Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1900-03-17
STRANGE EATING CUSTOMS.
Long and short sweetening a. an
Adjunct to Coffee.

Adjunct to Coffee.
Talk about strange eating customs
in strange lands" said Promoter Pim-
ley. I'll bet a hat | can pick up as
many .uncanny table habits between
here and the Mississippi river as you
can find In China and the Malay archi-
pelago put together When , say that,
Pm not thinking of naked, grasshopper
eating Digger Indians, II there are any
Digger Indians east of the Mississippi,
but of respectable. God fearing particl-
pants In what's called our glorious
American civilization.
Last month. for instance, ! had q
deal on that took me to southern Ten
nessee to look at some land, and Mrs.
Pimley went with me for the sake OF
the trip. The man who owned the land
turned out to be a woman, widow.
who besides. the 1900 acres was look.
ing at was reputed to own some 10000
more and to be worth in the neighbor-
hood Of S75O.O00 But she wasn't a
proud woman. We stopped at her
house the first night we were In the
town. 1t was a two story farmhouse
that hadn't been painted for a hun
dred years. and what furniture there
was In II had come over at some period
between the Mayfower and the Santa
Maria and wasn't worth its transporta-
ton at that. We removed the traces OF
travel from our faces and hands with
the aid of a tin basin and soft soap out
behind the house, but we didn't stop to
find fault with our toilet accommoda-
tions with supper ahead Of US. We
hadn't seen dining car since break
fast and were as hungry as wolves.
"The widow had evidently laid her.
self out on that supper. She'd got some
fresh beef. which we knew was a
rarity In those parts. 1t was a steak.
and she'd fried It. Did you ever taste
fried steak? Don't. And there were
saleratus biscuits as big as grape fruit
and as yellow and boiled potatoes and
a plate In the middle OF the table con-
tanning what we decided was cake.
This last and ourselves divided the
awed attention Of the eight children at
the table. 1t was the coffee, however.
that was our downfall.
"'Miss Plmley. d'you take long or
short sweetening In your coffeeT our
hostess inquired as she was about to
fill my wife's cup.
"Now two marked characteristics OF
Mrs Pimley are a disinclination to
faunt her ignorance and fondness for
plenty o. sugar In her coffee. She cou-
sidered for moment and said:
"'Long sweetening. II you please az
though she'd been accustomed to the
expression from her earliest youth.
"Our hostess took down a sticky
looking jug from an adjoining shelf
and poured a quantity of very black
molasses into the steaming cup. There
were several dies In the molasses and
two or three other insects whose lden-
tity could not he determined. and when
they rose TO the surface she carefully
skinned them of with a spoon.
al didn't walt to be asked. II long
sweetening meant molasses. short
sweetening' might mean plain sugar.
or 1t might mean no sweetening at all
| looked at Mrs. Pimley. who was Civ.
ing a correct imitation of Lots wife.
Perhaps also she was waiting for more
insects to come up.
"'Short sweetenlng for me, II you'll
be so kind said. smiling delightfully."-.
"Our complaisant hostess rose from
the table and set the molasses jug back
on the shelf. Then she took down O
large cake Of maple sugar. bit OF a
lump and dropped It In my cup Of cof-
fee.
Somehow both Mrs. Pimley and my
self entirely forgot our coffee until II
was too cold to drink. and we declined
to think Of putting our hostess to the
trouble Of refilling our cups. And for
breakfast we drank milk. And during
the rest Of our short stay In Tennessee
we stuck to a diet Of fresh eggs at the
local hotel."-New York Sun.