The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1909-12-21

Try folk and the edenizens Of the city
Who 'MYe In the open places whicn |
would attract birds should wait until
christmas before providing for the
birds. But such is the custom. The
Dlralngs scratch for themselves our
ing the dull days Of. November and
until the feast of the Christ-chil6.
Then every house has store Of
gram laid up against the evil days
fol. the songsters and from Christmas
1nul the warm weather comes the
wAeat sneayess are renewed as often |
as they are depleted. The children
always attend to this pretty duty. and
they are taught from the earliest
dawn of reason to pity the beasts anu
the birds and to remember them es-
pecially on the. day which is particu-
lerly the Joy day Of childhood. ON
the farms every living thing has
, "'ething very nice on Christmas
'so.. SThe stalls Of the horses are
80. 18th evergreens, and the cat
tiS9M ~ come in for their share
OF IKE n 4 They get more food
and sofA mites like green fodder
or carrotss.or apples. This custom
struck me forcibly as celebrating the
greatest of Christian feats in the
manner which fully typifies 1t.
Ceremonies Last Week.
The feast is really celebrated for
q week in advance in the elaborate
preparations and the week after in
the reunions of families and the
visits of friends. The Morse people
place more importance on good
things to eat than we do in this coun-
try. Eating IL an exceedingly I'm
portant part of life all the year
around, but when the feast Of Christ
mas approaches it assumes supreme
consequence. At Christmas all man
ner of nice cookies and meats and
jellies and fishes and conserved fruits
are prepared days In advance and
every family seems ready for a per-
feet whirlwind of hospitality. Roast
or boiled goose constitutes the chief
dish for the dinner on the great feast,
but goose and turkey and duck do
not enter largely into the scheme of
living on other days. Fish is abun-
dant and SO fresh and we'll seasoned
that those who have had the. good
fortune to live for some years in Nor
way rarely enjoy any other fish. To
begin with, We buy all fish alive and
naturally they are perfectly fresh and
the flavor is very different from fish
kept on ice for days. The variety of
1sh which may be obtained would
make the lover of sea food envious.
Such cod! Even my beloved Maine
coast has nothing. better and the SAL
mon and the whiting and the trout
and the sole and the flamber, but l
could name fishes for an hour ana
not exhaust the list. Then the way
fish fs cooked in Norway appeals
strongly. Norwegians have been
cooking fish for many centuries and
the talent seems to have descended to
the present Inhabitants. Boiled,
baked broiled or. in chowder, fish is
souething which Lucullus might long;
|feEs,heR one gets 1t In Cnristianla:
Vegetables. .f1em France. .ss.,s,enSs. y
ss (etabies In Norway mostly come
from france, and they are the usuar
kind-peas. asparagus. lentils and
many sortsiof green things for salads.
Apples come from Oregon mostly, and
the American apple has quite a vogue
I'll over the Scandinavian peninsula.
The native fruit, especially the rasp-
berries, strawberries and small fruits
Generally, are delicious and abun-
tdant. The Light breakfast prevails in
Norway, and in every foreign homo
two different modes Of living are us-
ually In progress. From living In Diff
ferent countries SO long Mr.. Peirce
and / have become accustomed to the
breakfast Of coffee and rolls with q
more substantial midday meal, and
the light refreshment at S and dinner
about Z or: 8. The servants in Nor
way eat their breakfast soon after
in the morning, and this is composed
of goat cheese and the native bread
and coffee. At II they have another
breakfast, which includes meat and
fish and more coffee. Then at 1
comes their luncheon. which is really
like dinner. At $3.50 they have coffee
and thin bread, with cheese and sweet
cake filled with raisins. and then
their dinner later in the evening aft
er the family has been served. So
the preparation of meals and partak-
Ing of them is the prime object of the
day with the Norwegian housekeeper.
1t takes up time and engrosses; much
Of her thought. Since this. is true all
the year the wonderful activity which
goes on in the culinary Department. as
Christmas draws near is really In
spring. 1t SENS impossible not to
don a big apron and join the ranks of
those turning out long pans Of
fragrant spice cakes and brown birds
and geese and turkeys, and all those
things which loom up when the
thought of Christmas comes.
/ Decorate the Graves.
Custom, which made a powerful
appeal to me, is that on the great
day OF, Joy those who have gone be-
fore are not forgotten. Some repre-
sentative of the family goes to the
family. burying place some time on
Christmas day and places wreath Of
evergreen. The use of the evergreen