The Opelousas courier., 1893-07-08
Gumbo File and Creole Coffee.

Mr.. E. Hough, of Chicago, who ac
companied Mr.. Waters on a recent
shooting trip to Opelousas, writes en-
tertainingly about "Gumbo File and
Creole Coffee" in late number of the
sportsmen's journal, Forest and Stream.
After describing how our neighbor, Mil
lie, makes coffee and telling how good
it is, he tells about her gumbo, as fol-
lows:
Many have heard of gumbo who
gumbO in the north, because it doesn't
grow there, any more than bananas do.
For gumbo, real gumbo, gumbo as is
gumbO, you have to 60 to Louisiana, to
Opelousas. Then, it may be, you will
have to go to that same small side
street and look up black Millie, who
made the puissant coffee. At least,
four of us went there one night and
tow of the party were Opelousas gen.
tlemen, who ought to know good gum
bo when they see it.
Millie had the gumbo ready. We had
ordered it the day before. You have
to order gumbo the day before because
it takes nearly day to make good
gumbo. This was good gumbo.
Millie handed us each dish contai :
ing what first seemed soup, then pot
au feu, then heaven. Visible in the
rich liquid were Eocene evidences Of
chicken, also of rice. In addition, |
thought | detected a red pepper hui, !,
and maybe trace Of tomato, though
the latter | doubt. Pepper of some
sort was there, for the gumbo was hot
fa ,olya i,n tanhprfnnf
weep. Other things also were there,
and all through everything, making the
subtle, indefinable, unmista able flavor
of this gumbo, was u keen, savory
smack unlike anything / had ever met
before. This was what | had missed
all my life. | had been looking for
this. If any gentleman has lost a
chord he can find it by applying to
How do yoi make this gumbo, Mil
lie ?n askeA after / had eaten two or
three plates of tit was purely a gum
DO festival, nothing but gumbo and
coffee.
"Well, sch, ,''7said she set takes good
vile teh maks gumbo. Yo' put things
in thepot, yeh, long in the day some
time, an yo' let's ct semmer, n semmer,
| n semmer."
This seeming, to her, rational ex-
planation Of the product OF gumbo, l
felt bound to press the matter further.
what things do you put in, Millie y
| asked.
IVY, chicken, IN rice, n things"
What else!"
"W'y, law! dunno"
ANY red pepper9"
"Oh, yessah."
"When do you put III the file r.
"W'y jes' puts 1t in; sort OF atteil
awhile you know, seh.'
"How long do you leave the gumbo
on the fire before yon put in the file Y"
"W'y, bress meh ha'ht, kahn sca'sely
jes' member, sch:
Chow much file does it take?"
"Ob, not er grea' deal, sch, jes' bout
'nuff to season up Wat yo' got on er'
cookin' at the time, seh."
"Well, how long does it take the gum
DO to get done 7"
"W'y dunno OBJ, quite Ell vile, sch
"And you can't tell me how you make
it, SO can show the folks up north ?"
"W'y, no, sch, | kahn tell how all ]
makes ct. lies makes ct, sch, dat's all
specs yo' think cts a heap hah'del
make gumbo. / kahn jes' zac'ly scribe
how does ct, but ies' makes et."
From the above directions trust any
one will be able to make gumbo on sight
For my part, believe in letting wei
enough alone, and 80 think | will only
eat gumbo hereafter when am some
where around near OpelOusas, and thel
| will eat it first, last and all the time
There are other sorts of gumbo be
sides gumbo file
But gumbo file is the distinctive gum
bo, and is acknowledged to rather LAY
over all other gumbos in the gumbo
line qualities of it's gumboessenceness