Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 September 1881 — Why We commence Dinner With soup. [ARTICLE]

Why We commence Dinner With soup.

Sir Henry Thompson. The rational, of the initial soup has often been discussed. Some regard it as calculated to diminish the digestive power, on the theory that eo much fluid taken at first dilutes the gastric juices. But there appears to be no foundation for this belief. A clear soup disaDpears almost immediately after entering the stomach, and in no way interferes with the gastric juice, which is stored in'its appropriate cells ready for action. The habit of commencing dinner with soup has. without doubt, its origin iu the fact that ailment in this fluid form—in fact, ready digested

—soon enters the blood and readily refreshes the hungry man, who, after a considerable fast and mu6b activity, sits down with a sense of exhaustion to commence his principal meal. In two or three minutes after he has taken a plate of good warm soup, tbe feeling of exhaustion disapears, and irritability gives way to the gradual rising sense of good fellowship wiih the circle. Some persons Lave the custom of allaying exhaustion with a glass of sherry before food—a gastronomic no less than a physiological blunder. Injuring •the stomach and depraving the palate. The soup introduces at once into the system a small installment of ready digested food, and set res the short m-rioif of time which must be spent by the stomach in deriving some nutriment from solid ailments,as well as indirectly strengthening the organ of digestion itself for its forlh-comingduties.

A San Francisco husband, returning from an alleged fishing trip of three days, asked bis wife if she received the fine trout he sent her from the lake. She gave him a stony glare aud replied : “I received tome fish, I believe but Ibe market man also left word that he had gotten your telegram, but as he hadn’t enough fresh water trout he sent you some first-rate codfish in stead.” ‘-D-did, eh?” stammered the wretched benedict. “Yes, he did; and uow,Bir,perhaps you’ll be good enough to explain Quiofc curtain,