We had a discussion as to whether the rat should go in or not. Harris said that he thought it would be all right, mixed
up with the other things, and that every little helped; but George stood up for precedent! He said he had never heard of
water-rats in Irish stew, and he would rather be on the safe side, and not try experiments.
Harris said:
"If you never try a new thing how can you tell what it's like? It's men such as you that hamper the world's progress.
Think of the man who first tried German sausage!"
It was a great success, that Irish stew. I don't think I ever enjoyed a meal more. There was something so fresh and
piquant about it. One's palate gets so tired of the old hackneyed things; here was a dish with a new flavour, with a taste
like nothing else on earth.
And it was nourishing, too. As George said, there was good stuff in it. The peas and potatoes might have been a bit
softer, but we all had good teeth, so that did not matter much; and as for the gravy, it was a poem — a little too rich,
perhaps, for a weak stomach, but nutritious.
EXPLANATORY NOTES
1. Sonning ['sonig]: a picturesque village on the bank of the Thames.
2. latticed window: a window with small panes set in.
3. Reading ['redirj]: a town on the river Thames, Berkshire, South England. It is an important town for engineering, transport "and
scientific research. It is also important for its cattle and corn markets. It is proud of its university which specializes in agriculture.
4. Irish stew: a thick stew of mutton, onion and potatoes.
5. peck: a measure for dry goods equal to two gallons. Half a peck is equal approximately to four litres.
6. German sausage: a large kind of sausage with spiced, partly cooked meat.
ESSENTIAL VOCABULARY
Vocabulary Notes
1. gossip n 1) (uncount.) idle talk, often ill-natured, about persons or events, also what appears in newspapers about people well-
known in society, as the gossip column, a gossip writer, e. g. Don't believe all the gossip you hear. 2) (count.) a person who is fond of
talking about other people's affairs, as the town gossips.
gossip vi (over smth.) to talk about the affairs of others, to spread rumours, e. g. Aren't you ashamed of gossiping over his affairs?
2. wind [wamd] (wound [waund] vt/i 1) to turn round and round: to wind the handle; 2) to make into a ball or twisted round
shape, as to wind wool; 3) to follow a direction in a twisting shape, e. g. The path winds through the wood. 4) to tighten the working
parts by turning, as to wind a clock; 5) to bring or come to an end, e.