Where does the phrase "chewing the fat" come from?

gtho4

I got this in an email in early July, about life in the 1500s, still dunno if it's true(!) The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying 'dirt poor.' The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway - hence, a 'thresh hold.' In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while - hence the rhyme, 'peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.' Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man 'could bring home the bacon.' They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and 'chew the fat.' Sep 22 01, 6:55 AM

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