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Things
you might not know if you didn’t read this column.
Biscuits
were first made for sailors to take with them on the high seas. To keep them from
spoiling on their long journeys, they were cooked twice. The French word for twice
cooked is “bis cuit.” A
law in Corpus Christi
forbids raising alligators in your home.
In Louisiana, it is illegal to shoot a bank teller with a water pistol while committing
a bank robbery.Civil
War soldiers cooked a dish called “Hell-Fire Stew.” It consisted of adding stale
biscuits and bacon grease to boiling water and cooking until soft. This delicacy
was known as “Burnside Stew,” “Hish and Hash,” “Son of Sea Dog,” and “Skillygalee.”
While relaxing
on the deck of a Mississippi riverboat, Mark Twain was approached by a grubby
deck hand who asked if he could shake Twain’s hand. “Pardon me if my mitt is a
big greasy, but I’ve just cleaned a mess of catfish. ”Twain replied: “Pardon me,
too,” as he extended his hand, “but I’m just getting over a touch of leprosy.”Peel
an apple in one long strip and toss the peel backwards over your left shoulder.
The shape the peel makes when it falls will show the initial of your future wife.
Burlington,
Wisconsin, annually hosts the World Champion Liars Contest.
The competition
is not open to politicians because, in the words of a Burlington man, “Politicians
tell so many lies that we consider them professionals. And right after an election,
all of the good lies get all used up by the politicians.”
One
of our favorite lies wasn’t entered at Burlington. One cold winter, an East Texan,
being somewhat curious, wanted to see how fast a kettle filled with boiling water
would freeze. He set it outside and, minutes later, he went out to check it. Not
only had the boiling water froze solid, but the ice was still warm.” A
cow’s sweat glands are in the nose. A group of twelve cows is called a flink.
Cattle were first branded in Egypt over 4,000 years ago. And India is the only
country that has a bill of rights for cows.
© Bob
Bowman July
24, 2011 Column
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Bowman's East Texas
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