CHAPTER 29 – Husks

In Chapter 29 of “Worldly Ways and Byways” entitled “Husks,” the narrative highlights the consequences of ignorance and wastefulness through the lens of culinary practices, and how these traits have permeated Anglo-Saxon societies, particularly in America. The story begins with a historical account of Protestant weavers expelled from France by Louis XIV, who settled in Spitalfields, England. These immigrants, faced with destitution, creatively utilized the discarded cattle tails from English slaughterhouses to make nutritious soups, ultimately introducing ox-tail soup to the British diet—a metaphor for overlooking valuable resources out of ignorance.

The chapter then transitions into contemporary examples of extravagance and waste in American society, evidenced in the operations of two different hotels. The first, a dreary establishment in New England, discards perfectly good food into the sea, while serving guests subpar meals. The second, a luxurious hotel in the South, suffers from a public demand for excessive variety and inefficient service, leading to significant food waste and unsatisfactory dining experiences. The southern hotel’s manager expresses frustration over the wasteful customs and indicates a preference for the European table d’hôte style of serving meals, which would ensure quality and reduce waste, but fears it would be rejected by American patrons accustomed to choice and abundance, despite its inefficiency and the mediocrity of the food served.

The tendency towards wastefulness is further critically examined through the hotel meals, highlighting a broader societal issue where abundance and variety are preferred over quality and sustainability. The author suggests that this issue is exacerbated by poor domestic culinary skills and an education system that fails to prioritize practical home economics. This chapter uses culinary practices as a metaphor for broader issues of waste, ignorance, and a reluctance to adopt more efficient, sustainable practices, illustrating the broader cultural challenges of recognizing and valuing what is truly important and sustainable.