The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1923-04-12
sfT.fF.fsFsfsks.fsf'sfF
Editorial ~
~ Comment
BEST BEEF STEAK
(R. T. Patten)
E44I4+TJ+F+FFFFFf+FFF+fTt

We are all too prone to attribute
qualities to everything just beyond
our reach. The climate OF some
where we have never lived. in our
imagination, is charming and delight
full. The apples' on the top-most
branch, where we cannot get them
appear to us to be of superior flavor.
This tendency is too well known TO
require further illustration. SO you
will constantly hear people in one
community telling of the bargain to
be had in another or of the superior
quality of the merchandise offered by
some distant merchant. Having be-
come fed-up on this sort OF thing l
thought | would try just one expert
ment. So I wrote to Charles G. Jen-
ness. a brother printer over in no
chester, seeking his aid In the matter.
| suggested that on day to be agreed
upon he go into a Rochester market
and purchase a pound of beef steak
tn be sent, to me. On the same day
was to make a SIMILAR purchase
and send to him. On the arrival OF
my beef steak In Rochester he was
to purchase another pound, have the
two cooked and served under exactly
the same conditions, invite In some
friends and ask them to say which was
the better cut | was to go thru
the same process here. He expressed
his friendly interest and Willingness
to cooperate in part, but, from the
fact that he Is vegetarian, declined
to do any meat eating at his end OF the
line. But | accepted his courtesy as
far as it went and told him to go into
a cash market where they kept no
delivery team and call for zone pound
of good sirloin steak" ! suggested
the. cash market because | knew l
should have to pay cash here anyway
and thought likely, Mr.. Jenness being
like myself a publisher OF country
weekly newspaper, would be quite
likely to have to trade under the same
conditions in his home city. At any
rate, | wanted the circumstances 10
be exactly the same. This ne ala
and on the arrival of his purchase
here | went to Jewetts and using the
same language, made an idnentical pur-
had put in numbered trays and TOOK
them to Lambert's restaurant to be
cooked, saying that they must Keep
track of them so that when we called
for the Information, they could tell me
which was the Rochester and when
the Skowhegan meat. Having done
this invited G. Ernest Avore, carrie
ton p Merrill and Maurice p. Mer-
rill to dine with me.
Before having the meat cooked l
submitted it to three or four supposed
" good judges of such material they,
not knowing of course which was
purchased here and which was pur-
chased in Rochester. Everyone Sc
lected the Skowhegan cut as superior.
This might have been owing to the
fact that the Rochester meat would
lose something of its fresh appear
ance in transit but the reason in most
cases went further than this. 1t was
pointed out that the Rochester meat
showed more and larger veins. One
party pretended to say that the
Skowhegan meat was from a corn FED
animal-pronounced 1t to be native
stock. In this he was wrong, for
both were cut from heavy Western
beef. The price paid in each case
was identical, soc pound. so that
New Hampshire and Maine broke
even ON that point.
At the table at Lamberts Restaur-
ant, the banker, the state official and
the Attorney, all pronounced In favor
OF the Skowhegan sample. The news
papermans preference was not so de-
cided, but he agreed with the other
on the points of flavor ard tenderness.
experiment of this kind and those pre-
sent expressed their Willingness,
should | think it necessary, to act as
Judges once week during the coming
months. 1t Is true one such trial has
no conclusive feature about 1t. 1t was
an interesting thing to do and per-
haps indicates what we all really
should know; the quality and price
must necessarily be much the same in
the different New England manufac-
turing communities. No doubt one
could hear the people of Rochester
at any time telling of the advantages
of trading in the 5kowhegan market.
There would be just as little reason
in it as there is for Skowhegan
citizen to suppose that II he were in
Rochester, Burlington. Springvale or
Houlton he would lind better bargains
than he can in his home town.