Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1900-12-28
NOT DRIED CURRANTS
a LEARNED GROCER COMMENTS up
ON A COMMON MISTAKE.

The Tiny Fruit Used In Cake, Pud-
dings, Buns and the Like Are Raj
sins Made From Little Grapes That
Are Crown In Greece.
Mother wants pound of dried cur
rants said little girl who came into
the learned grocer's store in. Eighth
avenue
Il hahn. got dried currant in the
store and there hain't none in the city,"
replied the learned grocer. but |
know what you NaEt, sissy, and I've
got EN-"
The learned grocer brought forth a
box of the little, sticky, sugary, gritty
cuTants used in fruit cake. plum pud-
dingS, mlnce pies, buns and the like.
why, them's en- exclaimed the
little girl.
Yes; them's EN-" asSented the gro
Ger, and if the Grecian maiden who
trod this particular lot of 'em into ship
shape had used a little water or even
feather dUSter on her feet before she
began there wouldn't be so much grit
in 'em aS there Is. She must have been
having Il regular hoedown on the clas-
sic sands before she began to dance on
this box of fruit There, sissy; tell
your mother she must bathe 'em in sew
eral waters before she uses 'em. or she
might just aS well put Il lot of sanspa-
per in her fruit cake. And tell her that
they amt dried currantS either"
Whats a. reason they amt dried
currantSE" demanded disputative
/ customer when the girl had gone.
They amt dried currants any more
than they are dried pumpkins" replied
/ the grocer. The reason they amt
dried currants is that they weren't cur
rants before they were dried. Good
/ reason enough. amt it,
"NeS." said the customer. less dispu-
/ tative than he was. "Rut what does
/ everybody call them dried currants for
/ them
/ cause they don't know any better
said the learned grocer. They'll 20
/ right on coming in here and asking for
vi iNN III just NllN sunny vi u a
! 'cm why they amt dried currants as
/ they did before"
/ what should they ask for them in
| quircd the customer.
"If any man should come In here and
ask for dried corinths," replied the
! learned grocer, "he would not necessa-
/ rily be Il gentleman, but I'd bet on him
/ being a scholar. Dried corinths is
what you should ask for when you
want this little sugar coated. gritty
raisip. for it's a raisin pure and sim
pie"
Flows that?" the customer wanted
to know.
Because it was a grape before it
was dried" said the grocer, "and if raj
sins amt grapes what are theyE'
But you said these were dried cor
inths," persisted the customer. Whats
n corinth, anyhow
"A corinth is the smallest grape that
grows" replied the learned grocer,
land it lost its name years and years
ago because it was gradually corrupted
into 'currant.' which became also the
name of the acidulated little berry of
our garden, which you might dry from
now until Gabriel sounds his horn
without getting it nearer the condition
of a raisin than a pea is.
This little grape grows all over the
islands of the Grecian archipelago and
was first exported from Corinth, and
that's what gave it It's proper name
The lunches don't grow much bigger
than stem of red currants, and they
are so full of sugar that when they are
picked and dried in the sun they actu-
ally seem to melt and run together like
gUmdropS, and it takes lot of care
and work to separate them again.
After they are separated is the time
when the Grecian maiden gets her
work in on 'em, for it is one of her
pleasant duties to jump on heap of
the sticky stuff with her bare feet until
she has compressed enough of the little
raisins to squeeze three boxes Of them
into one No hydraulic pump could do
it better If it could, we wouldn't have
the sand and grit the maiden's feet
mingle with the fruit and without that
no dried corinths are genuine
"Stlll shall expect folks to come in
here right along and ask for dried cur
rants Just the same" said the learned
grocer as he went to wait on new Gus
tomer.-New York Press.