The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-13
HOT CORN, SMOKING HOT /!
a BUSINESS THAT EMPLOYS MANY
MUSICAL VOICES.


VII HeuIly every corner III chatham
street and the Bowery, In sixth and Eighth ave-
Duee, here and there in Broadway, In Fourth
avenue and the cross streets, echo In these sum
mer nights the cries OF the hot-corn vendors.
Beginning at early dusk and continuing until
almost dawn, the negro vocalsts who sing 4" Hot
cornl hot cornl" are heard the whole night
through. Why should hot corn have come to
be regarded as peculiarly a nocturnal delicacy2
There are a few wonders of II TO be seen ia the
daytime, but they are In number as one to
hundred compared with those who are In the
streets by night. People und oubtedly do eat It
at their dinner-tables and as part Of hurried
lunches In downtown restaurants, but the
great demand seems to be after night-fall, or
rather between the hours Of 9P. NJ and A. NJ
precisely the time when rigid hygienic custom
forbids the taking Of food into the stomach
But who ever heard Of anybody becoming III
from the eating OF good green corn, even late
at night, when the eating was In moderation
say not more than handful OF ears at a single
sitting-or standing? Perhaps the solitary noe.
turnal eating Of hot corn is prompted by cou-
sci0usness that the occupation is far from
being graceful True, the corn may be shaved
from the cob by knife into plate, there sea-
soncd, and thence fotked or spooned into the
mouth very neatly, and even daintily, but very
unsatsfactorily. To enjoy hot corn 1t must DO
bitten from the cob, mouthful by mouthfui Its
juices, hot and fresh. crushed out by the teeth.
must blsEd, IN the lips OF the eater, with the
flavor OF the butter, salt and pepper spread
upon Il. To cut 1t OF aud serve It upon plate
Is worthy Of him who would fry steak to
juicelessness and bring It to table on cold
platter. But ones mouth does spread hideously
over an ear OF corn. and the effort to clear the
lips from the teeth for a bite gives prominence
Ia an m tnefanra nd
NOCTURNAL CORN EATING.
Such considerations. weigbty as they may be
at the dinner table, count for nothing in the
gloom OF a night. That this feeling OF delicacy
and sensiuveness is the marked characteristic
Of hot corn eaters, anc accounts for their shrink
Ing from public scrutiny into the friendly seclu-
sion OF the night seems to be undenll5e. The
theory IL also sustained by the observed fact
that their ears arc sensitive, and revolt at the
loud, harsh cries with which vendors Of other
delicaces and necessities OF life seek to attract
customers rne colured folks. who almost mo-
nopOhze the not corn Ousins -, understand this
full well, and govern themselves accordingly.
Four or i've years ago good many Germans aud
Italians entered tutO competition with them. but
made a failure. In part. doubtless from their
musical voices &c attract their sensitive CUSTOM
ers,
darkey veneer On the sixth avenue, wants to
hcyah aNeli hung At MIN Ike out'n gun. OATS
RAGS, "A Ice cream, tut for NOS Gavin yo want
II to sound sweet n musical Ike. Use 'feard
dat aint CONSIDERED ~ much now AS IL used fer
10 De- Mos de Young people Dat hOilers hot
Gavin now has a way OO suOutin' hot Gavin
bot cam wid de voice RISING 90 de word
Oh de women has way Of calm not Gavin,
Wild de not nigh up an tallin' ON lie Gavin. Kind
Oh mo nful ike. Oats pooty effective, but TO
my eah das nufiin 80 sweet a. de ole cry lsing-
ngl, Hot cawn. h'yess yer nice hot cawn;
yell. It's song dulcem. 'iiniuus song. nt fer
on DE ayenoo--whati Gnnudderl Yes, san.
Well. YOU do like Gavin, TO shuah. Does me
good TO see "A gemman eat GAVIN
CORN vgNDER's THEORIES.
As was sayin', gemman eatin' my Gavin
teci gratin' wild "A yell. Dat yellin's good
nun wnen yer .gwne along Wild heoby pail
feel how hot dsy is an csnsin em 10 wish ~ fer
de cool ice cream. Why. kin rise a hull block
wild one yell oo ice cream. But lt went do Yer
ful Ike. lwun't DO fer to have muffin jolly
nike. seen az the ole cry we use to hao Ter CLANS.
>undl, IT r1'us N summer wild bright iin pals
ob claus. u sometimes eei-. Den we use fer To
de young folks now knows dat, but II went 50:
iiyah,. yer iiy w white b., clans
AZ ar, Re 6 fr a. rnise hot clsa Die .' " '''
yer ny ~hte cams.
NOW, " see, sab. de music oh dat song jes
lafs ike. Dat wouldn't DO fef not clWn. Ciyu
hot Gavin ye mus let de- FOLKS know VIVA You Us,
an what your seilin' 'thOut 'stractin' de ten
tiun 90 dc gemmeu dats edtn' away from DO
GAVIN
The superiority OF the corn cooked 10y negroes
Is not fincied; none know so well as they now
to develop all the juiciness and sweetness that
corn contains ia any mode Of preparing IL for the
table, excepting perhaps converting II into
whiskey. They know how 10 pick the tender
est. sweetest, anu plumpcst ears how hest to
boil then. and are very particular that IN serving
them they snail be hot anu accompanied hy the
ffesncst and best butter. This last important
con-ideraiion was generally ignored Nv the
competitors. II Is really surprising how long
corn can be kept hot II properly wrapped up In
hot wet cloths IN thick wooden PAL; six or
seven nours its heat and freshness Of nayOr can
thus be maintained.
POINTS OF TUE TRADE.
"Uow MANY eahs a night, sab? Well, It's
mighty hard 10 say replied an old negro wo-
many as fifty. an one time sold eirhty-three
nut dat's dom a rushin' trade rs satisfied ei
ben dere 5 mo- money ahoat. lie young clerks
! Is paid "a, an good many ob dom Jest plunges
he'll, Ter em a heap sight better "A whiskcy n
! beer. Warm II up again. No sab. OATS on
! possible. When corn gets cold. IT'S no mo good
dis way. You can cut II of n de cob an fry II in
ham fat an It's good, but fer eatin' OF do cob,
| It's only good when rs fust biod and kept hot.
! Sic n NV ole man an de chl'n eat what's left
| ober; Laws, now de young uns likes IT, Dev
gits jos as fai a. pigs In roastin eah time. al
! lus has enough left ober fer dem, and de eahs
see dem eat does mo good dan dem sells. FO'
cabs sab. OATS lest u quarter ob a dollar"
| Prices vary considerably in the retail hot corn
/ trade. In the early part Of the season ana very
late the standard charge all over the city Is ten
| cents an eur, and that Il generally maintained
| M town and on the west side through the sum
mer. In the middle of the season, however, es-
| pecially this year. there have been many vendors
| VINO graded their prices lower and more nearly
| In proportion to what they had to pay for the
! corn charging eight, seven, six, aud even low
a. i've cents, which Is the regular BOwery price.
Sometimes the Bowery rate falls as low as three
cents.
No estimate can be made OF the quantity OF
| green corn that Is brought to this market each
| summer. The earliest OF the season comes from
| Darlington andlkeypOrt, New Jersey; later the
main supply Is from about Hackensack, \. j.,
aud Long leland, aud the very latest OF all es
from fields near the sea shore Of the latter
| place.
THE WHOLESALE BUSINESS.
In addition TO the hundreds Of tons shipped
! by farmers TO their regular consgnees commits
| tiuI are brought ia by the growers themselves
| and sold from tho wagons along tho streets near
| Washington Market aud ABOVE, from Day as far
up As KING street These farmers must not be
| conf Iuude! with the hucksters who hawk green
| corn about the streets Iney supply the muck
| sters frequently, but generally sell direct TO
| housekeepera, hotels, and restaurants, while the
| suett peddeTs, as rule. load their wagons
| from the stocks II stale aud less marketable
| stuns left on the hands Of the large commission
| merchants. Some Of these latter sell as much
2U.UO ears In single day. THIS Is not IN