Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1858-10-27
CLEARFIELD, PA, OCT. 81, 1855
A CULINARY GRIEVANCE.

The art of living is beyond all question, one
of the most important subjects that could be
submitted to the human mind. Too little at
tention is paid to it, especially in the United
States-not only in eating too often and too
much, but as regards the preparation of food.
Nor do We expect that reform will soon be
effected in this particular; for we are well g.
ware that reformers receive, as general thing,
but poor treatment at the hands of the public
in this esfast'' age. At the risk, however, of
being called an intermeddler and busy body
We intend grunlbling little, if you choose so
to call it, about grievous, or, perhaps, more
properly speaking, greasy wrong, which we
as a people are laboring under. This "uni-
yersal Yankee nation of ours is, we know,
considered rather slippery affair; but if there
is any truth in the aphorism, viewed in an un-
limited meaning, that sslke produces like .
then, indeed, are We in danger of becoming
an oleaginous race, and representatives of the
s'Oily Cannon" tribe in more literal sense
than Sam. Warren intended the cognomen of
that hopeful individual should convey. What
We mean Is, that we eat too much fat meat and
oily food, generally and, we think, we are
selves metamorphosed into ssmonument of
grease than, like Lots wife, into pillar
of that preservative article, commonly called
salt. No one can fail to observe that an i'm
mense quantity of grease of one sort or an
other is used in cooking nowadays. Nearly
every kind of 'srich'' cake is saturated with
butter-the most delicious pastry, forsooth, is
filled with it-your fowls, when brought to the
table, are swimming in q little ocean of fat
your eggs and potatoes are fried in it till they
lose their distinctive tastes-your lettuce and
other vegetables emit an intensely oily flavor
in short, grease varied, but Intern Unable meets
your gaze you scan the endless array of
modem dishes that are placed before men,
women and children to crafty their vitiated
appetitss- And then comes your fat meat
pork, 6c.s-the very quintessence OF scrofula
the germ of dyspepsia-the first cause of
half ssthe ills that flesh is heir to.'' And as
ali the different forms in which grease is used
present themselves to our Imagination we in
voluntarily pray, 'sFrom such, good lord, de-
liver u.s." and our stomach utters a hearty
"amen'' to it. The ancicnts If is well known
abstaincd, to 4 great degree, from fat meats,
and there is little doubt that to this habit were
they more or less indebted for their vigorous
constitutions and minds, and for their compar-
ative freedom from scrofulous and infectious
diseases And it seems to us that we could
profit by their example. If we would eat mere
light foOd,-rice, puddings, Sc-,--and fewer
rich, or rather, greasy victuals, and instead of
placing inexperienced, uncultiva;ed, unskillful
Dutch and Irish in our culinary departments,
We would elevate the standard and procure
persons who had correct ideas of health and
diet, we would be individually benefited, and
the race, instead of degenerating, would soon
be immeasurably improved.