of the school that plumps for the No. 2
temperance alternative) we must point out that beer has a special
affinity for Cheddar. The French have clearly established this in
their names for Welsh Rabbit, _Fromage Fondue a la Biere_ and _Fondue
a l'Anglaise_.

To prepare such a cheese for the pan, each Rabbit hound may have a
preference all his own, for here the question comes up of how it melts
best. Do you shave, slice, dice, shred, mince, chop, cut, scrape or
crumble it in the fingers? This will vary according to one's
temperament and the condition of the cheese. Generally, for best
results it is coarsely grated. When it comes to making all this into a
rare bit of Rabbit there is:

The One and Only Method

Use a double boiler, or preferably a chafing dish, avoiding aluminum
and other soft metals. Heat the upper pan by simmering water in the
lower one, but don't let the water boil up or touch the top pan.

Most, but not all, Rabbits are begun by heating a bit of butter or
margarine in the pan in which one cup of roughly grated cheese,
usually sharp Cheddar, is melted and mixed with one-half cup of
liquid, added gradually. (The butter isn't necessary for a cheese that
should melt by itself.)

The two principal ingredients are melted smoothly together and kept
from curdling by stirring steadily in one direction only, over an even
heat. The spoon used should be of hard wood, sterling silver or
porcelain. Never use tin, aluminum or soft metal--the taste may come
off to taint the job.

Be sure the liquid is at room temperature, or warmer, and add it
gradually, without interrupting the stirring. Do not let it come to
the bubbling point, and never let it boil.

Add seasonings only when the cheese is melted, which will take two or
three minutes. Then continue to stir in the same direction without an
instant's letup, for maybe ten minutes or more, until the Rabbit is
smooth. The consistency and velvety smoothness depend a good deal on
whether or not an egg, or a beaten yolk, is added.

The hotter the Rabbit is served, the better. You can sizzle the top
with a salamander or other branding iron, but in any case set it forth
as nearly sizzling as possible, on toast hellishly hot, whether it's
browned or buttered on one side or both.

Give a thought to the sad case of the "little dog whose name was
Rover, and when he was dead he was dead all over." Something very
similar happens with a Rabbit that's allowed to cool dow