23.
Men say, “Poor sick fellow!” But why?
Is it because he does not mix snow with his wine, or because he does not revive the chill of his drink—mixed as it is in a good-sized bowl—by chipping ice into it?
Or because he does not have Lucrine oysters opened fresh at his table?
Or because there is no din of cooks about his dining-hall, as they bring in their very cooking apparatus along with their viands?
For luxury has already devised this fashion—of having the kitchen accompany the dinner, so that the food may not grow luke-warm, or fail to be hot enough for a palate which has already become hardened.
Book: Moral Letters Vol II
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On the healing power of the mind
Location: Chapter 78, Section 23
Content:
23.
Men say, “Poor sick fellow!” But why?
Is it because he does not mix snow with his wine, or because he does not revive the chill of his drink—mixed as it is in a good-sized bowl—by chipping ice into it?
Or because he does not have Lucrine oysters opened fresh at his table?
Or because there is no din of cooks about his dining-hall, as they bring in their very cooking apparatus along with their viands?
For luxury has already devised this fashion—of having the kitchen accompany the dinner, so that the food may not grow luke-warm, or fail to be hot enough for a palate which has already become hardened.