The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-12
LAMENT ron THE ROLLING-PIN.
The Prevalence of Dyspepsia As
scribed TO the Disuse of That
UtcnsiI.


From the London Lancet.
In the days Of my youth writes an elder
ly correspondent. there was no kitchen
implement in more constant demand than
the rolling-pin, and one of the principal
accomplishments on which our good old
fashioned housewives used to pride them
selves was the fabrication Of light pastry.
1t was popularity supposed that in order
to be easy of digestion all dough or paste
intended for consumption should first be
thoroughly kneaded and then rolled and
rerOlled for a very considerable period
of time. In fact, so lengthy and laboriouS
was the process that, In tigurative Ian
guage, the excellence of the product was
said to be measurable by the amount OF
elbow grease devoted to It's manufacture.
Nowadays, continues our culinary laud-
ator temDoris actt all this has been
changed. 1t is true that rolling pins still
exist Though the name has disappeared
from at least one popular dictionary, but,
alasl how shorn of their dignity and I'M
skillfully constructed instrument. of suit
able weight, and accurately balanced; but
now that hurry and superfciahty are
paramount. any round piece of wood will
do. Thanks TO specially prepared Hours.
and the patent baking powders, whose
name Is legion, the lump OF impertecty
kneaded dough is simply hattened out
to the requisite thickness, and then, WITH
out further manipulation, inconunentiy
utilized in the production Of pie, pudding.
or tart, as the case may be.
The grandmothers of the impetuouS
danes who now preside over the prepa-
ration of our food were wont to tmpart
varying degrees of elaborateness to their
paste, having regard to the species or
s'kickshaw'' il was designed to surmount,
subtend, or encircle. AS a rule, the crisp
er the product was to be the more pro-
tracted was the use of the rolling pin; but
not even in the case of a humble 'roly-
poly" would the doughty envelope nave
been subjected to the brief, not to say con-
temptuous, treatment, now in discrimi-
nately employed for all kinds of pastry.
Never by any chance do we meet with
properly made pie-crust; the delicious,
toothsOme morsels that left our mouths
uncIogged and We're perfectly amenable to
Gus gastric Juice are no longer to be had
for love nor money. The airy Vol-au-oent,
the crisp and saccharous tartlet, the deli
cate puff, and the imponderabie dump
| ling all-all have vanished into the limbo
of forgotten excellences, leaving behind
| them naught save the fond memories OF
an irrevocable past There can be no
doubt, says our eloquent, If melancholy,
complainant, in conclusion that dyspep-
STA, with its ever lengthening train or
woe, is largely due to neglect of the roll
ing pin. Like everybody else, our cooks
| are in too great a hurry They grudge the
| time, he urges, which their forbears law
fshed so freely, and hence one of the
most potent sources of that ever-increas-
! ing degeneracy of our race to which at
tention has lately been so prominently
! directed
we need scarcely say that we cannot ac-
| cept our correspondents views in their
| entirety. but there may possibly be some
| foundation for his invective. The produc-
/ ton of wholesale pastry Is unquestion-
| ably a serious matter and II the neglect
| ed rolling pin be in reality cause of de-
| terioration the sooner the attention OF
! the wielders of that implement is called
! to the fact, the better it will be for all con-
sumers Of the delicacy. In a general way
cooks are undoubtedly conservative, but
| we are inclined to believe that rolling pins
| have gone out of fashion.