skill in carving may be acquired by practice; and so it may. Any one can
divide a joint if he cut and hack at it long enough, and so learn after
a time just where to make the right cut. But a more satisfactory way is
to make a careful study before the material is cooked, and thus learn
the exact position of every joint, bone, and muscle. Become familiar
with a shoulder or a leg of mutton; locate the joints by moving the
bones in the joints, or by cutting it into sections, some time when it
is to be used for a stew. Or remove the bone in the leg by scraping the
meat away at either end. Learn to distinguish the different cuts of
meat. The best way to learn about carving poultry and game is to cut
them up for a stew or fricassee, provided care be taken not to chop
them, but to disjoint them skilfully.
Then, when you attempt to carve, do the best you can every time. Never
allow yourself to be careless about it, even should the only spectators
be your wife and children. But do not make your first effort in the art
at a company dinner. Every lady should learn the art. There is no reason
why she may not excel in it, as she has every opportunity to study the
joint or fowl before cooking. Strength is not required, so much as
neatness and care. A firm, steady hand, a cool, collected manner, and
confidence in one's ability will help greatly. Children also should be
taught this accomplishment, and should be taught it as soon as they can
handle a knife safely. If parents would allow the children to share
their duties at the daily family table, and occasionally when company is
present, a graceful manner would soon be acquired. When called upon to
preside over their own homes there would less frequently be heard the
apology, "Father always carved at home, and I have had no practice." The
only recollection that I now have of a dinner at a friend's some years
ago is the easy and skilful way a young son of my hostess presided at
the head of the table, while the father occupied the place of guest at
the mother's right hand.
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