A NOVEL EXPERIMENT—PEG OR NO PEG.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5563, 10 March 1886, Page 3

A NOVEL EXPERIMENT— PEG OR NO PEG.

New Zealand frozen mutton was subjected to an odd test at Annan, N. 8., the ; other day. AMr Melville Smith, who has j recently returned from the Colony, asked a number of friends (some of them '■ gourmets) to dinner, with a view to testing ; the merits of Colonial mutton versus prime j Scotch. With each plate two kinds of j mutton were served, one containing a little j peg, the other none* Guests were invited j to vote on a small card for "peg" or "no j peg." The mutton was perfectly served in three w^iye — roasted, boiled, and fried. Afterwards the Chairman collected the cards and opened a sealed letter from the cook, who informed them that the pegged mutton was Scotch, the unpegged Colonial. The voting resulted as follows: — For the pegged (Scotch) mutton, 12 ; for the unpegged (Colonial), G. Eleven guests declared them equal in merit. Mr . Melville Smith professed himself delighted with this verdict, which he seemed to consider — though why, in the face of the votingwas in favour of the Colonial mutton. Tests of this kind are, of course, mostly fallacious, and cannot be relied upon. For myself, I believe that the guests who professed themselves unable to distinguish between two bits of well-hung mutton, cooked in precisely the same way, told the truth.