A Small Creole Dinner (Menu, 1898)
To the delegates of the New Orleans Press Club, International League of the Press Club — in the Atheneum, corner of Clio and St. Charles Streets, Saturday, 19th February, 1898, in the City of New Orleans, Louisiana, any time near nine o'clock.
Tattered rags are better than to go naked. — Absinthe and Anisette.
In Louisiana they find good calas, (cake eaten with coffee). Oysters, Choupique and bamboula (national dance). — Oysters from Mosquito Bayou.
With a good gombo prepared by Silvie,
Without ever scolding I would pass my life. — Gombo filé, Bisque 'crébiches. Small vegetables with salt.
When I was a little boy
My mother would say
This stewed fish, my son,
Is mighty good. — Courtboullion Patassa from Bayou Patassa.
Haut Sauterne 1878—Calvet & Co.
A cockroach never holds its own before a hen. — Chicken Paté.
A crawfish is a darned beast! — Boiled crawfish.
Every one knows what boils in his own pot. — Red beans with rice ("Hopping John").
Saint Julien 1876—Calvet & Co.
They boast of their terrapin,
But once taste Caœne,
And you taste something which is fine. — Fricassee Caœne (Pig-skin).
Don't tie your dogs with sausages. — Jambalaya Tchourisses (Rice and blood-puddings).
A Creole dinner is not complete
Without a little suckling pig. — A runaway pig, stuffed and roasted. Sweet salad with chickory.
A bird in the hand
Is better than all the birds flying in the woods. — Snipes with laurel leaves en baguette. Watercresses from Bayou des Herbes.
Champagne—G. H. Mumm & Co.
Lagniappe is something very good (a corruption of a Spanish word which means thrown in a market basket over and above). — Popcorn, Sugared pecans, Sweet potato bread, Thick molasses (the last drawn from the pots in the sugar-house before it turns to sugar). A fourth of an ice cream. A fourth of a piece of cake. Ice cream biscuit. Mulatto stomach (gingerbread). Tante Zizine's poundcake.
There are no Skipenon grapes and no persimmons,
But we'll give you what there is. — Bananas, Oranges, Sugar cane, Mandarins. Black Creole coffee ("Morning Joy").
A singed cat fears the fire. — Brulo.
Cigarettes perique—corn paper. Creole cigarettes—yellow paper.
When you have no horse, you ride a donkey;
When you have no donkey, you ride a goat;
When you have no goat, you go on foot.
Designed and executed by George G. Voitier, Steward New Orleans Press Club.
From page 89 of the 1904 edition.
Original pages from the book
