On Sun 14 May 2006 12:12:21p, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Elaine
Parrish?

> On Sun, 14 May 2006, it was written:
>
>> On Sun 14 May 2006 02:41:18a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Elaine
>> Parrish?
>>
>> >>
>> >> I don't think most people make the distinction between "chicken
>> >> fried" and "country fried". In either case, I don't like a gravy
>> >> soaked crust. In fact, I don't even like gravy on them.
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> > You've been out of the South too long, boy. If your grandma is
>> > looking down from Heaven, you better duck. There is a lightening bolt
>> > headed in your direction!
>>
>> LOL! Noone in our family, except for one of my aunts, ever made
>> country fried steak in gravy, but they all made chicken fried steak.
>> Everyone made cream gravy for it, but no one in my immediate family
>> cared for gravy with theirs, so my mother quit making the gravy. Only
>> my mother made swiss steak. My grandmother wouldn't care...she just
>> wanted everyone to enjoy their meal. :-) My grandfather wouldn't eat
>> any form of beef, so regardless of what else was served at dinner,
>> there was also some form of pork or chicken on the table. Good to see
>> you, Elaine!
>>
>>
>
> Hey Wayne,
>
> Well ok. If your grandma said it was alright not to want gravy, that's
> good enough for me!
>
> Neither of my grandmothers, nor my great grandmother, ever made any of
> the above. Beef was not a "staple" back in the olden days. When we did
> have round steak, it had been hand pounded, dredged in flour, and fried
> somewhat like chicken fried steak but not as crispy. The pieces would be
> put between the covers of a big fluffy biscuit and eaten like a
> sandwich. The milk gravy made from the pan drippings went over the
> creamed potatoes.

Before the tenderizing machines were very common, I remember everyone
using a meat mallet with the spikey side and pounding the hell out of a
good cut of round steak to make chicken fried steak. My mother never did
buy "cube steaks", instead always selecting a good round steak and having
the butcher run it through the tenderizer. Much better quality. Well, I
never really did like milk gravy, although when mom made fried chicken she
did add some milk to the chicken gravy for the potatoes. But not so much
milk to make a white gravy. It was tasty.

> Do you remember "veal cutlets"? ...Those thin, oval patties with
> breading? I think those little jewels were the reason people started
> making white gravy! <g>

If you mean those horrid things made of ground veal (if it was really
veal), yes I remember them well. I think I bought them once. They were
best covered up with anything you could find. :-)

> Good to be here. I've got a few days off and this is my favorite
> vacation destination!

I'm glad!

--
Wayne Boatwright @¿@¬
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