Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-10-31
when Cook Books Talked.

When Cook Books Talked.
The housewife was busy in her kitoh.
en-, a. housewives should be, when she
heard strange sounds from the drawer
In the kitchen.cabinet. It was not q
mouse, nor yet buzzing fly, for the
housewife waslvery proper and Ihad no
suoh things In her kitchen. TWAS real
cook-books. The housewife sank into q
chair, held her doughy hands away from
her spotless apron, and listened, breath.
lessly.
Now there were cook books galore In
that drawer, from grandmother's stained
and worn one to new one that said
"ChaflDg Dish Dainties" on the cover.
~ wonder why she keeps me-" sighed
the old, old book. "She never uses me
any more. used to be such, Q delight
10 her grandmother. o, the mince pies,
apple dumplings, meat puddings, fried
cakes, pound cakes, pickles, and cob.
blers she used to make BY my rules.
People eat such queer things nova
dsys." Don't you know you are out
Of dateP" asked book called, GLOW to
Use Vegetable Oils" 1.-THE human
stomach cannot digest animal fat"
This was exasperating to the old, old
book, and 1t retorted, "There isn't soul
iu this house as healthy and happy az
any member of her grandmother
family" Now the old, old book could
not be denied, since it was the only one
who had been there in those old days, so
by way of further argument, book call
ed, "Miss Salad and Her Trousseau,"
spoke up and asked, "Did this old-fash-
toned woman know the possibilities of a
few fresh vegetables, nuts, and mayor.
naise" ''Fresh vegetables. sWell, I
can see them now swinging over the fire.
Some were cooked with a piece of sweet
salt pork from the smoke-house, and OBJ,
how hungry every body was just to get a
Whit. And nuts, never did Saturday
come, from October to April, that the
didn', crack huge baake,ful to
eat on Sunday. They bad such jolly
times picking out the meats, and they
used horse nails. How we'll remember
their hiding their nails, so that when the
basket was brought out, everyone was
ready to pick, unless he was careless
enough to forget where he had put his
nail, and then he was chaffed by the
others. Children now are so ex-
travsgant and difficult to entertain"
This was altogether too homely Wis
ion for miss Salad and her Trousseau,"
so she did not refer 20 the mayonnaise.
Then a much fused up little book 10 a
white cover tied with green ribbons,
water color sketches through it's pages,
and called Frozen Dainties," asked,
"Do your pages tell bow to prepare a
mousse, or lemon ice, or mint sher.
bet, or tutti-frutti ice-creamp" mo, but
have q rule for q delicious blanc
NANCE" Before anyone could laugh at
this, q very serious looking book in a
brown cover, called "Meat Substitutes,
asked, "Do you tell of the value of
whole wheat, cheese, or nuts?"
eyes, and olive oil instead Of lard" in
terrupted the before mentioned little
volume Of "How to Use Vegetable Oils"
"And attractive ways to serve PurO,
FoodO, the great Few pre-digested
food" from new book in slick shiny
cover with picture of little child pre-
pairing meal.
Now the old, old book had lain there
in the bottom of the drawer long, long
time, and had become to feel quite meek
nsnt thrill down it's loose old back, and
transformed 1t into q volume OF vigorous
retort. "Olive Oil, Pre-digested food,
PurO. FoodO! The oil in my time was
castor oil, and nothing now can hold q
candle to II. Talk about pure foods.
What could be purer than the things one
makes ones self? I've seen home
ground meal, dried fruits, herbs, mo-
lssses, sugar, lard and meats that came,
every one OF them, from field, garden or
pasture, and placed in store by this
grandmotber's own hands. They weren't
labeled pure, because there was no
doubt about it, and no one was ever ill
unless 1t was because he could not have
q second helping. Pre-digested food
was not heard of those days. Stomaohs
we're not lazy. People ate what they
pleased and went to work and forgot
about IL. I do wonder what this world
Is coming to. People will soon be kept
in glass cases and fed with condensed
10 C6pouioS.
This long speech from the old, old
book was 80 astounding that not one Of
the others could think of anything to
say, and the silence was becoming strain.
ed and painful when learned looking
volume entitled, "Errors in Modern
Diet" offered few remarks in q quiet
tone that restored peace. "You are all
half right and half wrong" It began.
"This grandmother's family may have
handed down a worn out digestion to its
posterity. Who can tellP Recall this
people lived in the open then, and men
and women, alike. worked much more
with their hands than with their heads.
We should now fit our diet to our occu-
patton. The world isn't growing any
worse, I'm sure, so let's give three cheers
for the old days-snd three cheers for
the new days, and live happily ever af-
ter"
Loud cheering, then silence.
The housewife jumped to her feet.
The dough bad dried on her hands, so
she held them under the faucet, and
while she rubbed and brushed at the OBJ.
stinate little patches of paste, she said,
well, certainly was puzzled for q
while about the menu had planned for
to-day's dinner, but, after all, ] believe
1t 10 all right. Did you everp"
Recipes.