SOMETHING TO LEARN.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20519, 22 January 1935, Page 12

SOMETHING TO LEARN.

Meals in N.Z. Hotels Criticised. Straightforward criticism of the meals that Continental visitors are compelled to eat in New Zealand was made yes terday by Dr Jacques Demarquette. of France, who is accompanied on a visit to Christchurch by Count Micard. Apart from the meal question, however. Dr Demarquette is high in his praise of the Dominion. In an interview he agreed that New Zealanders were charming people and that New Zealand was a beautiful country. The bill-of-fare at New Zealand hotels, however, reminded him of the phrase of Borleau, which, translated into English, meant “ boredom grew out of uniformity.” “There are meat courses of all descriptions, then very few, very poor and never varying culinary vegetables,” said the visitor. “ Incidentally. I met the world’s champion bad cook in New Zealand. I shall never forget the peas he gave me; they rattled with a noise just like ‘ ding, ding * on my plate and spoon It must have needed very special enterprise to produce those peas. I would not pass my opinion had I not been asked for it.” he said, “ but I am too fond of New Zealanders not to tell the truth. I would not try to deter people from coming here because of your cooking, but our visit to New Zealand would be much more pleasant if we did not have to endure three times a day the ordeal of very tedious meals —so monotonous and limited. But I am full of hopes that there will be an improvement. In Dunedin I met Professor A. G. Strong, the expert in domestic science at the university there, and she is very vigorous in her desire to spread the study of the different foods and the balancing of meals. New Zealand certainly has everything to learn.”