Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-08-09

MAN AS AN AMATEUR CooK.-Thcre is
one drawback to the delights of camping
out (writes the New York Times.) There
are dishes which must be washed, and
man is so made as to be unable to wash
dishes with any success. The unwashed
dishes of breakfast, dinner, and supper
hang over the camper QUITO use meta.
phor of probable Irish origin-ikc q dark
cloud, and seriously obscure the bright
ness of his daily life. 1t is remarkable with
what eagerness men will assume every
camp duty except that of dish washing.
1t is not that the task is felt degrading, nor
solely becauce it is difficult one. There
are dishes, such as coffee cups and knives,
which can be easily and quickly washed,
8nd which any energetic man would be
perfectly willing to wash. The real reason
of the usual hatred of dish. washing among
men is the utter impossibly of getting the
grease out of the frying. pan. 1t may be
asked by superficial thinkers or by those
who have no experimental knowledge on
the subject, why is it there should be so
much difficulty in removing given guam
tity of grease from given utensilP The
truth lies in the self expansive power of
grease-a popularity of that Objectionable
substance known only to scientific persons
and campers out, and capable of driving
the most able philosopher to despair and
the use of strong language. 4 given
quantity of grease could, of course, be re.
moved from any frying.psn were it to
remain agiven quantity. When, however,
that the more grease the dish-washer re.
moves the more there is still left to be
removed, the hopeless nature of his task
becomes apparent. Professor IIarkncss, of
the smithsonian institution has proved by
actual experiment that lard, when brought
in contact with Il frying pan, expands to
four times its original bulk He undertook,
when camping in China. in connection
with the national transit Venus picnic, to
fry five small fish in an ordinary irving
pan. He placed in the frying pan half a
pound of lard, fried the fish in it, and after
wards drew the fatal lot which compelled
him to act as dish washer. He labored
for an hour and thirty minutes at that
frying pan. during this period he dis
tributed lard all over his clothing and
over a large portion of the province of
Hoang Chin. He also filled two pint cups
with lard taken from the frying.pan, and
when he finally ceased the effort to wash that
exasperating utensil, and called for Il pair
of scales. it was evident to every observer
that there was great deal more lard in
that neghborhood than there had been
two hours earlier. The testimony of the
scales showed that there was half a pound
Of lard on the professor clothing, another
half-pound in the two Tin cups, and another
half.pound still in the frying pan, while it
was estimated that ut least a like quantity
was distributed over the surface of Hoang-
Chin province. Thus the original amount
of lard had quadrupled itself, and render.
ed tho effort to clean the frying. pan un-
successful. Professor Hardness tried the
experiment six consecutive times, and
was thus enabled to ascertain that the
lard, when placed in a frying pan which
is afterwards subjected to the washing
process, expands until it is 407 times its
original bulk.