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6B ♦ WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2006 CjL\ ' : - Wmw 8y v y CHARLOTTE PERKINS ItJ l“j .intfgßfflMPffift- HDJ iJ -, f J.< l£ o V m ¥ mT «■ „ X 1 V a > - ** ® Lifestyle Editor On the Fourth of July, I enjoyed watching my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter in her first encounter with creatures of the poultry-persuasion. Being mostly used to big friendly dogs, and declawed cats, Hannah Grace was scared out of her wits when a hen sud denly squawked and ruffled her feathers in indignation over being disturbed while laying an egg. Later, though, she had a chance to “pet” a chicken, caught and held by her mother, so she left the chicken yard, owned by her other grandparents’ neighbors on Lake Sinclair, with eyes full of excitement and a hat full of eggs. I took pictures while the chicken-yard smell and noises brought back memories of my own childhood. Not fond memories, I’m afraid. Memories of the world’s dumbest and most aggravating creatures, that my grand mother, who was otherwise a very bright lady with plenty to do, insisted on having by the hundreds. I could have told Hannah a lot about chickens - about cleaning roosts, about getting eggs out from under recalci trant maternal hens, about chasing the chickens that were always escaping and trying to catch them before the neigh borhood dogs did. And about being chased in turn by the meanest rooster in the world. (We called him Ronster) I don’t think at her age of innocence she made the connec tion between the chickens she watched with wide eyes and the chickens we eat, and I didn’t tell her that, personally, I saw that little brown hen as a fryer. Fried chicken was one of the great treats of my childhood, and not an everyday occurrence. It appeared on the table on Sundays, with other only-on-Sunday foods, like buttered white dinner rolls, canned pear salads and lemon meringue pies. Why was it so special when we had so many chickens? I understand better as an adult, because if I were sent by time machine back to the good ol’ days and asked to raise, catch, kill and scald and clean and cut up chickens, I’d be the first one to ask, “Why don’t we just have Hoppin’ John?? Do you know about Hoppm’ John? ilgg? ***g§S Curiously, even some southerners don’t. I grew up eating it as a main dish, but even then knew people who never ate it. They ate peas. They ate rice. They didn’t eat peas and rice together. fa+hf-wzt V? Specializing In Delicious Food In A Wonderful eJßtim Environment With Fast, Friendly Service JUST NAMED ONE OF THE TOP 100 RESTAURANTS IN THE USAt A Blend of New Potatoes, Cucumbers, Onions, Tomatoes, Black Olives, Feta Cheese & Homemade Caesar Dressing Served on the Side. jjr HOURS: Mon-Thur I 1 am-I 0pm; Fri-Sat I lam-l Ipm I 2507 Moody Road, Warner Robins, GA kmmwM Ipawhin’ chickens. Hoppin’ John and other southern matters Hoppin’ John, for those of you who’ve never had it, is black-eyed peas on rice. It is related to bean and rice dishes from all around the world that sustain millions of people. Some people cook both together. Some, like me, cook the rice and peas separately. Any kind of rice will do. Brown rice is the best bet health-wise. Basmati or Texmati rice are worth a little extra cost for taste. You can buy pretty good black-eyed peas in cans, and even better ones frozen, though you need to cook them about an hour slowly, instead of following the quickie instructions on the bag. I know that some people start with dried peas, but I’m at loss to understand why, when the frozen ones are as close to fresh as you can get without shelling them yourself. You can even use field peas or crowder peas, or mix sev eral southern peas. You can use ham hock, or you can be calorie-conscious and use the Goya Jambon seasoning. In my childhood we added chopped green pepper and onions before eating it. I’ve learned that adding chopped sun-ripened tomato is good, too, and that cold salsa on top of hot Hoppin John is really good. What you’ve got is a dish that tastes good and is good for you - since the peas and rice add up to a complete protein, and the peas are fiber powerhouses. And besides that, it’s about as cheap as a main dish can get. If the economy collapses, you can make it on Hoppin’ John and maybe some hoecake, and whatever greens you can find. Why is it called Hoppin’ John? Check around on the Web and you’ll find dozens of theories, but the truth is that nobody knows, and the closest thing to a credible answer is that it’s a mispronunciation of the French “Pois Pigeon,” pronounced Pwah Pee Jon, and meaning Pigeon Peas. It also goes well with fried chicken in case you want to pick some up on the way home. ** * * Com on the cob ■PF -/ 'M My grandmother grew up on a farm, and even though she lived in town and had a full time job as county school superintendent, and bragged that she had never worn an apron in her life, she was of the conviction that money spent in grocery stores for food you could grow yourself was money wasted. So in addition to the infernal chick ens we had every imaginable vegetable growing in the backyard and even a man who came with a mule and plow to help with this small “farm.” I have memories of pulling car rots out of the ground, wash ing them under the backyard spigot, and eating them right then. As for the strawberries, I think we ate them as fast as they got ripe, so they seldom made it to the kitchen. I also remember being sent to pick corn after the water was put on to boil, and of shucking it, but never quite getting all the “hair” off - a job my mother finished. Then the corn went into a • large pot filled with mmS \ mi-j | tjfe V Z m '3pn, FOOD * . .. A Classic on Carroll k. s m % If IbAinH JM " ' " 5 raf 4 jt* ' I Tgl 912 CARROLL ST. • DOWNTOWN PERRY • (478) 987-2255 Monday - Friday 9:3oam - s:3opm • Sat. 10:00am - s:oopm W. i Mennonite Owned ' Judy I Wenger I HOURS: Mon - Fri 11am - 2pm Thurs & Fri Nights spm - Bpm looojM ——IU ■ |.* | /ink «j iffp ■MH IHBH SH Hannah Perkihs meets her first chicken, held by her mother Gretchen. boiling water. Some cookbooks will tell you to boil it 5 minutes. I’d say 10 is better, and add a little sugar to the pot along with a little salt. Finish it off with lots of butter, salt and pepper. PS. Nobody back then ever threw an ear of corn away just because one of those little green corn worms showed up dur ing the shucking. LUNCH 1 Meat + 2 Vegetables + Bread + Tea $6.25 EVENINGS -Thur& Fri spm-Bpm Roast Beef Dinner $7.50 (Pi/ e£athp 626 Courtney Hodges Blvd. • Perry, GA 478-988-2643 HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL Home * Cooked Meals 00035070 00035877