Evening star., 1948-11-04


news columns and urge other papers through
out the country to call this matter to the atten-
ton OF responsible people. The handicapped
are people and want to live normal lives. but
sometimes it Is very difncult.
MILDRED SCOTT.
Black-Eyed Peas, Turnip Greens
70 tn. Editor of The Star:
Welcome changes other than the vivid color
ing OF autumn's leaves seem to be taking place.
Look at the comeback along the line Of de-
hcious things we used to eat here in America
or IN certain parts of the country, at any rate
and then almost forgot! To my amazement,
two OF these ancient and exalted dishes were
served at prominent Washington club one
DAY last month: Black-eyed peas and tripe
with calls feet. My waiter admitted he
couldn't remember ever serving these dishes
at least, all in one day."
These delicacies-I ordered both-carried me
back to plantation days in the cotton section
OF Southern North Carolina. In those robust
days black-eyed peas, turnip greens with hog
towl. tripe. calves feet pigs feet, hogshead
cheese. htckory-smoked sausage, and . long list
OF other home produced viands Of former times,
with persimmon beer and sillabub on Thanks
giving, Christmas and New Years, helped COM
pensate for muddy roads, kerosene lamps and
transportation by horse and buggy.
This sudden reappearance of these early
Americana at first suggested broadening con-
cept with respect to the conservation Of many
useful items our modern economy, without any
obvious reason, has seen At to discard, pretty
largely.
It was only few weeks ago, out in the
pennyroyal section Of Kentucky that friend
drom the Cumberlands) earnestly joined me in
mourning the scarcity Of such Kentucky pro-
ductions, de luxe, as smokehouse -cured, hickory
with some sassafras) smoked ham, hog jowl,
and sausage.
For full measure Of nostalgia we came close
to tears over the practical disappearance-in
too many places-of cracking bread, corn
pone, sweet potato biscuits, sillabub, persimmon
Der, pigs feet, chitlngs. tripe and other things
50 commonly disdained nowadays.
These lamentations arose out Of the necessity
Of turning down an invitation to a Kentucky
possum supper, pennyroyal district style. En-
vironmental conditions accentuated the bitter
ness Of the situation. There had been a. num-
Der Of frosts of the exact potency for con-
ditioning possums, and persimmons were just
at the turn for the proper brewing Of persim-
mon beer. With blackhaws also abundant and
similarly conditioned, the reported bountiful
crop of possums should have been In prime
order for roasting. And all this was topped
of with the promise that the possum would be
roasted to a rich chestnut brown, and gar
nished with sweet potatoes!
Not being able to take part in the affair
was bitter experience. That's the way we used
to put on q possum supper in North Carolina.
At first I was surprised at the understanding
of Kentuckians about such matters, until the
secret unfolded itself thus: In the first place,
Kentucky was made up pretty much Of North
Csrolinians, with some Virginians thrown in
for whatever comes of such a mixture. Dan
Boone, and the others from Carolina probably
took along the worthwhile culinary arts when
they moved over into the country Of bluegrass,
fast horses and q variety Of other good and
wholesome things. Henry Clay carried q lot of
oratory; I've never heard much about the kind
of table he laid. HUGH H. BENNETT.