Omaha daily bee., 1888-11-03
Mothers "Punkin" Pie.

harmless remark In Itself ana made
without reflection or forethought. We
were slipping our coffee after dinner the
other night and there was casual ref
erence to Thanksgiving. Something
prompted me to say:
How | used to look forward to
Thanksgiving when was a boy. 1t was
one Of the events of the year to select
and bring in from the cornield tho
Thanksgiving pumpkin, and what pics
it made! Somehow l don't got any
pumpkin pies nowadays such as mother
used to make!"
l took a sip Of coffee and iazily pufed
at my cigarette without n suspicion Of
having turned on the consequences, as
it were. -.
An ominous sort OF silence made mo
glance, after u minute, across at my
wife.
Her face was flushed and she cheked
little as she began to sneak,
ITO begin with, John" she said
don't say punkin. The p should be
distinctly sounded, and in the next
place, do you know what l hsve mind
confessed that to prognesticate her
mental gyrations was beyond me-.
"Well,N she went Oh, ignoring the in
terruption, ~ have u strong mind To
give you one of those same pumpkin
pies such as your mother used to make.
I hope | am superior to any small jeal-
pusies concerning yovr mother $ virtues,
hut ! am thoroughly weary about this
talk Of old-fashioned cookery. Why,
do you know, John, that | have eaten
fried steak atyour mothers table, and
baked potatoes served in n covered dishr
What would YOU say 70 have either Of
fcred YOU now? The actual fact is that
p, it, n,f,
ago is not ~ be compared in any way
with thar Of to-day. We have advanced
in that as in all the sciences" And she
shock her fingers out OF her finger
bowl with unnecessary vim, and rubbed
them with her napkin more vigorously
than the occupation demanded.
IAN this may be true" allowed, iu.
diclously, but spare me, l pray you,
that idol OF my boyhood-.-thc Thanks d
giving pumpkin pie" Aud | sounded
the y broadly, hoping TO appease ths
iconoclastic indignation l had uawit-.
tingly aroused. :" =.
N can't replied Mrs. John, reient.
lessly. "t cant. really, aud be honest.'
"Recall for yourself this actual pie of
which you speak separated from ell its
surrounding. and answer ME truthfully
il describe il Alright. II was yeltO1s.
ish brown in color. except in occasional
spots, where the, biistered top had
broken under uneven heat; It was very
shallow, the filling barely twice exceed.
ing the crust in thickness when II WAS
cut, and its flavor was strong Of pump.
kins, with various spices more Or less
prcdOminating. '.,' ...."..
You were apt to find little pieces OF
the vegetable In your mOuthtul, which
had escaped the coarse -hOled Cotandcr
through which it had been strained.
and you were fortunate II the UNDER
crust was not 'sOggy.' as In those good
Old days il was the fashion TO bake
'batches' Of pies weekly to last through
the following seven, days, q custom
which did not add TO the whOlesOmeness
OF such pies AS survived the first day.
And this, my dear, is the pumpkin pie
Of your boyhOOd.'." -. -:
My silence attcsted the truth OF this
L assertion. -! = ~. ''.' -: e..
but what" she went on, ''is the
pumpkin pie OF to-day. A very differ.
ent and much more successful castro.
nOmic production. AS q friend said 70
me the other day, 81 consider pump
kin pie the excuse for all good things
have in my stOrerOOn-sugar, cream,
| eggs, dash OF sherry, little lemon,
mace, cinnamon, nutmeg-thcn repeat
| ad iibitum,' she finished with laugh.
| "The modern pic" pursued my wife.
sis solitaire, or at most two at bak.
ing, and the undercrust is slightly
baked first, before tho filling is put in,
| the 'sOggy' characteristic 10 entirely
left out. You will miss, too, the lumpy
element from the properly-made pie Of
to-day: We strain the pumpkin through
| O sieve; we also use deep dishes, which
takes away from the slab appearance
Of the delicacy. z Finally. when this
tOothsOmc and altogether delicious arti.
Gle Of food is offered Rt dessert, grated
cheese is served with il, aud il you will
once more turn Retrospective eye upon
the past you will discover that tho
cheese Of the farm larder invariably ap.
sert of the MONDAY dinner was unac-
companied by its natural and whols-
| some relish. - 80
'""Oh!" calculated Mrs. John, with
sudden vehemence, cant you recall
those dreadful country teas with cubes
| OF yellow-rubber cheese piled on ono
plate, and long, pale-green pickles on
another, fanking the caster on either
side? Was there ever more complete
embodiment OF green and yellow melan-
choly than the combinatiOnp"
My mind naturally moves slowly, and
before found reply to this sudden
| "ppS~A VAAo $500 6Oe
back to the main road, so to speak, o,
her harangue.
''No, john" she continued rathe,
sadly, sit is not the pumpkin pie, pure
and simple, of your childhood which you
fondly recall, 1t is the pumpkin pie sea-
soned with your bOyish appetite, the
pumpkin pie surrounded by the aeces
sories OF your dear and familiar home
the pumpkin pie, in fact, set in the glo-
rious halo of your youthl
"You say it was the event OF the year
to bring in Thanksgiving pumpkin.
am sure it was. Yet don't suppose il
would give you any especial pleasure tc
go down to Fulton market tomorrow
and half carry, half roll home one o
those great yellow vegetables.
"But out in the cornfield back Of YOU
fathers house, the oornfeld whose
boundary was the sparkling, dancinl
brook, and whose background wa
the everlasting hills bathed in tn,
lovely haze Of autumn, out in tha
cornfield In the mellow. October
afternoon, every breath inspiring the
delicious air which had in it such an in
describable mixture Of summer languor
and crisp, frosty vim, and every nerve