The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-08-30
H..h-oommsus. and Reflections.

Hash-0onmenz and RsAectionG
e.. Leuis spirit.
Be Is evsr - crafty. =
There's 10 grub lfks hash"
The author Of the above tender par.
ody was probably one Of those extreme
ly enterprising men who do nothing
themselves, but whose wives support
them by keeping boarders. The lazy
lubber composed this apostrophs ID
mixed food to still the grumblings OF
overhashed boardeE-
What is hashf Every one knows,
yet none can define it. The ablesi
minds Of this century have grappled
with the problem and signally failed
Webster says 1t is q dish of minced
and mixed meat, or meat and vegeta-
bles; but this itself is only q cold. unsea-
soned hash Of words, and no more ex-
presses the popular idea of the Wand
In question than 1t does Of mince pie.
Josh Billings came nearer when be
termed hash q mystery, but still he only
suggested its leading characteristic.
notwithstanding the general undefin-
ability of hash. we may yet discuss its
peculiarities and note its virtues and
its vices. Hash is Of two kinds: first.
homemade hash; second, hotel OF
boarding house hash. The first VIC
learned to love and devour as children.
Very likely mother made it; II not.
probably she superintended it. As We
dozed Of q cold morning. up from the
kitchen below came the musical chuck
chuck! of the chopping knife as it de-
scended through the corn beef and
struck the wooden tray. Those were
happy days when we started for school
at eight O'Clock. full to the brim .oI
good hot hash and buck-wheat cakes.
Did we ever question the ingredients OF
the hashf Did cold suspicion of the
scrapings Of the dirty plates or thrice
picked bones ever cross our minds? Or
did the thought Of tom-cat or poodle
even lessen our appetitesP Oh, no!
There was mystery, but we had unlim-
tied confidence in the legitimacy of tho
mystery. Then we grew to maturef
years. Home was no nor From
hotel to restaurant, and from res
taurant to boarding house, the now
lordly man was hurried. How about
the hashP 1t was there, it was
everywhere, with a regularity wonder
full to contemplate. But gradually sus-
picion took possession of the many
breast. He eyed the mystery frequent
ly and sadly, and he eyed the waiter.
the steward, and the landlady. When.
morning, his tooth struck o fragment
of q button, suspicion grew rank; bur
when, o on after, he put a private
mark on a bone and received the Same
bone back again twice within the week.
then a wild frenzy seized him, and
hash was foresworn for the rest OF lis
natural days. This is history, univer.
sal history. and the public horror ol
hash is a fixed to-day in the United
States as is that of over-ripe eggs
Doubtless there is much excellent hash
made in every city, town, and hamlet
Of the land. but the temptation to fraud
in its manufacture, and the difficulty IL
detecting the same, Is such that the
man Of the world is content to go hash
less TO his grave rather than to run thu
risk Of stumbling on familiar bones
buttons, hair-pins, ~shoe-lacings, cast
off apparel, and such other seasoning
as proverbially find their way into 4
Good hash meets the fate of fraud
ulent hash. and none but the confidine
and unsophisticated venture to assail it
Somebody has said that 1t is safe II
eat hash when the landlady eats hash
but the absence of the landlady In
hotel, restaurant, and most boarding
houses, renders the rule useless. Al
rare intervals one finds q boarding
house where everything is scrupulously
neat and elegant, 80 remindful Of
mother and youthful days. that he \
justified In eating everything set before
him. Such . place is . pearl of grea,
prica and -vhan dtarovorsd shcula ~
treasured up. Probably the best -
commentator that . private boarding
house can have is that iii safe to cal
its hash. 1t is useless to expect ths
millennium until the general practcs
of all the Christian graces and virtue,
has made . universally safe article oil
diet-restored It to its pristine simplict
ty and popularity.