Cef.ain men who practise the same set of duties every day will acquire extraordinary dexterity in their line, and they are the men to watch if one would learn all the sharp cuts in carving. George McG — , a South- ern hotel keeper was one of these fine carvers, but rather off-hand and wasteful with it, for he was full of other business and would not dwell upon trifles; he was for rapidity and did not stop to clean all the meat "Well — that turkey weighed 12 pounds before it was cooked — I suppose I could carve 35 or 40 orders from it if I was trying, and I don't think there are many carvers around here can beat me." " Mr. McG — I think I can just about double that number for a five dollar bet." "I'll bet you a ten dollar gold piece against seven days wages you can't beat it over ten dishes" — return- Pliiladelpliia Capon. from the carcasses; left them to be stripped afterwards for salad or hash. There was another man employed in his house, a professional carver, Jake Carter by name, and one day he said: "Mr. McG — , how many orders do you think I can get off this turkey?" "Oh — I don't know — how much does it weigh?" "Here it is — you can judge for yourself." ed McG — and not thinking any more about the matter he turned on his heel and went off to the front of the house. But Jake Carter called wit- nesses to watch and off that one turkey he carved and sent in 70 passable orders. It was nearly two years before McG — would pay the bet, and then he was greatly in need of Carter's services at a banquet and was obliged to pay it; but that was only one specimen of Carter's skill as a carver which has been so valu- (175) 176 COOKING FOR PROFIT, able to him that he has had fourteen years constant employment in one city, the time being devided between only two hotels. The art and the difficulty of it consists in slicing broad but thin, even as thin as paper. Of course there are two sides of the carving question and the con- sumer may not see the subject in the same pleasing light that the calculat- ing hotel man does; there must be a medium observed that will result in giving satisfaction to the guests at table, yet it is so true that nearly all hotel dishes contain twice as much as are used for all purposes, and withal, the carver must know where the joints are so well that his sharp knives will pass through them with- out contending against the bones. With such a keen knife the breast of a small chicken can be laid open so as to top cover four dishes, which would not make any showing upon two dishes in the hands of a clumsy carver, and a large chicken will cover six or eight. The method is, to place a spoon- ful of the stuffing in the dish, slice meat off the drumstick and place be- side it, or a joint of the wing and on American ThanksgnLving Turkey.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Certain men who practise the same set of duties every day will acquire extraordinary dexterity in their line, and they are the men to watch if one would learn all the sharp cuts in carving. George McG — , a Southern hotel keeper was one of these fine carvers, but rather off-hand and wasteful with it, for he was full of other business and would not dwell upon trifles; he was for rapidity and did not stop to clean all the meat "Well — that turkey weighed 12 pounds before it was cooked — I suppose I could carve 35 or 40 orders from it if I was trying, and I don't think there are many carvers around here can beat me." " Mr. McG — I think I can just about double that number for a five dollar bet." "I'll bet you a ten dollar gold piece against seven days wages you can't beat it over ten dishes" — return- [illustration: Philadelphia Capon.] from the carcasses; left them to be stripped afterwards for salad or hash. There was another man employed in his house, a professional carver, Jake Carter by name, and one day he said: "Mr. McG — , how many orders do you think I can get off this turkey?" "Oh — I don't know — how much does it weigh?" "Here it is — you can judge for yourself." ed McG — and not thinking any more about the matter he turned on his heel and went off to the front of the house. But Jake Carter called witnesses to watch and off that one turkey he carved and sent in 70 passable orders. It was nearly two years before McG — would pay the bet, and then he was greatly in need of Carter's services at a banquet and was obliged to pay it; but that was only one specimen of Carter's skill as a carver which has been so valu- (175) able to him that he has had fourteen years constant employment in one city, the time being devided between only two hotels. The art and the difficulty of it consists in slicing broad but thin, even as thin as paper. Of course there are two sides of the carving question and the consumer may not see the subject in the same pleasing light that the calculating hotel man does; there must be a medium observed that will result in giving satisfaction to the guests at table, yet it is so true that nearly all hotel dishes contain twice as much as are used for all purposes, and withal, the carver must know where the joints are so well that his sharp knives will pass through them without contending against the bones. With such a keen knife the breast of a small chicken can be laid open so as to top cover four dishes, which would not make any showing upon two dishes in the hands of a clumsy carver, and a large chicken will cover six or eight. The method is, to place a spoonful of the stuffing in the dish, slice meat off the drumstick and place beside it, or a joint of the wing and on [illustration: American Thanksgiving Turkey.]

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