The mountains is a be-utiful place ta be, an huntin an trappin makes it even more so.  When we Willow Crick guys go huntin ever one has a job.  Some days ya wake u and you is a cook, other days ya don’t do much mor’en keep the fire goin.

Ifn’n you’re the cook ya gotta put tagether the vittles on the plan or the whole trip might be ruint.  The plan is made up prior to go’in away from the lodges and the little woman down in the flat land.

Here might be a typical plan for a meal—Elk, H-Booms, T-toast, Cow Juice and Whiskey.

Now the cook is goin ta need some help, so he gits a helper as a right hand man and another as a “go-fer”.

The right hand man might cook the “H-Booms”, an maybe the “T-toast”, whilst the cook does justice to the “Elk” and the “Whiskey”.

The “Go-fer” is just that..a “go-fer”.  Go-fer this and go-fer that.  Sometimes all he go-fer is more whiskey.

All this don’t make much sense unless ya knows what the meal is, so here is what it means.

“ELK”—Red meat, be it stew, steak or roast.  A mountain man has gotta have it.  Fried, boilt, stewed or just thrown in a dutch oven.  M-M-M I kin smell it now.

“H-Booms”—These be letters what mean Hash black potatoes (H)(B) with special added peppers and pimentos (O), onions (O) and Mushrooms (M).  The “s” just finishes it off and gets more than one man fed.

“T-Toast”—Thick sliced toasted bread.  Sometimes with garlic on it, an always held close to a fire or sum’in real hot to brown it good.

“Cow Juice”—Milk.

“Whiskey”—Any variety of pre-meal elixir what settles yer nerves from a day in the field.  When ya has it all ta gather it makes fer some good eatin and friendly converstation.  Sets ya up right smart fer a good night rest too.

Oh ya_–The go-fer kint ferget to “out’n the frig” before goin to his lodge fer the night.  That means put any frozen food out to thaw so it’ll be ready for cook’in at the next meal.

Bears Butt

Sept.-Oct. 1990