The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1857-01-03
COOEtE.Ne:,
From the Snrinniiell Renul,li

COOEsENe:,
From the Springfield Republican,.
The New York Tribune has published a
brace of articles on country cooking, in which
it rather pointcdlv n>inuates that such a
thing as good cooking in the country is very
rare, to say the least In consequence of this
attack upon tender point of pride, it as
aroused a good deal of Indignation among the
>killful housewives who do not happen to live
in the city and We understand that various
dishes have found their way to the Tribune
office. which speak yolumes in retutation of
the charges preferred Granting that the
cui>uirc of the city is better among the better
classes than that among correspondn. classes
in the country. it is due to New ENGLAND to
say that the families are few into which a
stranger would stand chance Of being intro
duced, that do not furnish uncxceptional vi
ands, in quality and style. Country bread Is
almost universally better than city bread, and
this is very important item. If the pastry
is simpler, it is certainly more wholesome in
its taste and in its effects. Many a New York
and Boston man would rive gold to get hold
OF nis New En-. land mothers pies once more.
But with al. the exrellencies of country
cookin. in New England. there are some de-
tcctS which deserve criticism il is great
habit among farmers II irv or boil every kind
meat. THEN ham is t!icd and not broicd,
their >teak-tect and pork-i> committed TO
the spider and not to th,. gridiron. pork goc>
into the pot with vegetables or is cli>pcd in
the irving pan, their chickens are trca>e,d
and not roasted. etc. Now this course not
only DESTROYS the flavor c. the meats. int is
opposed to hcaIth.u!nc>>. The broied and
roasted meats retain their flavor better than
those cooked in any other way, and as the
physician well knows. are much more easily
di.e>tr'l than when cooked in any other form.
Fried meats and boiled meats are uniformly
hard to digest. Meat is always the central
dish, and, when well cooked. covers multi.
tude OF minor sins but when badly cook ed.
even respectable vcgcablc al iuncts seem out
of prace, and lose their power to satisfy or
please.
The charge of waStctuness undoubtedly
apple, to th.most of fcountry cookery \ New
York tamIl ly-at any rate. a Parsian family
would live on what is annually thrown a.
way by many a country family in New Eng
laud. The broken meats thrown away would
make many IA choice dish for the Frcnchman
and even the bones would give him his soup.
What with the farmers boiling, and frying.
and stewiEg, anI waStefulncSS. enough of the
best material is often used to furnish his table.
richly, while. in fact, he en- JOYS what can only
be called "plain living" We have sat down
at many farmers table where the bes: of
bread was set before Us, with choicest butter
and cheese, the best and most wholesome of
pastry, and yet the boiled or fried MugS of
animal food spoiled the dinner
Again there is usually too much attempt at
variety in every meal Pies three times a
day Is twice too many. \ multitude of Gish-
es take the place of one GOOD dish, which,
with a sensible man who has beer accustomed
to the best living, needs but few simple adj
Juncts to satisfy all his wishes. We know
OF man who is to dine to-day on the cold re-
mains of a roasted turkey 1t is not to be
hashed up, and set into a simmer with its stuff
fling and gravy, until it comes out a greasy
spicy, ndigestlbie compound, but it is to
come on cold, and he is to pick its blessed
old bones. At the side of it will sit dish of
hot roasted potatoes (not boiled) that ar.
just as mealy and sweet as roasted chestnuts
We presume that portion of one of those
marrowsquashes which he worked over las,
summer will be on the table in the form Of
pic-simple and wholesome-and such 4
dinner, frugal and simple as it may be, pre.
sents greater attractions than any table. in
city or country, loaded with varieties, possess.
es.
In CRANKY, n. y, Mrs. j. II. Suvlam
heard shrek from the we'll, and found one
OF her little boys sinking in the water IS fee,
below the ground She immediately sent her
hired @lrl for assistance tut before it came
she had herself descended into the well. where
she caught the child by the arm. and held
HIM out of the water. Another child. OF four
and half years DID, wen: into the house.
emp'led the water ont of the pail, hooked il
on the pole, and lowered 1t bv the sweep.
which was nearly heavy enough to raise a
pail of water This proving Of no usa tho
motner thought she must either drop the child
or drown herself; but making a desnera,.
effort, she climbed up the slippery stones unit!
she was near the top, and raised him over
head, when Frankly. lying down on the plat-
form canuht his little bro.b.r h.. ,L