Clubs

Jo here.

Unfortunately Bibiana can’t be with us this time (and yes, it is a delightfully appropriate name, isn’t it?) but I happened to be reading a book on gentlemen’s clubs, and they drank a lot of port and brandy, so I though I’d share some tidbits from that. 

Also, I couldn't find a picture of Charlie even in London, though he's been there, so here's one of him frolicking at Versailles.

The book is The Gentlemen’s Clubs of London by Anthony Lejeune and Malcolm Lewis, and I just noted that their names aren’t on the front, only on the spine, which seems so delightfully, understatedly English. :)

This book was sent me by a fan after she found it in a booksale, but it seems moderately rare. It’s written in the delightful style of one who really knows his clubs, and that seems to be Lejeune. Lewis seems to have been responsible for the many illustrations and photographs. Alas, being temporarily without a scanner, I can’t share any.

It seems to me that historical romances – and I include mine – don’t give quite enough weight to the gentlemen’s clubs. Wodehouse, for example, with the Drones' Club, or Ian Fleming with Blades, is probably more on the mark. Of course they had an advantage, both being men, and the sort of men who had a club or two as naturally as they had shoes.

Romances are also mostly written by women for women, who probably would rather their menfolk be at home than at the club. In fact, the book includes a poem that is a lament by neglected wives, though attributed to one Tom Hood.

Of all the modern schemes of man
That time has brought to bear,
A plague upon the wicked plan
That parts the wedded pair!
My female friends they all allow
They hardly know their hubs;
And heart and voice unite with me,
“We hate the name of clubs!”
(Doesn't "hubs" sound strange?)

You can read it all here in a book of Hood’s work, published in 1861. Of course earlier, women had clubs such as the Bluestocking salons, and Almack's, but men were allowed, even encouraged. Anyone know of any exclusively for women? If not, why not?

http://tinyurl.com/5zedf7

It strikes me as a book full of delicious tid-bits. Can anyone find one?

Can you recall any memorable scenes set in a

London

club? What’s the betting (how very clubbish!) it’s a scene where the heroine invades, probably dressed as a man? So, what about a realistic scene, with men only?

Here we go with the tasty morsels. (I’ve only used ones from clubs existing up to 1820.) The book is arranged alphabetically, so that’s the order things will appear. Skipping the American et al, we arrive at the Beefsteak, originally the home of the Sublime Society of Beeksteaks, a very venerable club, founded in 1735, though there were a number of others. The main purpose was to eat and celebrate beef and all the solid English values it represented.

(Which led me to this Hogarth picture "The Gate of Calais, or the Roast Beef of Old England." Check it out and the explanation behind it here. Ah, the world wide web. Always a new and sticky thread.)

I was actually looking for this.
"When mighty roast beef was the Englishman's food,
It ennobled our hearts and enriched our blood.
Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good.
Oh! the roast beef of England,
And Old England's roast beef."
Henry Fielding, 1735.

The famous Beefsteak Club is in Irving Street, between Leicester Square
and the Charing Cross Road. (One of those English quirks is that quite a few streets are the Charing Cross Road, the Edgeware  Road etc, presumably because they were originally heading to those places. However in most places they become simply Bolton Road, Chorley Road, etc. ) Unlike most clubs it is and has always been a single room with one long, communal dining table. The membership is a mix of peers, politicians, academics, and people from the arts, which is perhaps representative of that earlier age when mingling seemed to come naturally.

In its early days it had only 24 members, and even the Prince of Wales had to wait for an opening. They dined at 2pm  -- this was a typical dinner hour and in 1808 it moved to 4pm and in 1833 to 6pm in keeping with the drift to the evening meal -- every Saturday between November and June (the months when gentlemen were most likely to be in London rather than at their country estates.) They ate beefsteaks followed by that great favorite, toasted cheese, washed down with port, porter (ale), punch, and whisky toddy. They wore blue coats, buff waistcoats and buttons which said “Beef and Liberty!”

The original club died in 1867, killed mostly by the railways, which were taking people out of Town on the weekends, but it was revived in 1876 as an everyday dining club and moved to the present location.

There’s more at Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beefsteak_Club but no pictures. Shame about the scanner. I’ll try to put up some another time.

 On to Boodles!

This is another famous club that doesn’t get much play in historical romance, perhaps because it sounds like the sort of place Bertie Wooster would hang out. In fact, according to Lejeune, “Solidity and tranquility make up the atmosphere of Boodles.” It was largely free of political affiliations and anything else that might cause disturbances. It was Ian Fleming’s favorite club because he said a pub should be dull. Perhaps that’s why we romance writers avoid it. :)

Edwin Boodle was head waiter at Almack’s when it was in Pall Mall in the early 1760s.. It later moved to 28, St. James’s street, to a place previously inhabited by the Savoire Vivre club. Now Lejeune spells that Scavoire and I don’t know why. Anyone?

Boodle’s had a bow window even more famous than the one at White’s. Apparently Sir Winston Churchill, when made an honorary member, had only one request – that he be allowed to sit in the window and smoke a cigar. But who knew there was also a Boodles (without the 's) Jewelers, established in 1798? That could create confusion in a novel, couldn't it?

Check Boodles the jewelers out here.

I really think that’s long enough for a blog, isn’t it? I’ll be continuing to make notes from this book, and I’ll share them either here or on my Minepast Blog.

 

Thanks to everyone who bought A Lady's Secret and put it on the New York Times in print list (top 20) for four beautiful weeks. Don't forget Lovers and Ladies, which has also been selling very well. :)

If you're wondering, I'm now working on Christian's story. It'll be out next year with the title, The Secret Wedding. No clubs in these books yet, but it was early days for clubs. Social life outside of home or court was still centered on coffee and chocolate houses, where nearly everyone was admitted.

As I said above, society became more restrictive over time, not less, and some think that the easy mixing of educated people in London in places like coffee houses contributed to Britain's rising greatness. The lists of famous minds who might be chatting on any particular night is dazzling.

On the other hand, the reason it became more restrictive was expansion and the rising middle classes. There were just too many people and everyone didn't know everyone anymore, so there were private clubs, and then clubs for this sort of person, and that profession, and that nationality.... Progress? Who can say.

Jo :)

 

Comments

[talpianna]

Don't forget the Bellona Club,(retired military) despite the unpleasantness (what's a little murder among gentlemen?) in an early Lord Peter Wimsey novel. And the Travellers Club is very famous, though I have no idea if it's real or fictional offhand.

Henry Blyth's HELL AND HAZARD: WILLIAM CROCKFORD VS. THE GENTLEMEN OF ENGLAND is a delightful and shocking view of gaming in the Regency and (mostly) the Victorian era.

JAK, as Amanda Quick, has one ladies' club, established by the unconventional heroine, along the lines of a gentleman's club. It even has a betting book. And in a couple of recent books she has the Janus Club, all the members of which are women who live their lives as men.

And Mycroft Holmes, who on occasion WAS the British government, was usually to be found at the Diogenes Club.

Not a club, but deserving of mention here, is Mandeville College, Oxford, in one of Chesterton's Father Brown stories, which was founded in the Middle Ages by Sir John Mandeville for the encouragement of telling stories. I think all the Wenches are Fellows of Mandeville (Honorary)!

[Jo Beverley]

"Not a club, but deserving of mention here, is Mandeville College, Oxford, in one of Chesterton's Father Brown stories, which was founded in the Middle Ages by Sir John Mandeville for the encouragement of telling stories. I think all the Wenches are Fellows of Mandeville (Honorary)!"

I like that, Tal!

And the Travellers' Club is real. I'll get to that eventually as it was founded in 1819, so just squeaks into my time period.

Apparently the original qualification was that the man had traveled at least 500 miles from London.

Jo

[Sherrie Holmes]

Wonderful post, Jo! I'm fascinated by the role men's clubs played during the Regency. Thank you for sharing these little tidbits.

"They ate beefsteaks followed by that great favorite, toasted cheese ..."

What, exactly, is toasted cheese? I fear this sounds like an inane question, but I'm thinking that what Americans call a toasted (or grilled) cheese sandwich is NOT the same as the Brits' toasted cheese. Ever since coming across its repeated reference as a favorite bedtime snack in the Aubrey/Maturin books, I've wondered what it was precisely.

"They wore blue coats, buff waistcoats and buttons which said “Beef and Liberty!”

LOL! Men with a dress code! Probably part of the male bonding thing. *g* For some reason, the "Beef and Liberty" buttons made me laugh out loud. Somehow I just can't find a connection between the two.

[Ingrid]

Very interesting post, Jo!
About clubs in novels: Georgette Heyer's men always seem to be meeting each other in clubs. Though that's usually always Whites. But the young brothers go to different places, such as the Daffy Club, where they then drink too much gin.
And she has some of her heroes belonging to the Four-in-Hand Club, though one gets the idea that that's a club without premises.

[Jo Beverley]

Yes, the Four-in-Hand met to drive, though they gathered for a meal etc at the end.

There's more info here.
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~awoodley/regency/club.html

Sherrie, I believe toasted cheese was cheese melted over bread and served in a warm dish. Toasted cheese dishes are quite common and are metal trays designed to sit over a candle or some other warmer.

If anyone knows more, please share! I reckon melted cheese is one of the heavenly foods and just about any way it comes is good.

I wonder why it went out of fashion? There's a question.

Jo :)

[talpianna]

Wikipedia has articles on both White's, the Tory club:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White%27s_Club

and Brooks's, the club for aristocratic Whigs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White%27s_Club

And Almack's Assembly Rooms were originally an adjunct to the Almack's gaming club; the position of Patroness was highly sought because they got a cut of the gambling profits! The idea was that more men would come and wager if they had a place to plonk the wife and daughters to keep them occupied.

[talpianna]

"Toasted Cheese" seems to survive as "Cheese on Toast":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_on_Toast

Here is a traditional Scottish recipe that is actually the same as Welsh Rabbit:

http://www.rampantscotland.com/recipes/blrecipe_toasted.htm

From a blog called "Culinary Archaeology," a history of Toasted Cheese, with variations, stating it IS the same as Welsh Rabbit/Rarebit:

http://redcoat668.wordpress.com/2008/04/30/culinary-archaeology-toasted-cheese-or-the-art-of-rabbit/

Most of the references I found were to a community of (mainly) women writers called Toasted Cheese; the allusion is to THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK, but I was unable to locate the specific reference. Will look again later unless someone else comes up with it first. Sounds like a cool place for writers, with a literary journal and some neat CafePress stuff.

http://www.toasted-cheese.com/index.htm

[talpianna]

Let me know if the broken links don't work for you; they work for me because I have the complete links on my computer now. If they don't, I'll turn them into tinyurls for you.

[Jo Beverley]

Yes, that's my impression of toasted cheese, too, though I suspect it was baked in the oven rather than toasted, as toasting involved the toasting fork, and the cheese would drip off!

My family had their own recipe for Welsh Rarebit, which I suspect was an economical variant, but I still like it.

It's chopped parboiled onion mixed with breadcrumbs and cheese, (balance of ingredients to taste) with milk if necessary to make a paste. Salt and pepper, spread on toast and grill.

Jo :)

[Sherrie Holmes]

The things one learns here! My curiosity has been satisfied. Talpianna, thank you for the links. Great info, and now I have a clear picture of what toasted cheese is.

Jo, your family recipe sounds delish!

And guess what I just "had" to have for dinner tonight? A grilled cheese sandwich (using the incomparable Tillamook sharp cheddar).

[talpianna]

Does anyone know the recipe for a Cheese Monkey, a kind of mock cheese soufflé? It's made with breadcrumbs, cheese (any old ends will do) and I think milk and eggs, mixed together and baked. It's firmer than a real soufflé, sort of like Indian pudding in texture. It was a staple of our diet in the dollar-per-day-per-person grad school era; but I can't find the recipe now.

[theo]

I have always been a bit partial to the Diogenes Club. I think in part because, though it's fictional, it is evident many wish it was not. Whole legends have sprung up about it, from being the true seat of government with Mycroft at it's head, to being Britain's equivalent to the Secret Service, meeting under the guise of civility.

If you want an unbelievable Welsh Rarebit, see if you can get your hands on the recipe from Martin's Tavern in Old Georgetown in DC. It is to DIE for!

[Jo Beverley]

What's that Martin's Tavern Welsh Rarebit like, Theo? I mean, what do you think is in it other than cheese?

I think we should just blog indefinitely about melted cheese. Anyone else got a favorite in that form?

I remember when I read Heidi almost swooning at the thought of toasting cheese on a stick and eating it as it melted. Better than marshmallows anyday!

BTW, cheese and onion pie is an old English favourite and yummy.

Jo

[Sherrie Holmes]

Tal, contact me off list. I may have the recipe you are looking for. And if it isn't, it's so darned good that you'll like it anyway!

Jo, I'm all for blogging about cheese! I'm a huge cheese fan. In fact, this well rounded pudgy little self eats so much cheese that I have the bone density of a woman in her early 20's (I'm 61). The doctor was so shocked she did the test a second time. Two years later, I had the same test with the same results. I've reached the osteoporosis age, but thanks to my consumption of dairy products, most especially cheese, I don't even have to take calcium supplements.

Since Jo asked if any of us had a favorite melted cheese dish, I'll raise my hand. I have a tuna noodle casserole recipe that has a lot of Velveeta cheese in it, and though it sounds a bit strange, it is to die for. People used to beg me to bring it for office and church potlucks. (And to you cheese purists who think Velveeta isn't real cheese, you'll get no arguments from me. However, it can be quite wonderful in certain hot dishes.)

Oh, and I have a canned corned beef/potato/onion/cheddar cheese/sour cream casserole that gets raves ...

I must quit. Don't get me started on anything to do with cheese!

[theo]

I'll bet my mac-n-cheese will beat just about anyone's. And I make it with Velveeta, but also eggs, condensed milk, grilled onions...oh, a few other things...

but I digress...

Jo, I have no idea what it is except that they season their Welsh Rarebit somehow and it is just amazing! But then, so are their crabcakes. Best I've ever eaten. If you live in the area, or visit DC, try it. You'll love it.

[Jo Beverley]

Sherrie, no fair! If you have a fabulous recipe for cheese monkey, or whatever Tal asked about, share it here. Please.

There's no rule we can't share recipes, especially when we're investigating a historical connection. It all started with the iconic toasted cheese of the Regency.

Jo :)

[Sherrie Holmes]

Theo, I'll show you mine if you show me yours. *g* My tuna-noodle or corned beef & cheese casserole for your mac-n-cheese.

And since Jo said it's okay to share recipes, here's one that sounds similar to what Tal calls Cheese Monkey. My recipe calls it "Sausage Fondue."

6 slices bread, cut in cubes
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar or cracker barrel)
1 lb bulk Jimmy Dean sausage, browned
4 beaten eggs
2 cups half & half
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. dry mustard

Mix all together and turn into casserole dish. Bake at 350 for at least 40 min. or until bubbly hot all over.

[talpianna]

Thanks, Sherrie! Sounds like it, but ours didn't have sausage. I think it's from a wartime cookbook (WWII) that has lots of substitutions for unavailable foodstuffs. It's probably around here somewhere.

[buggalugs]

re the poem...

Of all the modern schemes of man
That time has brought to bear,
A plague upon the wicked plan
That parts the wedded pair!
My female friends they all allow
They hardly know their hubs;
And heart and voice unite with me,
“We hate the name of clubs!”
(Doesn't "hubs" sound strange?)

Here in Australia women often refer to their husbands as
'the hubby'! sort of an affectionate way really! Does this happen in the US?

Cheers

[Cristina XOXO]

+IHS+

Talpianna, your mention of Chesterton made me recall his longer work "The Club of Queer Trades" in which all the members had to be holding down a completely original profession. An unusual concept, but now that I've read Jo's post I see the template of the gentleman's club. =)

[theo]

Well, I'll try, but I don't use a recipe so....

1-12oz can sweetened condensed milk
8oz cream
2/3 pound Velveeta, cubed
2 eggs
1/2-3/4 pound elbow macaroni
1 medium sweet onion
1tbs butter
pinch salt
pepper
pinch garlic powder
pinch seasoned salt

While mixing everything, cook elbow macaroni per package directions. Drain and keep warm.

Preheat oven to 350. Mix the condensed milk, cream and cubed Velveeta in the casserole dish you'll be baking in. Heat mixture in microwave, stirring often, until cheese is melted and liquid is smooth.

In meantime, chop onion, brown until carmelized in the butter, adding salt, pepper, garlic powder and seasoned salt.

When cheese mix is melted, whisk two eggs in bowl, spoon some of hot cheese mixture into eggs to raise temp, whisk well and add back to cheese mixture. Should thicken slightly. Add onions.

Stir in macaroni, making sure it's all coated well, cover and bake for 40 minutes or until center is set. Can leave lid off last 10 minutes to brown (but my girls don't like it 'crunchy')

I do ring bologna or kielbasa with it and I only eat the meat because I no longer eat the starch based carbs, but I do steal a tiny bit of the mac-n-cheese to make sure it came out okay. When I have friends for dinner, they ask me to make that so it must be pretty good. And you might have to play with it a bit because like I said, I don't measure anything unless I'm baking.

Now, how about that corned beef and cheese casserole? ;)

[Jo Beverley]

Buggalugs, I'm familiar with hubby, but I don't think it's used in America. (Anyone?)

I've not heard hubs at all, but I was particularly startled to see it in the 19th century!

Goodness, Theo, I have to say that condensed milk and Velveeta is a bit startling, but I can imagine it being yummy.

Jo

[theo]

Oooh, it's yummy!! I never said it was cardiovascularly sound! :lol:

and I've always called my DH hubby to others. Now I feel like the odd man out....

[jrox]

Love all the cheesy bread recipes!
In fact, I love learning about food from the past. I spend so much of my day planning, fixing, eating, feeding and cleaning up meals and I know it can't have been that much different in the past. I'm always curious when I look at a menu from a research book, say for "Dinner at the Prince Regent's" or some such thing, how the stuff actually tasted. And how did anyone have any energy left to get up to the antics of Romance Novels after consuming one of those multi-course meals. You'd think there'd be an awful lot of worries about burping before the big kiss.

Theo, Jo, we definitely say hubby in North America, though it isn't super common. I've heard it from friends all over the country, though, so I don't think it is regional. It is used in a kind of endearing way. It might be a generational thing, though. It kind of reeks of that Buffy-style language spawned by Joss Whedon.

jrox

[theo]

Actually, I'm probably the buffy-gen's mom.... :D But that's okay. I always thought it was just a midwestern thing.

Now, I can't tell you what I call him when I'm mad at him...I had a Scots ma...

;)

[Sherrie Holmes]

Whoa, baby! *Sweetened* condensed milk in a macaroni & cheese casserole??? As Jo said, that's downright startling! Strange how something that sounds wierd often turns out to taste like ambrosia. Thank you for sharing, Theo. I've printed out your recipe.

Now it's my turn. The following measurements are approximate, since I don't measure ingredients when making it. They don't have to be exact, anyway. And please excuse my bit of pride in putting my name on the recipe. My mother told me to always put my name on recipes I made up or adapted to personal taste.

SHERRIE'S CREAMY CORNED BEEF CASSEROLE

2-3 large potatoes, peeled & grated (rinse thoroughly & drain)
(can substitute pkg of uncooked shredded hash browns)
1 small onion, diced or thinly sliced
2 cans Hereford brand corned beef
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 soup can (or more) milk
8 oz. sour cream
sprinkling of chicken bullion crystals
2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese
Sprinkling of flour
Sprinkling of coarse ground black pepper

Grease 8x8 casserole dish & set aside.

Mix soup, milk, sour cream, & chicken boullion in saucepan. Heat & stir till thoroughly mixed. Set aside.

Place half the grated potatoes in bottom of casserole. Add half the diced onions. Sprinkle lightly with flour. Then sprinkle with coarse ground pepper. (Pepper really adds to this dish, so don't scrimp)

Pour half the warm soup mix over all. Top with half the crumbled corned beef. Finish with half the grated cheese. Repeat for second layer.

Place on cookie sheet (to catch any bubbling over) and bake at 350 until done. Don't ask how long, because my oven is off by 50 degrees. Maybe bake for an hour? When done, it comes out bubbly and golden, with a crunchy cheese & corned beef "crust" on top.

The above ingredients are probably a little generous for an 8x8 casserole. I usually end up using the leftover ingredients to make a smaller, one-meal casserole with. It freezes well if you bake it first. This is a hearty dish and it can be served for breakfast, too.

[Virginia]

"Buggalugs, I'm familiar with hubby, but I don't think it's used in America. (Anyone?)"

After World War II, with all the returned soldiers going to college on the GI bill and their wives working to support the families, in the married students' housing at the University of Missouri, after commencement, the wives held a ceremony in which they received a "PHT" degree -- for "putting hubby though."

Okay, it strikes people today as a bit ugh. But it does point out that the word was used.

[theo]

Sherri! Sounds wonderful. I'll be trying that one this week and yes, I'll eat it! (I don't do carbs anymore) I love corned beef. :)

I know, the sweetened part sounds funny, but it makes a rich flavor and people love it.

Virginia, I don't think it sounds ugh. My parents met while building and testing P-51 Mustang engines at the plant they built at Willow Run airport outside Detroit. I still carry a lot of those old phrases and such that one doesn't normally hear much anymore.

[Sherrie Holmes]

Theo, hope you enjoy the casserole as much as I do. (She said without an ounce of modesty) I'm having company over for brunch on Sunday after church, and they informed me that if I didn't make my casserole they weren't coming. *g*

I'm game--the next time I do baking I'll definitely try your recipe, sweetened condensed milk and all!

[talpianna]

And then there's THIS club:

TO THE EDITOR OF BLACKWOOD'S MAGAZINE.

SIR,--We have all heard of a Society for the Promotion of Vice, of the Hell-Fire Club, &c. At Brighton, I think it was, that a Society was formed for the Suppression of Virtue. That society was itself suppressed--but I am sorry to say that another exists in London, of a character still more atrocious. In tendency, it may be denominated a Society for the
Encouragement of Murder; but, according to their own delicate [Greek: euphaemismos], it is styled--The Society of Connoisseurs in Murder. They
profess to be curious in homicide; amateurs and dilettanti in the various modes of bloodshed; and, in short, Murder-Fanciers.

For if once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination. Once begin upon this downward path, you never know where you are to stop.

More here:

http://tinyurl.com/3hwzhh