Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-11-09
THE HOG IN FLORIDA,

from " Due South, " or Florida Sketches
i~ Fuz Hugh Ludlow, in the y. Y. Com.
~ra0'
-lb- great arch-enemy OF all Christian and
civilized sJomachs which 60 to Florida, is fht
H1q. Ilis wretched quadruped in a.
country embldeIs every gastronomic rela-
t0n o. ltc he ntrudes his vile presence at
every banq1ct-if be wallows not also in
every dish Of the banquet, call it clear gain
ST hraakas. he takes the bold form Of ba-
CONDUIT In dozen other less avowed though
utterly transparent iHcarnations, be extends
Himself 9oWa the table between the carver
and tae p0urer Of tea The meal of the
l'ess kinds # corn cake mas been satur-
-ti with him-the slap-jacks have been
--. la alm-haply also he has entered into
tla lot lldIa-rubbery wheaton bread st
dinner 1t IS difficult to mention where the
IIc Is nos lie swlms on the top of the
hurdle soup in irridescent SCALES Of oil-he
SINKS To the bottom Of it in these soaked
Strings Il lean ham, without which the ne
Crcss cook would sooner die a MARTYRS death
than make any preparation Of turtle what
s7eVcr. But suppose, being Ignorant as nov
ICES -sually are, Of the fatal ubiquity Of the
log IN Florida, that you do not take the
turtle soup at all. Here Is n venison steak.
Try that. We all know that no venison eK-
ISIS In the world so delicate as the meat Of
the small Florida deer. You are very fond
Of venison. You recollect the fist time Won
ever saw it, Just penetrated by the genially
seductive heat Of the chafing dish, and yield
ell IFS aromatic concentrated Juice Of forest
herbs loyinglv-as If it knew that self-sic-
lIfce were the prime element in all glory
i is q rememb rance like the faint echoes Of
tle maternal cradle song. You wall take q
small piece Of this vcnison then, with the
ancsrest Of pleasure.
Al . What is the matter You find it
Little like shoe-soles, heb Shoe soles that
have been habituated to the walks Of a tai
l1w-chandler's warehouse Soaked through
and through with the inevitable Hog, is it
Tormost Of culinary blaspbemies! they have
f-ic4 a rcuis3a steak And fried it too, in
SCENES tat But venisOn is only an entree.
There are several pieces de resistance left you.
Desperately assault this wild turkey-one Of
tie most delicious birds that ever strutted
through q grove Of pecan nuts. The abom-
Unable Hog Is there before you The stuff
Eng has been rolled in him-he has melted
over the white breast in the form of basting
Wei Florida beef is as ignorant Of fat as
the AVIS Of Death or the lips Of starvation.
Ana YOU attack yOnder chunk Of it, as the
cernler alternative to utter caTnlverous alb
stIuence Is gravy is liquid Hog
10 matter. Many eminent saints have
lived upon crosses. Martin, the huckleberry
wh1 ryman. came all the way from Boston
0n he fruit indicated by his title assisted by
half watermelon. Vegetables are the
proper food of the tropics. Drs. Graham
and Alcott limit them by no terrestrial zone.
And they are certainly the only food known
- celestial p4lates. Daniel-Shadrach,
Nashach, and Aboduego-all Of them the
bast possible authority, grew roster on reg
men OF pulse and lentlles than all the
household Of the King. Fortified By this
grand array Of precedents, you take the
cheerful view Of your Florida dinner and call
for the cabbage. II has been boiled with
Hog. For the green peas. They have been
s:ewed on Hog. For the sweet potatoes
They breathe adipose avowals that hog has
been baked n the same oven. For the
squash frittsrs. They have been fried 10
Hog, like the venison.
Then vou fold your hands, and balance
Hog against Starvation. Then for the first
time Moses aseends TO his true niche in the
J ,anple OF your esteem, as the most philan-
thr6pic Of Law giyers-the Levitical code
becomes a system of morals to be tabled on
pure gold. You bless that title Of your own
New York Revised Statutes, which entailes
penalty on Hogs running in the public high
way You aye even inclined to think better
E those evil spirits who took possession of
tie swinish herd, making them run of the
. cliff and commit felo de Sc. You accept the
most ezt7aragant dictum Of Priessnltz on the
subject Of national degeneration through
D rk-eat1g You abandon the old tradition
Z came Of incubus-heresfter 1t shall not
night mare whom you hold responsible