Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Sept. 10, 1992, edition 1 / Page 4
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yt 4 DEPRESSION STEW hv Joshua G. >' Lewis The other day my grand mother and I made history. And then we ate it. Nanee - as Margaret Stevenson's grandchildren call her - taught me how to make my great-grandmother's Depression Stew, named not for the mood it induces but for the castastrophic economic era early this century that necessitated it. The Great Depression, beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 and persisting until approximately World War 11, found many people struggling just to feed their families. And my great-grandmother Vivian Pierson, whom I knew as Mommie, was no exception. Depression Stew - her name for a basic, but not ordinary, potato stew - provided her with a way to fill the many bellies rely ing on her in the economic void of the early 30s. I'm back in college with really only one stomach to reckon with, but the economic void of school life is all too comparable. And if I can't intercede on my own behalf from time to time, then, except for the occasional restaurant meal or pizza, the school cafeteria looms far too immiently in the forseeable fu ture. The merits of Depresion Stew are manifold, and I can bear witness to the fact that potatoes perhaps have never been so delightful. First, even L £ I F| mk^— g M yJ-i I I —t though the recipe includes no meat, it truly tastes like it does. I attribute this to the light brown gravy I believe many people as sociate with the flavor of meat. Of course, meat can be added, but then one wouldn't have Depres sion Stew. It would just be stew. The Depression era made me a virtual non-entity, the cost being far too prohibitive. The recipe meets other criterias of a de pressed eoorxny (orcol 1e g e budget) as well: it's cheap makes a lot of food. Folks were broke back then, a condi ti on that even six decades can't keep most college stu dents from relating to. would be hard pressed to spend more than $lO on a double batch of this recipe, which, served over rice, would feed even the most voracious pack of 8-10 collegiates. Realistically, one v would have to halve the recipe to feed 2-3 6-7 Med. White Potatoes, Cubed in hearty chunks 2 Med. sized yellow onions, chopped well 1 Large clove garlic, chopped fine 3 Tbl. vegetable shortening 4 Heaping tbs. flour 3-4 Cups water 3-4 Drops Kitchen Bouquet, if desired, salt Perspectives First Person people well. And once you comple ment the stew with a green salad and iced-tea (not neces- sarily his torically ac curate One accompaniments,) the feasters will be moan i ing with the ambiva- RECIPE lence brought on by a well- sat 1. Put shortening in pot on fairly high heat. melted and hot, add flour and stir until golden \ brown, nly brown flour part of the way as it will continue to do so in the next step. 2. Add onions and garlic to sautee until more or less translucent. ftdd 3 cups of water. idd potatoes, cook for aboout 30 min. prinkle salt to taste. * Vllow to cook with lid for 1 hr. & Spl. Serve over cooked rice. • isfied but slightly-too-full stom ach. Mommie wanted everyone in her household to be able to eat their fill during the Depression, and this stew helped in what was an exceptionally formidable chal lenge for her. Roughly half of Mommie's eventual 12 children had arrived by the early 30s. In addition, she took in other fami lies she knew whose means of support had completely dropped out on them. At a time when one out of four workers could not get jobs, my great-grandfa ther had one as a streetcar driver. Even though he worked 16 hour days and made only S2O a week, Papa, as I called Clem Pearson, was luckier than mat But once depression during the Mommie and her family really got lucky, if you can call it luck. She went to the grocery one day with only 10 cents to her name September 10,1992 to buy a nickel's worth of beans and rice. My grandmother, 6at the time, told how *her mother recounted her trip to the store. Mommie said when she got to the store, which had a slot machine, something told her to risk a nickel. Now Mommie, a very devout person, did not be lieve in gambling. But "some thing told her" to try that nickel. She hit the $25 jackpot, and that night the family did eat some meat (chicken) and all kinds of other good stuff, my grand mother said. Occasions like this were not the norm during the Depres sion, however. Hungry stomachs were. And when times were tight, Depression Stew fed people well. The stew filled me up when Nanee taught me how to make it a few days ago. History also gained a greater relevance for me. That such a simple and nourishing meal fed my family and others in comparable situa tions says much for the ingenuity of Mommie and everybody like her who survived the Depression and makes good eatting even bet ter. The "recessionary" times of to day can prove difficult as well, and like my grandmother says, "It's a good thing for everybody to leam how to make this Depres sion Stew, because times are going to get tough."
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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Sept. 10, 1992, edition 1
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