Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-04-03
Alexandria Gazette
,JOWl and Greens.
.Srpunhie$ Of tic kentucky GHi<i"c ,j"iT
UStwSSr1
From Ben Cassidy 5 Table Talk.

From Ben Cassidy Table Talk.
When the grass bcgius to show Il healthy
green on the hill sidcs-whcn thu. buds begin
TO swell, the fish to bite, the lambs to triSk,
and the birds to palr-ln short, when spring,
ethereal mildnc>s, no longer fingers III the lap
Of winter, the appetite Of man, like that Of
the brute, Graves Il deal Of diet. The horse
tires of his yellow corn, chopped oats, hay
and bran, ana his mouth waters for the cnrr-
aid grass and the tender shoots of lcrbage
that spring up in the fence corners When
turned out, his festive heels clrarc the ambI-
cnt air, and he laughs Il vcritabc horse laugh
at the prospect of filling up with greens.
So it is with man lie gets through the VIII
ter admirably OH sirlulm steaks, poultry, oysters,
canned fruit ''and Sich, but when the spring
comes he feels :, gnlwing and hankcrng Ill his
''innardS' which neither the grocer nor the
butcher c;,n satisfy. His stomach rcvolt$ at
purtcr- house mutton mortally olfrndS him,
poultry. lie loathcs huminy and rice, and his
i.noSt soul with deep disgust is stirred at the
bare thought of dried apples lie reviews
the history of Nchucladnezzar, and the fate
of that Illuminating bipcd does not strike him
rs being particularly hard. He feels IN almost
irresistible inclination to go on all t1urS and
bark the fruit trees rs the horses do. Even
his matutinm cocktail goes agin him, and
lie is generally out of sorts.
In many parts OF our beloved country our
fellow men and women annually plSS through
this uncomfortable phase of existence without
knowing what is the matter with them, AMI
suffer gastric agony until the crisp rldlShes
come upon the table But in Kentucky We
know what this mysterious craving of the ap-
pctitc means, and how to satisfy it, We un-
lcrstand ourselves, and know what's the mat
ter with Hannah The human SYSTEM im
poyerishcd in certain clements by the long Use
of winter grub, needs something to supply the
waste. What We need is jow, and green's
Other less favored communities have bacon
and green's, or greens plain. boiled to pulp and
erycI up with perhaps slice or two Of hard
boiled egg to aid the imposition, but III Ken
lucky alone do we find that grendest comblm,-
ton of culinary scicncc-that dish fit for the
gods-,jowl and green's The jaunty c;lndc,
lion, the lambs quarter, the broad Leaf OF
the water dock, the pungcnt wild mustard, or
the more civilized spinach and turnip top, turl-
ish the tender, toothsomc garnturc for the
roval iowl, Slltcd to Il nicely, smoked To- gnl-
den brown ani brought upon the table with
lust 4 iingc of that crcoSotic flavor SO cnjnya,,
he in cured meats and Scotch whiskic>. .)owl
and green's exist in Il sporadic form IN other
States. 1t may be occasionally encountered IN
f,rm- houses throughout Indiana and Illinois,
while in the Southern States it is more com.
mon. But in Kentucky alone Is 1t epidemic
and found in its highest state ct development.
Here alone is the dish apprcclatca and nc,
corded its proper position in the list "i good
things combining tho attributes nf the neccS-
sarv and the luxury. In season it Is given the
nlace of honor on our hotel bills of fare, sham
ING hy the imposing grandeur of its democratic
simplicity the frothy< y<irumpery of French de
lusions and snarcs with which it Is associated.
The eye of the jadcl cplcurc, passing hurredly
over the prctcndcrs, rests with sense OF sat
isfiCd complaccncy on juwl and greens.
An indispensable auxiliary to jowl and greens
il corn bread, and here again Kentucky proud
ly challenges the competition of the world
None of your vile compounds of alkall and
acids, with which the housewives OF other
States pcrsccutc the stomach, and horrlly the
gastric iuicc-nor the soddcn mass of dough,
molasses and ''Injun meal with which the
h;cotcd Yankee does pcnancc for his slus--but
the sweet, palatabic pulp, baked to Il turn, and
melting on the enraptured palate with rich,
ness, that fingers like sweet remembrance OF
faded lows. The corn bread of Tennessee Is
good. The corn bread of the " est has no dis,
tinctivc character being sometimes good and
sometimes bad. The corn bread of Kentucky
isa 10Y forever But To return to our cOhon.
We believe humanity is indebted to Luke Gut
lus, one of the pioneers for the grand combina,
ton of jowl and greens. Mr.. Cullus is Il ncal
descendant of the great Emperor o the same
name who fooled away his time in drvISIn@
Aimsy dishes of peacocks tongues, while h"
might have had iowl and green's.
There is one clement in the African winch
rcdccms him from larhtriSlu-nnc streak "i
higher organization which encourages us in the
hone of ultimate civilization and cnllghtcn-
ment. lie takes kindly to !owl and green's. -
lie dotcs on the fat, pcrSimmon~ie ~ied and pre-
hcnslc tailed opossunl, baked with sweet tn,
trrs but his religion is jowl and greens. And
in this devotion wealth and refinement strike
hands with toiling poverty. Jowl anu greens
is the one touch OF nature which makes Us al
akin
Ifthcrc l.: any cnviouS reader from the lands
10 the north of It's who thinks VT have taken
mp too much space with this g,stronoln'e rllar-
..rdy we rctort that We scoru his SUGGESTIONS
The man who don't like iowl and green's Is Il
trlud-a fit subject for treason, Stratagcm and
spoils We shall continue t" cat III defiance "t
his structures There is uutrimcnt i'll iow AMI
greens. 1t is hygicnic, suothun, satiAyin
illiu' and reshin. Jowl and greens