Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-11-20

Weary of the Talk Concerning "Old FASH
Toned" Cookery, She Sounds the Praises
of the Modern Pie-Toothsome and Al
together Delicious.
1t was perfectly harmless remark in it.
self and made without reflection or fore
thought, We were slipping our coffee after
dinner the other night and there was casual
reference to Thanksgiving Something
prompted me to say:
How used to look forward to Thanks
giving when l was a boy. 1t was one of the
events of the year to select and bring in from
the cornfield the Thanksgiving pumpkin, and
what pies it madel Somehow l don't get
any punkin pies nowadays such as mother
used to makei"
And took a sip of coffee and lazily pulled
at my cigarette without suspicion of hav-
ing turned on the consequences, as it were
An ominous sort Of silence made me glance,
was flushed, and she choked little as she
began to speak:
ITO begin with, john" she said, ''don't
say punkin The should be distinctly
sounded, and in the next place, do you know
NEdb uuNe nllIlu 10 uOg'
confessed that to prognosticate her men.
| tai gyrations was beyond me.
AN INDIGNANT WIFE.
"Well," she went on, ignoring the inter
ruption, 81 have a strong mind to give you
one of those same pumpkin pies such as youl
mother used to make. hope am superior
to any small jealousies concerning youl
| mothers virtues, but l am thoroughly weary
about this talk of old fashioned cookery
Why, do you know, John, that have eater
| fried steak at your mothers table, and ha6
baked potatoes served in covered dish
What would You say to have either offeret
| YOU nowf The actual fact Is that the cook
ing OF fifteen or twenty years ago is not t,
be compared in any way with that of today
We have advanced in that as in all the sci
ences." And she shook her fingers out of he
finger bowl with unnecessary vim, and rub
bed them with her napkin more vigorousl
than the occupation demanded.
"All this may be true | allowed judc
ously, but spare me, pray you, that idc
of my boyhood-the Thanksgiving pumpIi
pie" And sounded the p broadly, hopin
TO appease the iconoclastic Indignation ha
unwittingly aroused
81 can't replied Mrs. John relentlessly
u can't really, and be honest.
Recall Tor yourself the actual pie of whic
you speak, separated from all its surrount
ings, and answer me truthfully if l descrit
it Alright 1t was yellowish brown in colo
except in occasional spots, where the bli
d tered top had broken under uneven heat;
was very shallow, the filing barely twice e,
ceeding the crust in thickness when it W,
!, cut, and its favor was strong of pumpki
with various spices more or less predomina
ing.
You were apt to find little pieces of Il
= vegetable in your mouthful, which had {
capped the coarse holed colander throu.
which it had been strained, and you we
fortunate if the under crust was not 'sogg,
as in those good old days it was the fsshit
to bake matches of pies weekly to Ia
through the following seven days, custo
which did not add to the wholesomeness
such pies as survived the first day. Al
this my dear, is the 'punkin' pie of your be
hood"
Ny silence attested the truth of this ass
tion.
But what she went on, lis the pumpE
pic Of todayl \ very different and mu
more successful gastronomic production.
a friend said to me the other day, 4 consiC
pumpkin pie the excuse for all the GO
things have in my storeroom-sugar, crea
eggs, dash of sherry, little lemon, ma
cinnamon, nutmeg-then repeat ad Ii
tum, she finished with laugh.