The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1884-09-18
PICNIC FIXINS.
Metaphysics of P,cknicking---Why
We DO Ii and What We Suffer
TherefrOm.

A picnic ut best is Il penance, which
every adult involuntarily performs for
some forgotten sin. and. however ben
eficial this chastisement may be, there
is but one feature that makes day in
the woods tolerable. and that is the
dinner or midday lunch. A man will
go long way and endure vast
amount of uncomfortableness for
good. savory meal. But if that repast
is insufficient and unpalatable the pic
mic is failure that the ordinary run
of events will scarcely redeem.
As 4 rule the women folks prepare
the lunch. and as \ rule it is Il W 'fui
failure. The first thing they do Is TO
bake a lot of cakes and Il slack of pies.
Their neighbors do the same. 80 do
the sisters. and the cousins. and the
aunts"; cookies and tarts are legion; u
few glasses of currant Jelly are selected
and the smallest bottle of new jam is
offered up. The result is that the pic
mic is too sweet for anything; choco-
late cake and cherry pie pail on the pal
ate, while the stomach hungers for
slice of good, clean bread and butter,
q piece of beeksteak, and cup of cof-
fee.
Pastry will do well enough to finish
a meal on, but little should be made
to go a long way. 1t may please and
satisfy the children, but it won't do for
people of sound sense and good health,
nor for many men of any description.
There is really no use for this prodi-
gality of sweets. and if the dear ladies
were reasonable in the matter there
are dozens of good things with which
to make up the lunch basket that would
be both refreshing and heaIthful.
In hot weather there is some danger
in drinking much waller. Lemonade
is a beverage that meets with little OPP
position and is both. cheap and easily
made. The lemons can lie cut in quar-
Iers and carried in tin box or caddv.
Arrived ut the picn.c grounds. pail
of wafer is readily secured. Fill cup
with the crystal fluid, squeeze one
piece of lemon in it. add sugar to suit
the taste, and there you have a lemon
ade individuale. For an adult who pre-
fers more acid use half lemon.
Caterers now have tea frappe. iced
coffee, and cold milk, which is eSpec-
tally designed for private picnics and
IS delivered i'll little coolers. packed in
ice similar TO ice-cream. These orders
cost very little and add very much to
the pleasure OF the forest meal.
In making sandwiches cut the bread
as thin as possible without breaking.
For this purpose Il bakers loaf a day
Old is preferable TO homemade, which,
if not loo dry, is sure to be too soft to
cut thin. Remove all the crust, let the
thickness be less than an eighth of an
inch. and cut in circles, squares, OBJ
longs. diamonds. or any figure fancy
may dictate. See that the pieces fit
exactly, for neat sandwich has so per
cent more flavor 10 it than a shaggy,
irregular one. Don't use tibrous veal,
fat ham. nor lumpy chicken. Mutton
and beef are 100 tough ever to be used.
We are mindful that corned beef is ten
der, but after meat has been boiled
from three to five hours it has just
about as much flavor and nutrition in
good sandwich if we'll dressed, but the
dressing is mussy and that is condi-
tion to be avoided.
People are adverse to deviled ham.
not only on account of its trichina
scare. but also because, like hash. it is
considerable of q riddle. Chicken
salad makes US good a sandwich rs can
be suggested. Make that dish 10 suit
the taste. put plenty of chopped pickle
or pickle lily in it, and complete the
dish by copious amount of salad
dressing with or without oil. When
sufficiently wet, cover u piece of bread
evenly, and sparingly enough to be
neat, tit the other piece down, and
you have rs toothsome q sandwich
rs the late Delmonico ever made.
1t should have been stated that
i meagre amount of butter should
be used on the bread. Ii they are
good they will be very very good. and
a large supply will be needed, for two
hungry boys can get outside OF dozen
very easily.
Another delicious sandwich can be
made with pate de foie gras. which
should be spread on a thin slice of soft
pliable bread that can be rolled or
doubled up like u lady-fnger. In either
case the crust must be removed and
the cylindrical sandwich tied at both
ends with Il water-cress. This is very
appetizing, and can only have one fault
scarcity.
Another sandwich that will be put to
flight at sight is the sardine sandwich.
Circular pieces of bread sparingly but
tered are made the background for
three sardines which are coaxed to-
gether and made TO lie in from the
edge. Very thin slices of lemon from
which seeds, skin, and rind have been
removed are placed on top. No bread
covers it. Pieces of oiled paper sepa-
rate these One-s:ded sandwiches which
NAV be piled M in box or hamper.
No cold lunch is complete without
olives. sweet pickles, or picked
peaches. Fruit OF some kind should
be served after each course. and there
is nothing nicer than few good figs,
in order to serve the more juicy fruits
for dessert. Bananas are nice cut in
thin slices and served with sugar and
cream. For meats, game is always
agreeable. especially when bruised and
fried in crumbs. Patties, too, are pal
atabie, and "a salad of some kind is in
dispensable. When creams are left TO
the caterers judgment these artists iH-
variably select ices or Roman punch.
more desirable than the insinid sweet
ness of creams. rouchcS and iellirI.
Ii you must have pie, remember the
cheese.
For neatness. economy. and comfort
buy paper napkins. The little wooden
or paper plates should be covered with
q letluce-leaf. which when removed
gives place to fresh leaf and leaves
the plate clean for the last course.
Biscuits that are served with game
should never be sweetened. Brown
bread and apricots followed by crack
ers and cheese may comprise two
courses. and if all the merry-makers
are not prohibitionists, champagne
frappe with biscuit will be found de-
licious.
t. q otuta1 fhlt in IN uvnrlne lifa Of