Evening star., 1942-12-22
Unusual Meals
Linger incur
Memories
Deviati0ns From
Routine Menus
Recommended

This is about meals, lovely In
themselves, but which deviate con-
siderably from the ordinary Amer
ican conception Of menu making.
The small boy who said definitely,
"All right, I'll eat the dish Of spinach
II then / get a soup plate full OF ice
cream" may not have been lar
wrong. He at least expressed in
dividuality. No following the beaten
path for him, just because 1t was
the thing to do.
Many Americans are inclined to
adhere to supposed correct practice.
But New York. San Francisco and,
of course, the movie colony OF Holly
wood contain many people who
adventure about.
For instance, there was q man
named Caramelli who some years
ago had a combination Of Italian
American farm, vineyard, winery and
small roadhouse not far to the north
Of San Francisco. A good series OF
riding paths took one through
corner Of his land. So 1t was quite
the thing to stop OF and have a
meal on his shady grass patch. The
meal was the same, morning, noon,
night, Sunday through to Saturday
and always excellent. Broiled lamb
chops, Monterey cheese, dry red wine
(dago red) from the winery on the
place, and toasted, crusty Italian
style home baked bread. And If you
didn't care for that menu you did
not eat.
In New York, on Forty-eighth
street, Just west OF Fifth avenue, Is
a delightful bookseller who came
from France years ago. And he has
a lovely and gracious wife who likes
books and pictures and works with
him. Once upon . time We had a
wonderful luncheon in the little back
room Of the shop. We had soft-boiled
eggs, eaten, properly, from the shells.
! And there was young gruyere cheese,
,, alligator pear, bottle Of Moselle
wine, toasted French bread and
black coffee - French roast - all
served together.
Some years ago the Multonomah
Club of Portland, Greg, had a cook
with q sense of food arrangement
His favorite luncheon combination
was two fried eggs and bacon, coun-
try style, which means the bacon is
cooked in a small iron skillet, then
most Of the surplus grease is poured
on, but the bacon is left in the pan.
Then two eggs are deposited in an
orderly manner on top Of the bacon
and cooked to turn, with pepper
but no salt. With this, he liked to
serve brown and crisp hashed pota-
toes fried in butter, sliced toma-
toes and fresh, buttered toast.
Californians developed the idea,
years ago, Of serving = big, we'll
made raw vegetable salad as the
first course at luncheon or dinner,
and a splendid idea 1t is, too. In
fact, given time and thought, and
good mixed vegetable salad, hot,
crusty bread and 4 glass Of rich,
cold milk-one doesn't want or need
much else.
Dick Powers. q Hollywood friend
OF mine. and his charming wife, the
lovely Kitty built such q salad not
long ago and topped it of with
match-stick slivers OF Swiss cheese,
cold tongue and the white meat of
cold chicken, dressing 1t in a thin
but yet not thin lemon dressing,
made by adding much fresh lemon
juice (from their own tree to a
small amount Of homemade mayon-
naise, full Of good olive oil.
However, lest one imagines that
the aforementioned Dick was living
IN undue Righteousness, 1t must be
owned that the salad paved the way
and set the stage for hot, individual
deep-dish peach pies. topped with
the largish spoonsful Of whipped
cream.