Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-12-21
r will astonish the average per-
son to know how many different
kinds OF Christmas dinners will

Kinds or Christmas dinners Will
be served here in Washington.
and with what pains the various units
have foregathered the needful parts
Take a walk up the quiet towpath
OF the Chesapeake and Potomac canal
and after passing the first outpost of
the city just beyond Cabin Johns
bridge rural life far removed from
present day standards may be en-
joyed from this point to the outskirts
of Harpcrs Ferry. No one can, of
course, do this in one day, but there
are hospitable Lighthouses where bed
and a meal may be obtained. Stately
nocks OF geese are seen in every yard
and swimming on the canal, They look
graceful enough to be taken for
swans, Here the Hebrew. Morse and
Swede. for the Danish part of the
Washington population is negligible,
and the increasing artist group go for
their Christmas dinners. They have
selected their victim weeks in ad-
vance and sometimes make an occa-
sional visit during the fattenine
period. They must. when entering
into the contract, agree to call for the
sounds ISSUE and which the carrier
addresses frequently in tones of re-
monstrance. seem to be the burden of
all pedestrians during fortnight be-
fore the best day of all the year.
X X
Eels are also to be had in the canal
long after they are gone from the
1aWar and from the
former residents of Victor Emman-
uel's country figure in the procession.
There are farms along the canal that
specialize in Belgian hares. and many
a bOatman is implored to slip crate
of them on his cargo of coal for some
Of the mort thrifty of the African
population. Chickens, ducks and
sucking pigs may be had at the small
farms, and the city dweller of saving
habit has discovered he can get bet
ter article at a lower price il he cares
nothing for the indignity of carrying
a squirming fowl for miles in a basket
or sack. Even a little pig sometimes
sticks its pink nose from basket set
to rest while the perspiring carrier
chats with passing boatman. The pig
will be well taken care of for a week
or two. and then, after the proper
mode of assassination. will be slowly
baked with sweet spices and cider.
There are butchers who receive spe-
cfic directions about the joint of beef
imperative for the proper state din
nsr of those of British or Scotch ira
dition; and the Latin, be he in en-
bassy, legation or other halls of state,
must have some tender lamb prepared
from the national recipe to make out
his Christmas dinner.
Those who have studied the ethics
Of food note that the European has
always regarded the flesh Of four
footed animal as the proper founda-
ton for feast. The turkey and
chicken fad is purely American. just
as the white potato and the fragrant
weed. The true Briton and the Scot
must have his beef. the Celt his NUT
ton and tho Latin his lamb. The
Teuton and all north Of Europe peo-
pie, including some Of the Slavs,
seem content to eat veal daily, and
certainly at banquet. Fowl was al
ways a dish ornamental like the
bears head. but for real food the
flesh Of the grain-eating quadruped
must be in evidence. The prophets
say that having run the turkey fad to
its end. the population of the United
States will soon 60 back to its older
traditions and serve beef or mutton
or veal or lamb on fete days.
Meantime, the transplanted Briton
. or Scot, even IL he may have his
meat, will find his Christmas feast
shern of its splendor. What the Scot
will do for a state dinner is not yet
devised by the paternal authority of
the government. Every Scotch dinner
worthy the name begins with hot
whisky punch, to be followed at in
tervals with hot pint, and sherry and
sweet wine with the suet pudding.
That dainty should, as in the case Of
the British plum pudding, be STEPPED
in brandy and set on fire just before
serving. All these traditional ad-
juncts and without which the Scotch
broth. the fnnan haddie savory. the
howtowdie. the msckerel pie will taste
like sea water. will he missing from
the feast Of 1s19-that Ia. in the vast
80 ha -