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| William Jackson Hooker [Harvard University Herbaria] |
On the cloth was nothing but a plate, a
knife and fork, a wine glass, and a bottle of claret, for each guest,
except that in the middle stood a large and handsome glass-castor of
sugar, with a magnificent silver top. The natives are not in the
habit of drinking malt liquor or water, nor is it customary to eat
salt with their meals. The dishes are brought in singly: our first
was a large turenne of soup, which is a favorite addition to the
dinners of the richer people, and is made of sago, claret, and
raisins, boiled so as to become almost a mucilage. We were helped to
two soup-plates full of this, which we ate without knowing if any
thing more was to come. No sooner, however, was the soup removed,
than two large salmon, boiled and cut in slices, were brought on,
and, with them, melted butter, looking like oil, mixed with vinegar
and pepper; this, likewise, was very good, and we with some
difficulty cleared our plates, earnestly hoping we had finished our
dinners. Not so; for there was then introduced a turenne full of the
eggs of the Cree, or great tern, boiled hard, of which a dozen were
put upon each of our plates; and, for sauce, we had a large basin of
cream, mixed with sugar, in which were four spoons, so that we all
ate out of the same bowl, placed in the middle of the table. We
petitioned hard to be excused from eating the whole of the eggs upon
our plates, but we petitioned in vain. "You are my guests,"
said he," and this is the first time you have done me the honor
of a visit, therefore, you must do as I would have you; in future,
when you come to see me, you may do as you like." In his own
excuse, he pleaded his age for not following our example, to which we
could make no reply. We devoured with difficulty our eggs and cream;
but had no sooner dismissed our plates, than half a sheep, well
roasted, came on, with a mess of sorrel (Rumex acetosa),
called by the Danes scurvy-grass, boiled, meshed, and sweetened with
sugar. It was to no purpose we assured our host that we had already
eaten more than would do us good: he filled our plates with the
mutton and sauce, and made us get through it as well as we could;
although any one of the dishes, of which we had before partaken, was
sufficient for the dinner of a moderate man. However, even this was
not al ; for a large dish of Waffels, as they are here called,
that is to say, a sort of pancake, made of wheat-flour, flat, and
roasted in a mould, which forms a number of squares on the top,
succeeded the mutton. They were not more than half an inch thick, and
about the size of an octavo book. The Stiftsamptman said he would be
satisfied if each of us would eat two of them, and, with these
moderate terms, we were forced to comply. For bread, Norway biscuit
and loaves made of rye, were served up; for our drink, we had nothing
but claret, of which we were all compelled to empty the bottle that
stood by us, and this, too, out of tumblers, rather than wine
glasses. It is not the custom in this country to sit after dinner
over the wine, but we had, instead of it, to drink just as much
coffee as our host thought proper to give us. The coffee was
certainly extremely good, and, we trusted it would terminate the
feast; but all was not yet over ; for a huge bowl of rum- punch was
brought in, and handed round in large glasses pretty freely, and to
every glass a toast was given. If at any time we flagged in drinking,
"Baron Banks" was always the signal for emptying our
glasses, in order that we might have them filled with bumpers, to
drink to his health; a task that no Englishman ought to hesitate
about complying with most gladly, though assuredly, if any exception
might be made to such a rule, it would be in an instance like the
present. We were threatened with still another bowl, after we should
have drained this; and, accordingly, another actually came, which we
were with difficulty allowed to refuse to empty entirely; nor could
this be done, but by ordering our people to get the boat ready for
our departure, when, having concluded this extraordinary feast by
three cups of tea each, we took our leave, and reached Reikevig about
ten o'clock; but did not for some time recover from the effects of
this most involuntary intemperance.
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