Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-02-05
Dissertation on Peanuts.

There are many great questions
before the American people today
questions that will have to he set
tied by the brainiest men OF the
time. In all the multiplicity of pro-
blems that assail US from every side,
there will be some that will be over
looked or at least given scant lat
tention. 1t is of one OF these lat
ter | would speak.
Take the situation as regards pea
nuts, or COOLERS, as they are called
in some sections of our fair country
For years, to the best of my know
ledge and convictions, the ultimate
peanut, or, in other words, the pea
nut that reached the consumer, has
been punk, to speak politely. The
peanuts that are being vended by our
best peanut vendors are not all that
they should be. Today, it Is abso-
lutely unsafe to eat a peanut In the
dark. The result may be taste
like the morning after. The aver
age. or mine run OF peanuts are
either in a state of decay, burnt be-
yond repair, or raw--and in either
of these states are Objectionable 10
the earnest and conscientious pea
nut eater. A good peanut Is rather
to be chosen than great riches, and
in these decadent days the good pea
nut. perfectly roasted, is scarcer
than a serpent's tooth.
During the war the nickel bag OF
peanuts shrunk to such degree that
one had to buy two bags to be able
to form a base of operations. One
bag, filled with six peanuts and a
lot of atmosphere, rarely, IL ever, sat
isfied the appetite of the confirmed
peanut gourmet. OF course, there
was a reason for this imitation OF the
bag and scarcity Of the intended
content-peanuts were needed to
win the war.
But now that the war Is won-in
a manner of speaking should
not the peanut of our youth come
back to us? Perhaps some carping
critic will say that the peanuts OF
our youth--our early youth-are
with us yet. At any rate, they taste
somewhat less fresh, to again speak
politely.
Harking back to childhood's hap
py days, remember peanut vendor
in Detroit who was a man after my
own heart. I hope The got rich SELL
ing peanuts, for he delivered the
goods. He had a stand near the
wharf at the foot of Dearborn street.
His peanuts were known as Jumbos.
They were big, as indicated by the
name, and you got sack as big as
your head for nickle. And every
peanut was fresh and roasted just
right. Young couples bent on a
journey to Belle Isle could--and did
eat peanuts all the way over and
look each other in the eyes all the
time. The peanut eating was mere
ly mechanical--there were no bum
ones in the bag.
In more refined circles, what Is
known as the sailed peanut, with the
shell removed and the kernel en-
cased In transparent bag, Is consi-
dered good form and is munched with
great gusto. But to the real con-
noisseur this method is regarded as
bad sportmanship; 1t Is practically
shooting 'em settin'." What can
equal the music Of the cracking of
the shell as you squeeze 1t in your
fingers? Then you rub off the brown
wrapper on the kernel and the naked
peanut In all its glory is before you
And then you eat 1t. And while you
are champing on that one, you are
busy preparing another. The oper-
alton is continuous and you stop
only when the bag is empty.
No, no! No sailed peanuts for us
epicures. AS Patrick Henry said,
"Give us the whole peanut or none"
Where, In this broad land. is
there a man with some good pea
nuts who is ready and willing to
meet the consumer half way and sup
ply him with a big bag Of fresh
roasted real peanuts for a nickel?
In this day of high prices we are
even willing to concede quantity
production, but give us fresh ones
and not raw, but roasted.-New
West Magazine.
The home of I. ID. Bickmore was
completely destroyed last Saturday
afternoon by fire. Mrs. Bickmore
with the children were away visit