Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-01-14
NOT DRIED CURRANTs
a LEARNED GROCER coMMENTs,uP-
ON A COMMON MISTAKE.


The Tiny Fruit Used In Cake, Pud-
sins Made From Little Grapes That
Are GROWN In Greece.
'.Mother wants pound oftdried cur
rants" said little girl who came into
the learned .grocer's store in Eighth
avenue.
81 hain.t got dried currant in the
store and there hain't none in the city,
replied the learned grocer. "But
know what you want, sissy, and I've
got EN-"
The learned grocer brought forth a
box of the little, sticky, sugary, gritty
currants used in fruit cake, plum pud-
dings, mince pies, buns and the like
why, them's 'emr' exclaimed the
little girl.
Eyes; them's EN-" iassented the gro
Ger, "and if the .Grecian maiden who
trod this particular lot of 'em into ship
shape had used little water or even a
feather buster on her feet before she
began there wouldn't be so much grit
in 'em as there is. She must have been
having a regular tpoedown on the clas-
sic sands before she began to dance on
this box OF fruit. There, Sissy; tell
your mother she must battle 'em in sew
eral waters before she uses 'em, or she
might just as well put lot Of sandpa-
per in her fruit cake. And tell her that
they amt dried currarEts either"
What's the reason they amt dried
currantsY' demanded a disputatiye
customer when the girl had gone.
"aThey amt dried currants any more
than they are dried pumpkins" replied
the grocer. ssThe reason they amt
dried currants is that they weren't cur
rants before they were dried. Good
r@son enough, amt it,"
yes" said the customer. less dispu-
tative than he was But what does
everybody call themkdried currants for
Them
"'Cause they don't know any better"
said the learned grocer. They'll. go
right on coming in here and asking for
dried currants just the same after I tell
'em why they amt dried currants as
they did before"
what should they ask.for, then 2" i'm
quired the customer.
eff any man should come in here and
ask for dried corinths," replied the
learned grocer, che would not necessa-
rily be gentleman, but I'd bet on him
being a scholar. Dried corfnths is
what you should ask for when you
want this little sugar coated. gritty
raIsin, for it's rafsin pure and sim
pie"
Flows that?" the customer wanted
to know.
s1rl<ag hnfnr0 4
was dried" said the grocer, land If raj
sins amt grapes what are theyT
but you said these were dried cor
inths," persisted the customer, whats
a corinth, anyhow
"a corinth is the smallest grape that
grows" replied the learned grocer,
'sand 1t 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 raisin than 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 punches 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 offcare'
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 a heap CT
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.
'Still, 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.