I think the hard physical work, the fresh produce, the slower pace, the
close family relations, fewer chemicals & pollution & other advantages they
had probably off-set the extra fat in the diet.  Whoever heard of "Sleep
Deprivation" back then?

Diane in TX


----- Original Message -----
From: "Sunshine49" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 9:53 AM
Subject: Re: [VA-HIST] Smithfield Ham Biscuits


> When I look back at the way we used to eat, it's a wonder anyone
> survived. My mother used to make us a chopped up, still-warm slightly
> hard boiled egg, drizzled with butter- cholesterol city, but it sure
> tasted good! There'd be a jar sitting on the stove for grease from
> cooking, bacon fat, that would be reused. Butter, mayonnaise, no one
> knew about the risks we were putting ourselves under. Yeah, the
> southern idea of cooking vegetables till they were a pretty
> unappealing, over-boiled mess, was made more palatable by adding a
> chunk of fatback. Or topping with bacon crumbles. Potatoes in many
> fried forms, or in potato salad, with mayo. Deviled eggs with mayo.
> As for fresh vegetables, in summer we'd have the sliced cucumbers and
> onion, with vinegar, and a few ice cubes sitting on top to keep it
> cool and crisp. Or the southerner's idea of a salad- torn iceberg
> lettuce, pieces of tomato, and chopped onion, and the ever-present
> mayo, which left that pink "soup" in the bottom of the salad bowl.
> Radishes were eaten by themselves- and cut into 'roses' for company.
> Celery was for stuffing with cream cheese at Thanksgiving, or putting
> in the turkey dressing. Carrots were usually cooked, with butter and
> brown sugar. Nobody thought to add them to the pink lettuceandtomato
> salad.
>
> Nancy
>
> -------
> I was never lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.
>
> --Daniel Boone
>
>
>
> On Jan 11, 2007, at 10:08 AM, Bess Haile wrote:
>
>> You can really fool folks that you made beaten biscuits if you make
>> regular
>> homemade biscuits (the sort with baking powder and shortening cut
>> into the
>> dry mix) so long as you use lard instead of vegetable fat or butter
>> and you
>> roll them out thin. The lard will make the split nicely when you
>> make up the
>> ham biscuits and of course, your heart attack is sure to come later.
>>
>> Serious lurker drawn out by the smell of Virginia Ham
>>
>
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