Thursday, March 22, 2018

Robinson Crusoe's Story

This concludes the cataloguing of recipes collected by my father. Some more may turn up, some family favourites and such. But to close, for now, I copy below a poem my father left on his computer, among the recipes -- it has to do with food and, I imagine, his childhood. It is exactly the kind of story that delighted him.

*

    THE night was thick and hazy
    When the "Piccadilly Daisy"
Carried down the crew and captain in the sea;
    And I think the water drowned 'em;
    For they never, never found 'em,
And I know they didn't come ashore with me.

    Oh! 'twas very sad and lonely
    When I found myself the only
Population on this cultivated shore;
    But I've made a little tavern
    In a rocky little cavern,
And I sit and watch for people at the door.

    I spent no time in looking
    For a girl to do my cooking,
As I'm quite a clever hand at making stews;
    But I had that fellow Friday,
    Just to keep the tavern tidy,
And to put a Sunday polish on my shoes.

    I have a little garden
    That I'm cultivating lard in,
As the things I eat are rather tough and dry;
    For I live on toasted lizards,
    Prickly pears, and parrot gizzards,
And I'm really very fond of beetle-pie.

Charles E. Carryl


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