Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-04-22

He Ate Very Little Meat. But Was Fond Of
Fruit.

no Ste veSy Little Moat, out was Fouo "
Fruit.
General Horace Porter gives many
intimate and familiar pictures of Gen.
eral Grant in his series OF articles.
Campaigning with Grant," now rum
ming In the Century" He says of Gen
eral Grant at the mess-table:
About the only meat he enjoyed was
beef, and this he could not eat unless
1t was 80 thoroughly well done that no
appearance of blood could be seen. II
blood appeared In any meat which came
on the table, the sight of II seemed to
entirely destroy his appetite. (This
was the man whose enemies delighted
In calling him butcher.) He enjoyed
oysters and fruit, but these could not
be procured on an active campaign.
He never ate mutton when he could OBJ
tain anything else, and fowl and game
he abhorred. AS he used to express
1t: Il never could eat anything that
goes on two legs" Evidently he could
never have been converted into canni-
balism. He did not miss much by de-
Ginning to eat the chickens which were
picked up on campaign, for they were
usually tough enough to create the sus-
picion that they had been Matched from
hard-boiled eggs, and were so impene-
trable that an officer said of one of
them that he could not even stick his
fork through the gravy. The General
was more fond of cucumbers than Of
anything else, and often made his en-
Gil mn lNn. a nd
cup of coffee. He always enjoyed
corn, pork and beans, and buckwheat
cakes. In fact, he seemed to be par
ticularly fond of only the most indi-
gestible dishes.
When any fruit could be procured,
II was placed on the table by way of
helping to ornament it, and afterwards
used as dessert. Between the courses
of the dinner the General would often
reach over to the dish of fruit and pick
out berry or cherry ard cat it slow
ly. He used to do this in a sly way,
like child helping itself to some for
hidden dish at the table, and afraid of
being caught in the act. He said one
day: Il suppose ought not to eat a
course out of it's turn, but / take the
greatest delight in picking out bits of
fruit and eating them during a meal.
One of the reasons do not enjoy din
ing out as much as do at home Is be-
cause l feel compelled to sit through
long list of courses, few of which I
eat and to resist the constant temp
tation to taste little fruit in the mean
while to help pass away the time"
Napoleon was famous for eating out of
the various dishes before him with his
fingers. General Grants use of the fin
gers never went beyond picking out
small fruits. He was always refined
in his manners at table, and no matter
how great was the hurry, or what were
the circumstances of the occasion. he
never violated the requirements of true
politeness
He ate less than any Tan in the
army; sometimes the amount of food
taken did not seem enough to keep a
bird alive, and his meals were frugal
enough to satisfy the tastes of the most
avowed anchorite. 1t so happened that
no one in the mess had any inclination
to drink wine or spirits at meals, and
none was carried among the mess's
supplies. The only beverage ever used
at table besides tea and coffee was
water. although on the march it was Of
ten taken from places which rendered
1t not the most palatable or healthful
of drinks. If staff officer wanted any
thing stronger, he would carry some
commissary whisky in canteen. Up
on a few occasions, after hard days
ride in stormy weather, the General
Joined the officers of the staff in taking
whisky toddy in the evening. He
never offered liquor of any kind to
visitors at headquarters. His hospitali-
ty consisted in inviting them to meals
and to smoke cigars.