Chicken Booyah: I don’t know if there is a correct spelling, so I am spelling booyah as it sounds to me. It seems likely that it might come from the word bullion. Right or wrong, I don’t know.
When I began writing this, I did an internet search to see what I could find on the subject of chicken booyah. On one web site I found the following “…northeastern Wisconsin is the only place in the world where Chicken Booyah is found.” I wonder if the residents of St Francois and Ste Genevieve Counties in Missouri know that.
I don’t know how often we had this, only occasionally most likely. I do remember it being made on the river banks of the Dry Fork, when on camping trips, but have no specific memories of those times. The booyah memory that stands out for me was on a Fourth of July in the early thirties. A thick soup, ingredients were cut up: chickens, various vegetables and water/broth. No pot being big enough for the crowd, it was cooked in a large lard can over an open fire in the back yard and simmered for several hours until ready to eat.
Other items on the menu that day that I remember were cases of Nehi soda, cooled in tubs of ice, and five gallon containers of ice cream, cooled with dry ice. I’m sure there must have been other items also, but the booyah, ice cream and Nehi are what stick in my memory.
Friends, family and neighbors gathered, and kids ran around doing what kids do. The ice cream and soda disagreed with my digestion, interfering a bit with my enjoyment of the day, but I thought the booyah was great. I remember getting sick one other time years later, when I had an ice cream soda. Since then soda, or pop, has only been a very small part of my life. I like ice cream and it doesn’t make me ill, but it is something I don’t eat often.
As I recall there was usually a carnival in the town park on the Fourth, with various rides and shows, and a baseball game for at least some of those years. [Dad was manager of the Leadbelt Cubs for several years.] A while after the dinner we all walked over to the park to participate in the various activities there, as much as our pocket money would allow.
As for rides, I only remember the merry-go-round and the ferris wheel. Rides cost just a nickel, but then you didn’t have many nickels. There were a number of booths to take your money, trying to win something by throwing a ball at an object, or trying to pick up coins with a claw attached to a chain. Rarely did anyone successfully pick up any of the coins. If a person could keep the coin in the claw almost to the point where you could drop it into the place that made it yours, somehow it seemed to drop off just before you reached that point. And, of course there was cotton candy and popcorn if you still had room for it.
I don't think I've heard the term "chicken booyah' before. I also didn't know that grandpa was the manager for that baseball team. Isn't it interesting all the things that make up our lives that those closet to us never know about!
ReplyDeleteMig, I know what chicken booyah is. Grandpa Coleman loved it, but all he wanted was crackers in it and the chicken. I was telling about it the other day. He thought that was a grand dinner. How we have changed.
ReplyDeleteI am like Barbara, I didn't know grandpa Bowen was a manager for that baseball team. I have learned things today. You never get to old to learn about your family. Mary Ann
Dad loved playing baseball when he was younger. At the time I'm remembering he would have been in his middle thirties, so maybe he thought he was getting too old too play, so became the manager. Some of the nephews were on the team. Do you have a copy of the team picture?
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