They had decided to cook the veal and the pig's back the night before, since both of those dishes are better when reheated.

But the cream sauce for the veal would not be prepared until just before sitting down for the feast.
There was still plenty of work left for Monday: the soup, the peas with bacon, the roast goose.

The inner room was lit by three fires.

Butter was sizzling in the pans and emitting a sharp odor of burnt flour.
Mother Coupeau and Gervaise, with white aprons tied on, were bustling all around, cleaning parsley, dashing for salt and pepper, turning the meat.

They had sent Coupeau away so as not to have him underfoot, but they still had plenty of people looking in throughout the afternoon.