Recently, we promised you an entry on one of the strangest foods at Dartmouth -- Mountain Sticky Stew. Trips began in the 1930s, and have continued as a cherished Dartmouth tradition, involving first years hiking, paddling and eating their way through the mountains surrounding the College. Trips also spawned a lot of wild traditions, including colorful hair, flair (outrageous costumes), and MOUNTAIN STICKY STEW! (as it is titled in the 1977 recipe).This mixture of melted cheese, meat, cake and vegetables was featured on first-year trips in the 1970s and 1980s. The 1977 version consists of Minute Rice, dried beef, cheese, peas, bread, a can of fruit cocktail, a Sarah Lee cake, 4 packages of iced tea, and onions -- with the instructions to cook the rice, melt the cheese, add the other ingredients, and then "gorge silly."
The 1984 recipe includes cheese, Koolaid and cheese cake mix. It seems like a great way to consume lots of calories in a easy-to-prepare form. But by the 1990s, "Mountain Sticky Stew" no longer appears on the menus.
Did the Stew disappear because tastes changed? Or was Mountain Sticky Stew considered a form of hazing? The archives are curiously silent. If you know anything about the Stew, please let us know!No one in the library has volunteered to make us a sample batch.
For the Mountain Sticky Stew recipes, ask for Box 79, Folder 86 of the files of the Dartmouth Outing Club (DO-1).
I was among the Class of '82s who took part in Freshman Trips in the fall of 1978. Thanks to my older brother's pulling some strings (John Mott '81), I got assigned to "one of the toughest" hikes, through the Mahoosics, despite no backpacking experience. I recall everyone glancing down dubiously at the running sneakers I showed up in. I'm not sure if my brother was being mischievous or if he knew that the prestige of going the distance with a set of elite hikers would be good for a somewhat insecure introvert. Or maybe he just knew that trip leader Jim Stein(??)'s Mountain Sticky Stew would be most to my liking. If I recall correctly - and I must, since I was a pescatarian - he used tuna for the meat part. Canned peas, tuna, rice, cheddar cheese and some form of onion are the only ingredients I recall. No cake, etc. I thought it was a great recipe - no joke. I just made some for lunch today, in fact. With sauteed onion, brown rice, and the addition of olives, a few capers and green beans, it was outstanding. And brought back all sorts of fine memories of beautiful views, wonderful companions, and the great relief of making it down the last, long, rocky descent without spraining an ankle.
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