Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-06-16
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
The Idler Discusses a Richmond Lady's
Book on Cooking.
TO KILL THE SMELL. OF CABBAGE.
short Pants and the Evils Thereof
Legs and "Limbs"-NobIe Traits of
Character In the Gold Brick
Man.

| the mysteries of night and revelled in
Its inky stiffness when naught save the
hum OF the mosquito and the audible
growth OF my whiskers broke the awful
silence. Long, long after the sugar-rags
have been adjusted in infantile throttles
and juvenile toes have been tucked meath
silken coyerlets I have paced my cham
| Der. l have needed not the htful
summer zephyrs as they rustled among
the velvety folds OF my tea-gown, and /
have hearkened not unto the mice as
they danced the german in our ceiling.
have been thinking and dreaming
dreaming and thinking-and thoughts as
| beautiful as poetry have filed my meteo-
ric mind. Some days ago a kind friend
who appreciates all my noble traits OF
| character presented me with copy OF
| Mrs. John W. Cringans Cookery Book.
| ana since that moment | have been a bet
| ter man. 1t has broadened my mind and
expanded my appetite until l really some
times fear that my friends will not recog-
nze unexpectedly those on Franklin
| street. They always are "offsh" anyhow,
unless hey have favor to ask Of me.
Yes. that Cookery Book has made me
| a changed man. Never have l seen "A
| volume so replete with tenderness, patnos,
and sweetness. Every line of it has
| touched me and aroused my nobler emo
| tons. "The Reveries of Bache-
| lor' and the Constitution or the United
| States do not compare with II. in neither
| do we see exhibited that deep feeling
which goes to our inmost recesses. and in
neither DO we find such food for reflection.
| Every one knows, or ought TO know, the
| estimable authoress OF the little Diue-
| book. She is the teacher of the cooking
class of the Richmond High School. and
| to these worthy aspirants for culinary
honors she has dedicated the volume.
| used to 90 TO the High School; but,
| alas! IL was in the days before people
! cooked, and hence l had not the beneht
| of that class II is the one regret OF
my life. l would give almost anything
| ESPECIALLY If ii belonged to somebody
else If | could boast of being Pm. ID.
| on cooking or a master OF arts III GU
| lnary science What collegiate degree
| and | have my walls at home papered
with them-could signify more and speak
more eloquently? The frontispiece OF the
| Cookery Book contains picture OF the
| class, all dressed up in white aprons
| and caps. and with flour on their little
! noses, and judiciously particles
! of dough in their bangs. one maid ~
| represented as caress,ng bread-pan,
| and another is in the act or emptying
! teapot into the ear OF her who sits below.
| All appear as If they would make pies
! on the slightest provocation, and even
| the colored sub-lieutonant Ohe cusinere
| noire. as we say in Paree) looks sweet.
! Pause and think, gentle reader-that IL.
| If YOU are gentle-what a noble aim thesa
| young ladies have before them Think
! Of the husbands who will some day ba
| appeased; think OF the biscuit that VIII
| be baked think of The bread-puddinss.
| the oyster-pat.ees. and the hash That
will some day be hasbed How much
| better is this aim than that of mission
arying In some respects they are aiike,
and yet in others they are different. In
both cases you supply food. In one In
stance folks eat your productions: in the
other they eat you. ! never had any
spring.chicken aspirations to be mis-
sionary.
But let us allude once more 10 the
! book and 70 some of the little gems OF
thought that sparkle therein. The re-
clpe for cooking cabbage. so that every
body in the neighborhood won't know
that You are going TO have cabbage for
should be translated into all languages,
including baseball English If you fol-
low the instructions carefully you VIII
do much to relieve human misery. Let
me quote a few lines from the essay,
40 that YOU may be enabled TO carry ON
this philanthropic work: First, take of
the outside leaves. opening the others
TO remove any insects or grit which may
have found Judgment there.
Next the writer says: wash careiuliy'
Whv the person handling the cabbage
should be compelled 10 wash so care
fully Is more than ] can see; though
there's no doubt about cleanliness beinA
next TO godiness. But Mrs. Crlngan be
lieves in washing. All the way through
| the book, in almost every recipe she COM
mences by urging you TO wash. In her
Doem on Cheese Souse' she begins az
follows: Clean the head, ears, and tongue
| by soaking. scraping. ana scruppis
| them" The sketch on Boiling Ham
LAYS down the following instructions IN
IT'S opening remarks: Soak in cold water
overnight: wash with coarse brush or
cloth" This Is rather dlsagreeable: but
| etill. as General Lee said: DUTY is tho
| sublirnest word in Webster's Dictionary.
But IL is in the receipt on making mock.
| turtle soup that Mrs. Cringan makes the
most severe exactions from the amateur
cook, and I doubt not that many have
been scared off by her suggestions. In her
opening words she says: Have the heai
scraped instead of skinning II CNofth
American Indians prefer the latter wheh
| they are performing on somebody elscp;
| wash the head well through three or four
waters. being very particular 10 cleanse
thoroughly the throat and nasal passages;
after getting 1t perfectly clean' scaid IL
ana soak 10 minutes in cold water rms
10 asking a great deal Of one-more than
the average woman would care 10 do FOR
her husband.
To refer once more to that fairest or
all American nowers-the cabbage-and
the recipe for subduing the fragrance
thereof. After urging you to wash the
writer adds: Quarter or divide the CAD
bace: lay IL in cold water about l
hour before the time of cooking, when'lt
is ready TO cook. have prepared a Kettle
| OF water boiling just as hard as II can
possibly boil; into II throw teaspoon or
salt and one teaspoon cooking soda; shake
all the cold water from the cabbage. and
nut il gently into the boiling water.
Lift 1t up tendery,
Fashioned so slenderly,
Young and so fair
Leave the vessel in which you have the
| cabbage uncovered, and COOK until the
stalks are tender:
douglas. tender and true
IL bacon is 10 be cooked with the cab
bage. put on the bacon in proper time
TO get it done, adding the cabbage from
thirty 10 nifty minutes before the time OF
! serving. according TO the size of the cab
bage, being careful 10 have the water
boiling brskly before putting in the cab
| bage.
And then, then the dish Is done, and
joy relgns in your household.
Fan would l quote further from the
little volume Every page is replete with
wise sugges tions, and no one could read
it without feeling better. and without
realizing that life was still worth living.
The volume contains one thousand ana
six recipes. though OF course you are
not expected to put each and every one
OF these into play when you have COM
pany and want TO make an extra big
display.
Some weeks ago. In connection with
bicyclIng and other suicidal occupations,
raised "a gentle murInur against bloom
ers." but to-day 1 find myself threatened
with a stiil greater evil. The wheeling
craze has brought with II the fashion OF
short pants, and should become la
~. A..8A