Monday, February 21, 2011

Breakfast in February

Monday, February 21, 2011
Loretta reports:

February 21.

BREAKFAST IN COLD WEATHER.
"Here it is," says the "Indicator,''  "ready laid. Imprimis, tea and coffee ; secondly, dry toast; thirdly, butter; fourthly, eggs; fifthly, ham; sixthly, something potted ; seventhly, bread, salt, mustard, knives and forks, &c. One of the first things that belong to a breakfast is a good fire. There is a delightful mixture of the lively and the snug in coming down into one's breakfast-room of a cold morning, and seeing every thing prepared for us; a blazing grate, a clean table-cloth and tea-things, the newly-washed faces and combed heads of a set of good-humoured urchins, and the sole empty chair at its accustomed corner, ready for occupation. When we lived alone, we could not help reading at meals: and it is certainly a delicious thing to resume an entertaining book at a particularly interesting passage, with a hot cup of tea at one's elbow, and a piece of buttered toast in one's hand. The first look at the page, accompanied by a coexistent bite of the toast, comes under the head of intensities."

THE SEASON.
The weather is now cold and mild alternately. In our variable climate we one day experience the severity of winter, and a genial warmth prevails the next; and, indeed, such changes are not unfrequently felt in the same day. Winter, however, at this time breaks apace, and we have presages of the genial season.

The Every-day Book, or, The Guide to the Year, by William Hone, 1825.

Illustration: Pavel Andrejewitsch Fedotov (1815–1852), Breakfast of an aristocrat, courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

3 comments:

Abby said...

Susan & Loretta,

I couldn't find a private contact option on your blog, so I figured I would ask you this here. I'm currently working on a presentation/paper about costume history bloggers, and when doing my research your blog came up quite often (understandably so, cause it's fabulous!). I was wondering if I could use screen shots of your blog during my presentation? I will be presenting at CW at a symposium March 17-18th. If you want you can email me at abbyelyn at gmail dot com with your answer or any other questions you might have.

Thanks!
Abby

Allison said...

I am totally in love with this painting! The satin pj's, the little hat, Turkish slippers, the erotic sculpture on the bookcase, pictures of ballet-dancers on the wall, and that insane white poodle! You really want to know who his visitor is, and why he's jumping up so fast with his mouth full. Looks plenty guilty to me, lol!

KuriosityKat said...

Sounds like a tasty way to start the day! Thank you for sharing with us Loretta!

 
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