Anyone who doubts an 18th century English cultural preference for beef, and its linkages to issues of national identity, should check out Wiliam Hogarth's painting The Roast Beef of Old England, which says more on the subject than most volumes. Dr Matthew H Johnson Dept of Archaeology University of Durham South Road Durham DH1 3LE U.K. Tel 0191 374 4755 Fax 0191 374 3619