Evening star., 1932-07-20

People who insist on being cute" at
any COST especially in their writing
whether in letters or otherwise, are
always a bore to serious minded per-
sons.
The aspiration to be thought clever
has even invaded women's cooking
recipes This is about the last place
in the world which a mere male
CHANGING to pick up one of the big
"womans magazines" would expect to
find attempted wit.
Yet there it was. right in the middle
of a recipe for chocolate ice cream.
Whip these ingredients" it went on
until they are old friends"
UP until the past few years no self
respecting originator of such things
would have written more than WHIP
we'll
1t may be submitted, respectfully
that Whip 'well' would have beer
quite enough, and entirely to the point
How did the "old friends" part of il
help the product any, or even the read
ing of the recipe?
convinced, was to leave a bad taste ir
the mouth, for as an ancient once said
there is time for everything.
There is a time for serious writing
and there is time for cleverness.
Surely the trick, if one may call II
that, Of introducing one sort where an
other naturally belongs, is somewhat
cheap one, making an appeal mainly to
those whose bent of mind is frivolous
or whose mind is iaded
There is simply no need, in the writ
ing of cookery recipes, and in hundreds
of other endeavors, for that matter. fol
the introduction of attempted With
ciSmS.
Wit and humor have their place, but
not in chocolate ice cream, or in sugar
cookies, or corned beef and cabbage Of
the like.
What these things need is plenty o.
good ingredients, plus skilled, even in
Spired, cookery.
1t requires plenty Of inspiration te
make hot baking powder biscuits right
and even more to master the intricacie:
of good mashed potatoes.
As lover of these and similar delica
cies, the writer here has eaten them a!
prepared in many places, by all types o.
cooks, and is here to say that not once
in a hundred plattersful does any
human being eat mashed potatoes "a!
is" mashed potatoes.
Many ultimate consumers think thel
are eating them when the honest truth
is that they have never tasted them a!
done properly, and, therefore, have M
background for an intelligent apprecia-
ton of the real thing.
Now properly prepared potatoes, ir
any of the multtudinous forms in which
this tuber may be served, are a neceS'
sary knowledge If one aims to pas
judgment on separate turnouts OF them
If one has not eaten anything bu
lumpy mashed potatoes, he will no
resent humps, will he? He will thinl
that somehow Jumps are essential, ant
may even go to the extent of refus-
ing smooth. creamy ones. If Offered
him. At the least, he will be able te
see no difference.
Consistency. however. Is only one o.
the many elements which enter into
better mashed potatoes. The blend o.
the seasoning must be just right, an
other mystery which no amount Of
cute sayings" will supply.
Stubborn attempts to be funny II
any sort of writing, on subject Whert
there is no particular amount o.
humor resident naturally, are apt te
pall.
Perhaps they are designed for tht
iaded reader. who has got to that un
happy point in life where the old lurt
of the printed word begins to go bacl
on him.
This is a sad state Of affairs, littl'
recognized, and often overthrown by
the mind once it is recognized. TIM!
means simply that the mind, which
through the eyes, does the world!
reading. often refuses to admit thu
possibility of the reading faculties be-
ing jaded. in any serious sense.
Yet there is no fact more evident thar
that many people. even comparativel,
young persons, are permanently jadet
in their reading tastes.