Recipe(tried): Charleston Stuff (Chicken Waldorf Salad)

Hello Friends;
You know, for many folks during the depression, there were few
pleasures. My Granny Church went through it all, and raised seven
kids through the whole ordeal. Once in a rare spell, she and my Great
Aunt Uni would take off on a thrill. Such, is the basis for this little
treasure, and another story unfolded for me as well, many years later.
Now, Granny Church and Uni took it on themselves to take the train
to Charleston, West Virginia to get a gander at the "Big City". And
to them, they were on a trip to Paris, France. It was someplace away
from Hinton, and it was a train ride, and it was different.
Law, momma said that when they took em to the train station they jus
looked like the two primadonnas setting out for New York City. Momma
also said that Tourmaline was just about to bite her fingernails off
cause she was sittin there on the side of the tracks, and she knew
that this trip wasn't for her.
I dont know what all Granny and Uni did in Charleston, but, we do
know that they bought back a recipe, or rather, an idea for a recipe,
that has endured forever and ever.
Upon arriving to Charleston, they went to a restraunt (something
that was just never in the relm of doing in there world). They both
ordered something that they didn't know what it was. Momma said
they came back home and tried to duplicate the recipe, and Granny
and Uni said it was jus bought the same. They couldn't even think
of what it was called, they just kept saying it had somethin to do
with some hotel in New York. Now, below is the recipe, and then
ya'll can get the rest of the story, ok.

Charleston Stuff

1 1/2 to 2 Cups chicken breasts, cubed
1 1/2 Cups cubed apple (any variety)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3/4 Cups Celery, sliced up
2 Tablespoons Green Onion Tops, sliced thin
1/2 Cup chopped Walnuts
5 Tablespoons Mayonaise
1 Tablespoon Mustard
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
A thin sliced apple and parsley for a pretty garnish on top

Toss those apples with the lemon juice then set em aside. Combine the chicken, celery, onion, walnuts, mayonaise, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir gently. Add undrained apples; mix well. Serve it with the thin sliced apples and parsley on the top (make it look real pretty now).

Now, years later this was still being served in the traditions of family gettogethers and such, and it was especially a favorite of mine at the picnics down in Brooks at Aunt Mables. They just had the biggest yard and all of us cousins would have the best time just playin "Hide N Seek" and such.
Now, I had done eat my fill of Charleston Stuff, and I'm sure I consumed way over a pound of it. Tourmaline had also given her little contribution to the picnic, and she always tried to be so fancy. She bought in something called a Crudet Tray! I found out years later that was a fancy word for carrot sticks and celery sticks and olives. Now, olives were something new to me, I had never really eaten one, and neither had any of my cousins I was out in the yard with. We loaded up our pockets with those black things with pits and off into the yard we went to sit on the quilt and explore this new thing. They all had pits in the center of 'em and before long we had a bunch of those pits in the middle of the quilt. Now, dont ever mix kids and pits! Rita Jean took one of those pits and stuck it in her navel and started dancin like a belly dancer from Egypt. Vernon started stickin them on his arms and yellin "I got ticks Momma, I got ticks". "Law child", she yelled when she got to him, I done thought you'd died, child, dont do your momma like that a'gain ever! On went the competition of who could outdo who. I got the bright idea of blowing out the ultimate "Booger". So, I stuck one of those pits up my left nostril and, umph, I gotta hiccup from all that Charleston Stuff I had eaten, and that lil old pit went right up into my nasal passage and almost made my eye pop out.
MOMMMMMMMMMA I cried, I mean the whole clan of the family raced down to see what in the world was goin on. I thought my eye was going to pop out, and all anyone could see was me slithering on the lawn trying to pick my nose!
Now, Tourmaline just came up to me with a white gloved hand and said "Now child, settle down here, did you stick somethin up your nose honey?" I then yelled in confession, yes, I stuck a olive stone up my nose trying to blow a big ole booger at Vernon. Tourmaline just gave me a tickle, then said, you settle down and I'll be right back. Within two shakes of a dogs hind legg, Tourmaline was there, and all I can remember is that she stuck a pepper shaker up my right nostril and then she hit me on the back, GASP! SHOWEEEEEEE BOOM! Within less than a second that pit was sneezed out of me like a bullet, and what I thought was half my brains to boot. Back on the lawn I was just sneezin my head off like a crazed rabbit. Momma was a mess, she was cryin and huggin Tourmalin saying "Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord". After a bit, I settled on down and realized, I'd won the contest with my cousins, I'd created the biggest stir but my nasal passages were none the better for the ordeal.
Eventually, night fell on us on that soft southern evening. All the fixins went into Mables kitchen, and before long, the watermelon was being sliced and strong warnings of stickin seeds in the wrong places started being issued. I for one was content to step back into Mables kitchen, and with a big ole spoon, dipped it back into that Charleston Stuff, the stuff that dreams were made of, long long ago.

Peace to all of you friends.

David In Virginia