The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-03-09
OLD-TIME GEORGIA DIN
NERS.

An old-fashioned gentleman, grow
ing eloquent on the subject of south
ern hospitality, and the viands that
were set before friends and neighbors
when invited to the feast, reporter
said:
"Will you state your recollections OF
what was served on such occasions if
write it down."
"Ofcourse will, was the reply. 81
can see such a table in my minds eye
right now. First there was soup, of
course. If it was cold weather we had
oyster soup, or perhaps fish. 1fit was
in the midst of the vegetable season,
we had rich, high colored beef soup,
with plenty of tomatoes, okra, grated
corn and such like, well-prcportioned
and well seasoned with pepper and a
little onion.
"When the soup plates were taken
off, and after the tureen was set aside,
then a fine home-raised ham took its
place in front of the hostess. | can
discern the delicious flavor right now
in my recollection. Sometimes the
skin was peeled off and the outside
plentifully sprinkled or busted with
black pepper, and that delicious meat
was good as long as piece was left
on the bone. For my part, | like it
oest with the skin left on, because the
meat was cured so perfectly that even
the skin was toothsome and preserved
the juices until the meat was consumed.
cat the other end of the table in
front of the host you would sec a fine
roast turkey-if the season was win
ter or early sprlng-garnished with
parsley or slices of cold boiled eggs.
The dressing was rich, made of bread
crumbs; otherwise a pan was filled with
thick rich batter, plenty of eggs. plenty
of butter, daintily seasoned and cooked
until the stuffing was of the right con-
sistency, and then the fowl was packed
full, and the little cakes of the dressing
baked along in the pan to garnish the
sides of the great turkey dish. If the
time was midsummer, the turkey was
replaced by huge dishes of fried chick
en- ard baked chicken, sometimes with
the fowl 'smothered'. The chicken
menu was varied if the time was ripe
for kid meat or fat mutton, as it hap
pened. Late in the fall shoulder of
fat pig or a whole young pig was seen
roasted to turn.
"All down the table you would find
bowls Of apple sauce, green or dried;
stewed peaches, sweet and choice; rice
every grain standing alone; pickles of
all kinds, potatoes, butter, light bread,
nice beaten biscuits, and such desserts.
Mince pies, apple and peach pies, the
crust crisp and flaky; apple du"plings;
rich with sugar, spice and butter; cakes
that were cakes sure enough; sponge,
jelly and pound cake that took an hour
to make and three to cook; fruit cake
that was better six months after it was
made that at first; jellies, preserves,
boiled custard and syllabub that it
makes my mouth water to recall them
in such bountiful profusion. Gracious
plenty was in the kitchen as well as
in the house, and no chef in the mil
lionaire's kitchen is as much glatified
as the old-time cook, whose Eeadker-
chief or turban was as white as her
fresh apron was spotless whenever her
mistress called her name and introduced
her to the ladies who fingered at the
table after the men folks had gone to
the piazza parlor for an afterdinner
smoke" "-4HuRta JourHoL