Nonsense Books · Chapter
Nonsense Cookery explained
A satirical cookery column from the Nonsense Gazette, attributed to Professor Bosh, presenting absurd and impractical recipes for Amblongus Pie, Crumbobblious Cutlets, and Gosky Patties, along with botanical discoveries from fantastical loc
What happens
A satirical cookery column from the Nonsense Gazette, attributed to Professor Bosh, presenting absurd and impractical recipes for Amblongus Pie, Crumbobblious Cutlets, and Gosky Patties, along with botanical discoveries from fantastical locations.
Themes in this chapter
Nonsense and Absurdity
The entire chapter is a parody of cookery instructions, with deliberately impossible steps such as throwing the pie out of the window and beating a pig to make patties.
Social Absurdity and Conformity
The chapter satirizes the rigid, rule-bound nature of Victorian domestic life and the absurd lengths to which people would go to follow prescribed recipes.
Key passages
“Take 4 pounds (say 4½ pounds) of fresh Amblongusses, and put them in a small pipkin. Cover them with water, and boil them for 8 hours incessantly; after which add 2 pints of new milk, and proceed to boil for 4 hours more.”
Start with about four and a half pounds of fresh Amblongusses, boil them in a small pot for eight hours straight, then add milk and boil for another four hours.
The recipe begins with an absurdly long boiling process for a fictional ingredient.
“Serve up in a clean dish, and throw the whole out of window as fast as possible.”
Present the dish on a clean plate, then immediately toss it out the window.
The final instruction for Amblongus Pie is deliberately nonsensical, mocking the idea of a finished dish.
“If he squeals, beat him again. Visit the paste and beat the pig alternately for some days, and ascertain if, at the end of that period, the whole is about to turn into Gosky Patties.”
If the pig squeals, beat it once more. Continue alternating between checking the paste and beating the pig for several days to see if the mixture becomes Gosky Patties.
The recipe for Gosky Patties involves a cruel and absurd process of beating a pig, highlighting the chapter's darkly humorous tone.