A Chicken in Every Pot

Subtitle: Inflationary Populism

Huey P. Long was the 40th Governor of the State of Louisiana and was a United States Senator until he was assassinated in the State Capitol Building.  When Benjamin was there the other day for the Home School Field trip to the Raw Milk debate before the Agriculture Committee, he saw the hole in the marble that remains to this day from one of the gunshots that took "The Kingfish's" life.  Huey P. Long was a populist and ran on the slogan "Every Man a King" and his "Share the Wealth" Program.  He was a very colorful figure and liked to criss-cross the State appealing to the common folk and campaigned using the promise, "A Chicken in Every Pot!"

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The "Kingfish" was a populist indeed and as a result he pitted the people against the elite.  He was a fiery talker and made lots of campaign promises including 'a chicken in every pot' and 'a car in every garage'. He was a polarizing figure.  Some people really loved him and some hated him.  I thought this quote (from http://www.hueylong.com/perspectives/huey-long-quotes.php) was interesting:

He has not only common ways, but a common, sordid, dirty soul." His face betrayed that he had the qualities of the lower animals: "the greed and coarseness of the swine, the cunning of the fox, the venom of the snake, the cruel cowardice of the skulking hyena."

— Mrs. Ruffin Pleasant, former First Lady of Louisiana

Wow!  That's some strong words, spoken in a most civilized manner!  But, how in the world does a story about Huey P. Long relate to farming, you ask?  Well, when I came home from work today, I opened the door and could smell chicken cooking. Tricia was outside and I walked over to the stove and opened the lid to the pot.  This is what greeted me:

A Chicken (Foot) in Every Pot!?

You know that a dollar doesn't buy what it used to.  Inflation has really kicked in and devalued our dollar. When Huey P. Long made that promise back in 1935, this is all his promise would be worth today - A Chicken foot in Every Pot.  To be more accurate, it would only be a chicken TOENAIL in every pot!

That is not too appetizing, is it?  The old Cajuns when they butchered a hog used to say that they use everything except the "oink" and that's almost how we are with chickens.  We boil the feet (cleaned of course) and wouldn't you know it makes a lovely broth that serves as the base of soups, gumbos, rice or anything else that you'd normally use water for cooking, you substitute broth.  It makes things richer and more flavorful.  Of course we don't leave the feet in there.  They get fed to our dogs. The dogs love 'em, but Tricia worries that they might take a liking to chicken feet and try to eat them off of live chickens.  I hope not!

Broth is Beautiful

I think if he was still around, ol' Huey P. Long would've taken of his hat, hung his Seersucker suit coat on our coat rack, and sat down and enjoyed some Chicken Foot Broth with us, lamenting over the fact that the elites were 'eating high on the hog' while we were stuck with the scraps.

That's okay with us.  Waste not, want not.