Omaha daily bee., 1908-06-21
CORN PONE FOR CoNGRESsMEN
Statesman shows His Col
leagues the Real Uae
Of Corn.

81 Torn.
Corn pone, old fashioned and appetizirg,
was introduced in the house restaurant by
Representative Leonidas F. Livingston OF
Georgia, and 1t soon became a popular and
fashionable staff Of life for many who
knew not its splendid and palatable quail
ties.
Colonel Livingston says that when he
first came to congress he felt that he
would go mad by being forced to eat
bakers bread. which he terms "moonshine
stuff" He had been raised on big, fat
buttermilk biscuits and genuine corn
pone, ard II was no small undertaking for
him to get his inner man even on speaking
acquaintance with the loaf bread and
soggy corn bread served here. The colonel
ransacked hotels boarding houses and
restaurants with the hope Of finding corn
bread to his liking, but his search was
fruitless; he could not be satisfied-nothing
was found which tasted like the good old
Georgia 'pone."
why, the stuff I GET" said Colonel
Livingston. was not as good as the bread
we feed our hounds down home. 1t was
watery, soggy, close and had, no taste like
genuine corn bread-it was a delusion and
a snare. l stood doing without corn bread
just as long as l could. and then decided
to have it at any cost. / am an artist when
II comes to cooking corn bread, sir. and l
went to the proprietor of the house res
t~aurant-poor fellow. he's now dead. 1
told him l was going to send to Georgia
for some water Ground corn meal Uhe
only kind that's fit to eat), and that with
his permission l would teach his chef how
to cook a 'pone' so that a decent man
could eat 1t.
THE offer was agreed to, and It was
not many days before an express wagon
dumped a sack of meal off for me. 1
gazed on that sack like 1t was a long lost
friend, united the string and took a Whit,
and, great suffering Lazarus, but it did
smell good! 1t seemed tina 1
Could listen to the water mill
Through the livelong day,
While the clicking Of the old wheels
Wore the weary hours away.
II went to the kitchen, threw my coat
off, donned an apron, rolled up my sleeves,
washed by hands (our southern cooks
always do this) and then 1 began a war
dance among the cooking utensils. 1t
wasn't long before my 'pone' was ready
for the oven. 1t seemed that 1 was SO
desperately anxious to get my molars on
the bread that l could scarcely take time
to show the cook how to go about the
work. However, the 'pone' was soon
ready and l invited several of my friends
to partake with me-. Well, it was the
most enjoyable meal l had ever eaten in
Washington.
After the chef had mastered the art of
making corn pore I would frequently in
wife some of my northern friends to take
dinner with me, and my pones grew rap
idIv in nonu1ar fa,yor AAa-, ~ -
never before tasted the sweet and pala-
table bread declared It the best they had
ever eaten. Up to that time they had only
known the soggy stuff made from steam
ground meal, and the difference between
water ground and steam ground meal is
about .as great as that Of a Smlthfield
ham and a rancid piece of bacon. OF
course one must know how to cook tho
pone, no matter what kind Of meal is used.
Why, sir, it should be made a crime to put
sugar in any kiEd of corn bread except
the old fashioned egg bread. The only
cornmeal fit to eat is that ground on a
slow running water mill from corn that
has been well cured and the faulty grains
taken out.
Corn is the homespun king, and there
is not a cereal deserving more from the
American people, The food made from the
cornmeal is the best and healthiest bread
for people to eat-nutritious, easy Of digcs
ton and palltable. | know there are few
families outside of the southern states,
who habitually use cornmeal, and vet no
one who has ever seen and tasted the
many delicious dishes that cen be made OF
cornmeal will ever sneer at it. 1t has the
right of way of ell breadstuffs. Tho IA
nous corn pone and hoe cake Of the south
will never be put on the top shelf for any
other breads by the people v no know and
appreciate them; they will hold first place
as long as time lasts and indian corn is
grown.
"Demeter. crowned with golden ears OF
corn, was the great goddess OF the Greeks
whom they celebrated in awful mysteries
as the giver Of law and virtue. Even Peru
had its legends of similar imports, and tn,
Christians of our day yet hope for the
time when swords will be broken int
ploughshares.
Good corn bread is a ciyilizer; IT maket
the working body and the thinking mind
It fills the soul with proud energy: II moi
only maintains, but makes men, It does moi
cause the loss Of teeth. debility and in.
sanity; it satisfies the rawlings aud please,
the whole inner man; it gives or laborerl
a superiority over the slower son OF Erin
whose chief article Of food Is the potato.
The corn pone and hoe cake is a brair
producer and strength giver; but # Il
necessary to thoroughly cook the meal t.
produce these results. The crust shoulC
be brown and crisp and the inner soft anC
white. There is nothing better if you hav,
nice, fresh butter TO eat with il. The
are any number Of delicious dishes which
can be made from c~ornmeal, but wheI
you begin 10 mix sugar and other sweets
with il you spoil the natural sweetness
To sweeten good water ground meal is nk.
a young and pretty girl spelling her ros!
cheeks with paint and powder-the natura
sweetness is marred.
Il am now and always a friend TO Indial
corn-the sweetest and best breadstuft
ever produced, and l take off my hat 10 IN.
dear old grist mills Of the south. "-Nev
York Herald.
slang of the Restaurant.