anyway, Mrs. Beeton's book of household management is a delight
in what other book with 1000+ recipes do you also get things like "CHAPTER XII.—General observations on quadrupeds."
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i also genuinely love how Mrs. Beeton starts it off
"AS WITH THE COMMANDER OF AN ARMY, or the leader of any enterprise, so
is it with the mistress of a house."
immediate equation with ladies running households as a leadership position that has a lot of power and requires dedication! there is no "oh, it's just silly woman stuff" devaluing of domestic management on Mrs. Beeton's watch!!!
not that the victorian ideal of 'heart of the home' was unproblematic but still
like contrast that to how in modern day "home ec" is sort of laughed off as a junk course, if something not needed at all, because "well it's all simple things you can figure it out"
and here's mrs beeton from the past, yelling YOU ARE AS A GENERAL WITH AN ARMY, THIS IS A TOUGH JOB DESERVING OF STUDY
god i love mrs beeton
just please don't make me eat 3/4 of her recipes