Koock-boeck oft Familieren kevken-boeck : leerende hoe datmen alderhande vleesch, vogelen, ...

waste, nor by needlessly adding butter, sugar, and spice: but rather on the contrary, by saving, by low cost, by skillful hand to cook good, tasty, and well-suited food, that is art, that is to be praised, that is what I teach you here, and I pray that you will follow it. Some are accustomed to say, "I would like to know what one might cook now for a change: my husband does not like that ordinary home-fare anymore," and to tell the truth, one grows tired of it, but I do not know what to cook. Others say, "There is nothing more tiresome than these fish-days, one hardly knows what to bring to the table: the fish is expensive, is unhealthy, my husband makes no work of it," and so forth, everyone says their piece. Look at my little book, and fret no more. Make little turnovers, make little tarts, make little coquettes likely a reference to small savory snacks or croquettes, help yourselves without fish, yes, even on occasion without meat: good potage, but that which is well-made is much more pleasant, much more lovely, much healthier than all that meat, than all that slimy fish: your husband is more easily kept with it, your guests make more of it. This I only wish to warn you about, that one must not spoil a tart for the sake of an egg, that one must give everyone their fill: this is the most principal point, where young housewives mistake themselves most, thinking that the profit lies entirely in saving a corner of butter here, or adding a little less sugar there,

in barely heating the dripping, and serving the roast dry on the table to have a penny's worth? of pepper fetched, and to get by with that today and tomorrow, and many such things, and saying that many small things make a big one. Dear little friend, it does not lie in that: give a penny as gladly as a small coin blanche a small silver coin to make something good, and you save a double ducat, which your husband would otherwise go and spend in the tavern in the afternoon: this is the point, here lies the crux of the matter literally: "here lie the mussels", pay attention to this profit, and you will have accomplished not a little. The men do not rejoice in old cold food, they may say whatever they like, they prefer something fresh, I know that for a fact. "Oh no," one says there, "my husband Hans is just as satisfied with old or cold meat, he eats it rather than fresh." You silly fool, he makes you believe that: if you want to do well, do not believe him: I do find that one person is more fastidious than the other, but know well that everyone likes to eat something good. The men often have to say much, so as not to anger their wives, for they are easily hurt. I say this for the sake of improvement, so that one might see what goes on daily. You people can easily improve this through my books, and that with little effort, with small costs, with great profit. The men have often slept little at night, have to run early in the morning, and to work? the transcription is "vissen", but in context of men running early, "work" or "toil" is implied, so that they come home in the evening tired and hungry