The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-20
REGARDING THE TERRAP|N
The Real Diamond Back Article
Is Not Evident Here
as Yet.
Mr.. En- eric and Mr.. Foote, Together
With Mr.. Daggett, Have Certain
Set Opinions.
"Give me a terrapin stew. p"

what kline, san! CneS peake Bay or
Sacramento Ribber, sah?"
chesapeake Bay"
"Dey amt none, sab. Mr.. Emeric done
plant just two dozen las year. Dey amt
no mo- in dis,State, sah.'
"Let it go at Sacramento River, boys"
Thus the painful truth leaks out. and the
gourmet who wants the genuine diamond
back terrapin must suffer the gastronomic
shock that comes with the information.
However anxious he is to get back to the
old Maryland flavor there is no possibility
of realizing that pleasure here because 1t
doesn't happen to be obtainable.
Caterers advertise them, and epicures
smack their lips over the thought of it.
but when it comes right down TO the real
thing-well, it's not in the cards, as some
people would say.
Some day, however, Mr.. Emeric's dia-
mond-backs NAV be able to show a good
record, but until then the bon vivant will
have to be contented with the home pro-
duction which reaches San Francisco via
the Sacramento River.
Mr.. Emeric was inclined to chat about
- lmportations yesterday and frankly
limited that he had seen very little of
in his marsh last year. ~ brought twenty
four of them home with me the last time
went East, and it may be possible that
they have q pretty good colony by this
time, although l have not made raid on
them yet. l want them to get thoroughly
accustomed to the new pasture and to in
crease as rapidly as possible. If they
propagate well in this section it will be
very easy matter to raise quantities of
them, as the marsh lands are limitless.
You know the real diamond back terrapin
is an inhabitant OF saltwater marsh land,
and does not take much stock in fresh
water a la Sacramento River. Down in
old Maryland they sell for 81 an inch,
measuring from the extreme ends of the
under shell, and are guaranteed to make
an epicure's mouth water.
cit is not so much the terrapin, I might
as well admit, as it is the way they are
favored. OF course the pure, blown in
the-bottle diamond-back article is the
only thing that is worth betting on, but as
matter of fact if it is not favored right
the game is up with the individual who
eats of the same.
"Now | have always thought that have
the only proper receipt for cooking terra
pin. No, won't say that. Billy Foote has
the receipt also. | gave it to him myself"
Cant you give it to me?" asked one of
Mr.. Emeric's friends.
WHAT exclaimed the Fish Commits
sioner, DO you suppose / would wound
my friend Foote by depriving him of the
pleasure of being one OF the two men on
the Pacific Coast who knows the only true
and never-failing way to cook terrapin?
Do you think / want to incur the everlast-
ing hatred of Friend Foote?"
"What does he want OF a receipt for cook
ing something that was never seen here?"
"But they will be here soon. Just wait
m 10 nj
marsh. | will pick out the best on the
plantation and we will have feast that
BelshaZZar never dreamed of in his widest
gastronomic Nightmares. We will fall
upon those terIapin and serve up about
three gallons of them. 1t takes wine, sea-
sonings and various kinds Of spices to do
the thing properly, and Foote and I will
have the finest terrapin stow ever put before
a citizen of this country. There is only one
way to cook terrapin, and we know how.
You can talk French chef all you please
and call up all the old masters of the range
in the United Kingdom, but the terrapin
must be stewed to be correct, and it re-
quires whole day to do it properly. 1t is
perfectly useless to discuss the matter, but
the good old colored womans receipt
which | have right here In my pocket,
which she left as priceless legacy to the
world of epicures, is the one invlncible
and correct method"
Mr. .Emeric (no doubt supported by Mr..
Foote) is very much devoted to the terra
pin as dish of some Importance, but Roll
lin NJ. Daggett is little shaky on the
point of it's being essential In the prepara-
ton of the stew.
"Now, as regards terrapin," said Mr..
Daggett, "if you will take some scraps of
meat, throw in few chicken wings well
cracked, so as to make the bones, and then
season it properly, it is Just as good ter
rapin stew as can be served. All this bum
combe about terrapin is getting pretty
heavy, and ii the right ingredients are put
in an Irish stew you can sell it for "a
plate"
Notwithstanding Mr.. Emeric's laudation
of the diamond back and Mr.. Daggett's be-
lief that tile diamond has false glitter,
the Sacramento River terrapin output is
just as large as ever, and the connoisseurs
will wait with open mouths for the high.
priced morsel to become acchmated and
do some growing in the Golden West.
Although Vermont has for several years
offered the liberal bounty of SIS on bears,
the animals are still found upon the
mountains and, in the opinion of hunters
oxxl L. X