The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-11-20
THE WHITE HOUSE HOLIDAY FEASTS
Some Menus Under Old and More Recent
 Administrations

 key at White House Thanksgivine feastS What they have depends or the state of the nation as well al on the revealing personal tastes oi the presidential family, report Drew Pearson and Robert 8. Allen, WaSh- ington "merry.go-rounders." CIV ing some fascinating White House menus of former years, they write in Redbook Magazine for Decem' Der:
 For the First Lady of the Land the problem of shopping for the Thanksgiving dinner is no or1erous because instead of going to market for the proverbial bird, the bird comes to her. For the past thirty years the White House turkey has been furnished by Q fancier II, Rhode Island, sometimes supple mented by gifts from other states. Of the six standard varieties of domesticated turkey in the United States --- bronze, Narragansett, buff, slate, white and black - the bronze and Narragansett are the largest, and the varieties usually served at the White House.
 "Taft, however, used to receive turkeys from Tazewell County, Vir. ginia, from which Queen Victoria also received turkeys and Albemarle pippins every year during her reign. More recently Bruce Kremer has been boosting the merits of Mon- tana turkeys by sending gifts to members of the Roosevelt cabinet. In l0l8 SenatorOlli James of Ken. lucky also challenged Rhode ls' lands perogative by sending Wood- row Wilson 6 bluegrass bird.
 Mrs. Wilson was known as a great connoisseur of Turkeys, while First Lady. To pass her critical eye, the bird had to have a smooth leg, soft bill and If fresh - bright eyes and moist feet, old, tough birds have scaly feet, she said. while young birds have Q breastbone which yields readily to the pressure of the finger.
 Mrs. Roosevelt's speciality Is crar- berry sauce, her recipe for which follows:
 1 pound cranberries Pick over and boil In l pint oi water in open kettle until all are broken. It is well to crush the berries as they boil. Add water If necessary. ..
 Put through sieve.
 Add sugar to taste.
 Set on stove for another three minutes to boil. Then set aside to cool.
 "Mrs. Hoover took great delight dfi dressing up the table, tho theme be. ing Fruits of the Harvest. From the center-piece she arranged lanes leading to it from other parts ot the table, made up of golden pump- kirS, squash, ears of corn, eggplant, tomatoes and green avocados, chest. nut blirrs, red apples, oranges ana grapes all Bet upon tinted nu. tumn leaves. ChrysanthemuTiis and other seasonal flowers decorated the room. ...
 Probably the most frugal Thanks giving dinner ever served in the White House was during the war days in 1917 when President and Mrs. Wilson served only three courses. They were: CD cream of oyster soup with slices of hot but. tered toast; t2) turkey with trim. mings and vegetables -. burning brandy was omitted, as well as cran- berries; tD pumpkin pie, but no plum pudding doubling on des. serts was against Mrs. Wilson's idea of Hooverizing. Black coffee was served as q digestive stinulant.
 Tn contrast to this, President Lincoln was given the following Thanksgiving Day banquet by the Sturges Rifles in 1861, the first year of the Civil War.
 Chicken soup, roast beef, turkey. cranberry sauce, chicken, mallard duck, tame duck, boiled ham, boiled corn beef, fried oysters, boiled po' tatoeS, sweet potatoes, boiled tur' nips, cabbage, celery, mince pie and Hamburg cheese. There was nothing fancy about the service, but there was plenty of it.
 "President Grant also believed in paying proper tribute to his White House chef on Thanksgiving Day, and after working on his message to Congress in 1876, he sat down to the following:
 Bisquc dc 0reyisse
 Consumme imperiale
 Sherry
 Woodcock battles Salmon
 White Wine
 Turkey Filet Of Beef
 Crawflsh Pudding
 Breast of Pheasant
 Goose Livers Roman Punch Champagne CanvaSback DUCK
 Warm Sweet Dish
 Red Wine