The Republican journal., 1915-09-16
GOOD THINGS TO EAT.

Missouri recently had Fried Chicken
Day and the st. Louis Globe Democrat
says: "Springfeld, metropolis of the
Ozarks, poured out en- masse to fried
chicken picnic. Fried chicken may be
classed as a southern dish, but for the
real thing you must go to Virginia. No
one who has travelled that way will for
get certain railway station in Virginia
where the trains were met by the colored
'mammies" with their gay colored tur-
bans bearing trays heaped with the gold
en- brown deectable morsels of infantile
poultry, accompanied, OF course, by corn
''pones" We recall a Virginian his
name by the way, was Washington-who
when questioned on his return from a
trip abroad as to his experiences forcibly
expressed his disgust at the food he had
had set before him. "Why," said he,
II couldn't get fried chicken and corn
bread anywhere.
The colored NANNY" who prepared
this and many other appetizing dishes
must have long since gone to her reward,
and those who enjoyed the hopitality OF
Southern homes in ante bellum days
must wonder if the art died with them.
A certain colored cook, ''Zeny," was
often asked to tell how she prepared her
culinary triumphs, and her reply would
be: You take little of dis and little
of dat, =" etc. She really could not tell.
She did not cook by rule. 1t was in
stinct-or genius. The good cook, like
the poet, is born, not made.
Maryland is noted for her terrapin,
oysters and beaten biscuit; Louisiana for
gumbo, and you will find receipts for
these and many other southern dishes in
the cook books; but when prepared by
these rules they will too often prove
delusion and snare. In some preten-
tious hostelry with an elaborate menu in
French they may serve '"Terrapln la
Maryland;" but it will be congiomera-
ton from tin can in which it is safe to
say the diamond back terrapin is not rep
resented.
New England also has it's distinctive
dishes Not by any concerted movement
did baked bean day became universal in
this section. 1t dates back many genera
tons, and to those of far reaching men,
cries it seems that the baked beans of
today do not have the SAVIOR of those
that came from the old brick ovens with
the brown bread and Indian pudding
New England may also claim to be the
home of the pie although pies are COM
mon elsewhere on this side the water and
are turned out by thousands daily from
the pie factories. These, of course, are
not to be compared with the product of
New England kitchens.
If New England, following the ex-
ample of Missouri, should decide to have
Pie Day we are sure that certain
prominent Granger in North Searsport
would hold up both hands for custard pie
But the custard pie, a composition of
milk and eggs, can be produced any
where, and because of its distinctive
local flavor, and otherwise, our vote
would be for the blueberry pie. Some
object to it because the juice stains the
le eth, and leaves indelible marks on the
tablecloth, but these considerations are
as nothing to the lovers Of BURBERRY pie.
Then for an all-around pie any
time and anywhere-give US the apple
pie. Even the dried apple pie of olden
days-the apples home dried-was by no
means to be despised. But dried apples
seem to be a thing of the past and we
have instead the canned and evaporated
apples, the latter dry and f1avorless when
compared with the old-time dried apples.
And blueberries. Do you recollect when
they used to be spread out on newspapers
in the attic to dry for winter use? Now
they come in cans. But the subject is
inexhaustible and we cannot better con-
clude this article than with verse long
retained in memory concerning she'll
fish that finds flavor wherever it is
known:
Oysters! One needs the genius of Shelley
10 fifty hymn these treasures Of the sea
Salacious dabs of appetlzing jelly,