Food Junkie Trivia

Yes, today is Sunday...in my world it is a day off!  Sundays are suppose to be a day of rest, ironically in the last twenty five years, I've only just started have Sunday as a day off.  Of course due to the fact my ever changing schedule had me opening this past week, meaning up at 3:00AM, memories of the Fred's News years, this morning, I again awakened before the crowing of the local rooster.  Even though we watched TV until quite late, 3:00AM, eyes wide opened!

After putting on the water for my morning "spot of tea", I head out to retrieve the Sunday paper.  Unfortunately, Mr. Bill had set the sprinkler to come on early, of course they worked right on cue.  Now the newspaper is always delivered in a plastic bag, just in case.  This time, just in case, just didn't work.  The edge of the lawn sprinkler's reach, the open end of the plastic bag, containing of course, the Sunday paper.  Water sloshing from the bag announced, "unreadable".  So I turn to the trusty laptop...I will read it online!  I must of read for at least forty-five minutes..........just odds and ends, not the Sunday paper, but interesting facts, that a food junkie like myself enjoys!

The Ice Cream Sundae came about during the early 1890's in, of all places, no not Fred's News, but Ithaca New York.  It was a Cherry Sundae, that is cherry syrup over vanilla ice cream, supposedly ordered by a preacher.  Although the preacher, enjoyed his weekly Ice Cream Soda, his feelings on the matter, carbonated drinks had somewhat of a corruptive influence, one should non partake of such a drink on the Sabbath.  Hence, the Ice Cream Sundae, a non-carbonated alternative to the devilish Ice Cream Soda. It would help to know a bit about the little village of Baltic, to understand why the Ice Cream Soda, was an extremely popular drink, immediately after it was introduced at Fred's News.  I do believe in warmer weather Ice Cream was the most popular afternoon and evening snack, especially on a Sunday.  Understanding some Baltic trivia....at one time there were seventeen bars in this small town...no wonder the drink of choice on the Sabbath...Ice Cream Soda. Those French Canadians sure know how to celebrate!

Oddly enough, I hadn't thought much about Barbecue, Miss Vanessa, Jamie and Jordan loved Barbecue, true to their roots, it's very much a Southern thing.  Living in the South, I now understand the true meaning of Barbecue...It's Party Time!"  There again, food junkies disagree on where and when it began...even the origin of the word remains cloudy.  As I continued to read,, my interest drawn to one of the final Barbecue justifications..Bar-Beer-Cue-Pig.  It seems somewhere in the 19th century a North Carolina Bar and Billiards Hall advertised a Sunday (God-forbid)Pig Roast.  Other components of the event..Whiskey, beer, pool-(billiards) and Roast Pig.  Betcha the patrons of this place didn't worry about drinking a "corruptive carbonated ice cream soda" on the Sabbath!  Since I believe all Barbecues are a "Party-Time", I'll stick with this bit of Barbecue history.

Of course part of my early morning education on the history of certain foods, was the lowly Biscuit.  Mmm! Fred's News Sausage and Biscuits on a Sunday morning....forget the Ice Cream Soda....depending on how you felt, Biscuits and Gravy were either heavenly or disgustingly evil, but a must have.  During one Spring season, a group of construction workers, relining one of the Sprague water towers, stopped by Fred's News every morning for breakfast.  Although I can't remember their names, they were true southern boys, loving a great big breakfast to start their day.  Hailing from Tennessee and West Virginia, they just adored the Biscuits and Gravy.  Had we served that meal everyday, that would of been their regular.  Had they understood the origins of Biscuits, they might of thought twice about consuming them.  Biscuit really means twice cooked and of course comes from the French.  Remembering our history lessons, Biscuits could be packed in cloth and travel over the seas to the New World, and quite likely was the only food that survived the many months long journey.  Those flakey Fred's News biscuits, a far cry from generations gone by.  One of our visitors from Tennessee announced "his Momma's biscuits the best", Fred's News a close second.  He said he could tell the difference between "homemade" and those canned "whopped" biscuits, "whopped" meaning you had to "whop" the can on the counter to get it opened.  I'd a liked to place a bet with that boy!