HANGTOWN FRY

MOST OF YOU READERS HAVE CROSSED OVER AND CHECKED OUT MARY'S NEW WEBSITE, RECIPESTOEAT.COM AND HER FOODIE BLOG. MARY IS HAVING A FUN TIME WRITING IT AND POSTING ALL HER FAVORITE RECIPES.

OF COURSE WE DISCUSS MANY BLOG IDEAS AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS TO EACH OTHER. ONE OF MY SUGGESTIONS FOR A BLOG AND RECIPES WAS, THE HANGTOWN FRY. AH, SINCE YOU DIDN'T GET TO READ ABOUT THE HANGTOWN FRY IN MARY'S COOKING BLOG, APPARTENTLY SHE REJECTED THAT IDEA AS THE CHIEF EDITOR.

BUT BEFORE I GET TO THE SUBJECT OF THE HANGTOWN FRY, I HAVE BEEN LOOKING OVER HER SHOULDER AT HER RESEARCH FOR HER FIRST NEWSLETTER. GO REGISTER AND BECOME A MEMBER AT RECIPESTOEAT.COM SO YOU DON'T MISS THE FIRST COPY. THE GROCERY COUPON ARTICLE ALONE WILL BE WORTH YOUR TIME, AND YOU WON'T GET IT UNLESS YOU'RE REGISTERED. GO MARY GO !!!

What's in a Hangtown Fry?
One egg beaten with one tablespoon of milk Breading mixture of cracker crumbs Three oysters, two slices of bacon, two eggs, oil

When it comes to a town's signature dish, Placerville's Hangtown Fry - at least in terms of historical significance - matches Philadelphia cheesesteaks and New Orleans jambalaya. But on Wednesday afternoon, it was difficult to find local residents who considered eating the famous omelet a rite of passage in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Some never had even heard of the Hangtown Fry, although most had heard of it but admitted they never had eaten one. In fact, the only person interviewed who had tried one was Gwen Reid, a waitress at Chuck's Restaurant, one of the three restaurants in Placerville that serves a Hangtown Fry. "I am not crazy about fish with my eggs, but it isn't bad, and I do like it," said Reid, who has been a waitress at Chuck's for 11 years and usually serves a handful of Hangtown Frys each shift. "If you like oysters, it's for you. "

People order them all the time."If someone doesn't prefer oysters, they might appreciate the colorful tale behind the most famous food dish in El Dorado County. So famous, in fact, that the recipe is featured in the "Joy of Cooking," which is considered a bible for those seeking culinary aptitude.

According to the El Dorado County Historical Museum, the dish is derived from the area's gold mining days in the mid-1800s. Back then, Placerville was known as Hangtown. (Many local residents still call it that.) The story goes that a miner who had just struck it rich stormed into the nearest restaurant and demanded a meal with the most expensive ingredients. Not wanting to disappoint the restaurant's richest patron, the cook immediately prepared the miner an omelet with bacon and fresh oysters. In 1850, a dozen eggs cost $12, and oysters had to be shipped on ice from San Francisco, more than 100 miles away on the Pacific Ocean.

To one Placerville resident, the chance to order an extravagant meal from the 19th century isn't that appealing. "I've never had one of those, and I wouldn't probably ever have one," Jennifer Clink said as she boarded a bus. "Don't put dinner in my eggs, that's gross."

Reid tells a different version of the dish's origin. She heard that the Hangtown Fry became famous because prisoners who were waiting to be hung had the chance to order one last meal. In an attempt to prolong their fate, prisoners asked for a meal that took the longest to make, and shipping oysters from San Francisco certainly qualified. Regardless of which story a Placerville local believes, eating a Hangtown Fry is an entirely different experience than knowing the history of it."I know what it is," said William "Dave" Davidson, a 22-year resident of Pollock Pines. "I've never eaten it, and I don't plan on eating it, to be honest with you.

(Copied from the South Lake Tahoe Tribune, without permission.)