“WHEN WE GETTIN A NEW COOK?”

Perhaps the cook took ill, quit or got run off. Perhaps the boys in the outfit are taking turns with their culinary skills.

It would not have been uncommon for a man to quit an outfit if the grub wasn’t up to snuff. 

In ’89, I spent a summer working a hard rock gold claim up on a remote Alaskan mountaintop. We had a crew of about ten men. After a few weeks, our cook up and left, for personal reasons. We were left high and dry to fend for ourselves – to put together our own meals. For about a week we had a rough go of it. One day, after a ten hour shift of work up on the ridge, we came into camp to the sight of a darlin’ lady who knew how to cook.  Where the boss man found her – nobody cared. I know the experience worked its way out of my hide through this piece.

Folks often comment on the subtle humor in my work. I’ve learned that to say something ‘without saying it’, is often very powerful. Want a bit more exposure to the cowboy way? An out of print book, “The Cowman Says it Salty”, by Ramon F. Adams is a jewel.