Welsh rarebit

Dear Editor,

My family loves Welsh rarebit (also spelled rabbit). Fried eggs, cooked bits of bacon or ham, cheddar cheese and chopped onions are placed on a baked pie crust.

Certain interests and attitudes that I have must come from my Welsh ancestors.

I have never been to Wales, but I know it is a country with a lot of singers, writers and poets. There are saying that "when two Welshmen get together, they form a chorus."

"All Through the Night" or "A hyd y Nos" is a famous old Welsh song. I sang this when I was growing up. Several of my family members wrote poetry with a musical quality to it. (They wrote stories and sang a lot."

Welsh people are fiercely independent and speak their minds (John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Thomas Jefferson all were of Welsh ancestry.)

Many people from Wales came to the U.S. Some of their descendents live in Southwest Nebraska.

Located in western England, it is an area that is slightly larger than the state of New Jersey. It didn't become part of England until 1536. Some Welshmen object to being governed by Great Britain. They belong to the "Plaid Cymru" party, a Welsh nationalist organization.

Two official languages are spoken in Wales, English and Welsh. The language of Celtic tribes is the basis of the Welsh dialect. Once my cousin, Lyn Fairbourn, and I tried to speak Welsh. We gave up after about an hour.

The letters J, K, Q, V, X and Z are not used when it is spoken. It is related to Gaelic that is spoken in Ireland.

If you are fortunate enough to visit Wales, be sure to attend the Royal National Eisteddfod (Festival). Favorite Welsh foods, including Welsh rarebit, beef recipes, lamb stew and barley soup are served.

(References: World Book Encyclopedia 1972, The Adams-Hancock Family Journals, Biography of John Adams by David McCullough).

Helen Ruth Arnold,

Trenton, Nebraska