The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-09-08
AMERICAN PIE
It Is an Indigenous Product WHICH
Other Nation Can Initiate

Other Nation Can AHfAsa'
A gentleman of New England an
cestry who lives on West Pine street,
solemnly asserted to St. LOUIS
Globe Democrat reporter that PIE ~
largely responsible for many OF Ihc
mental peculiarities of the American
people. ..,h
at is a fact scientifically estao-
lished." he said, that different xmas
of food have distnctively d1nerehC
effects on the mental traits and ten
denotes of men. For instance, races
whose diet is chiefly OF meat are al
WAYS of a bloodthirsty, sangulnary
DISPOSITION, while those who CONNIE
themselves to grain and vegetables
are nearly always mild and unwarllke.
Persons who eat highly splced ana
seasoned food are apt to be peppery
and irritable, and so on. Peoples
minds depend on the condition OF
their stomach, and their stomacns
depend on what they eat. NOW, PIE
is the only kind of food eaten by
Others of the Caucasian race. 1t IS
a distinctively American dish. When
1t is considered that nearly 1000, ooo
pies per day are eaten In America IL
may be said to be our national food.
And | don't think it unreasonable TO
infer that pie may be the inspiring
source Of many OF our greatest achieve
ments and sublimeSt thoughts. Az
any rate, all our great men have been
very fond of pie Abraham Lincoln
used to go out of his way to get
good, old fashioned piece of cherry
pie, such as had stained his youthful
lips and fingers in the old Kentucky
days. George Washington was so
VIGOROUSLY fond of mince pie that the
Quaker housewives used to send them
to him, with their humble respects,
even after he had become president.
The marquis de Lafayette is said to
have pronounced the pies of Mount
Vernon exquisite, and he attempted
to introduce them to the haut ton on
his return to Paris. The attempt
failed because the marquis forgot to
take an American cook back with
him, and no chef has, even until re-
Gently, conquered the mysteries OF
pie. 1t is n remarkable fact that
pumpkin pie has recently become very
popular in Paris. 1t is the pioneer,
but it will undoubtedly become the
avant courier of all our delicious
pastry.
THE French have nothing ap-
preaching our pie. They make all sorts
Of dalirata and creamy mi fla and mpr-
ingues that are dreams Of the cult
nary art. In many respe cts they eX-
eel our efforts in similar directions
But they never attained to the sub
Unity of pie. The English have
nothing that will compare with it but
tarts. While these are pleasant little
fripperies Of diet, they no more COM
pare to pie than last years birds
nest does to the capitol Of Washing
ton. The nearest the Germans get
to pie is the pretzel. Think Of it!
Pretzel versus pie The Italian is
worse. Though he is a past master
in the art Of paste-malling, and has
given TO the world that marvel OF
culinary ingenuity, maccaroni, he has
never thought to combine the crusts
with the grapes and berries of his
sunny hillsides. No lazy person can
make pie, and so the Spanish have
none. 1t seems as if the peerless
dish had been reserved by the Gods
from men until the banner of freedom
had been unfurled and tyranny de-
fed"