Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 151, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 July 1918 — Merely Cutting Down Courses in No Sense Lessens Food Consumption [ARTICLE]

Merely Cutting Down Courses in No Sense Lessens Food Consumption

By HARRIET CULVER

Beturning again and again, as we must, to the subject of conservation, we find that, after all, we are returning rapidly to the norm. The period of fads seems to be passing and the wheels are slipping, iif not back into the old ruts, at least back where the going is smoother. There’s the matter of the course dinner, for instance. The elimination of superfluous courses seemed the most patriotic thing imaginable , a few months ago and the hostess who dared to serve a one-course dinner instead of three or four courses was dubbed at once one of our most patriotic of women. ‘ But now even the government sees that merely cutting down the number of courses in no sense lessens consumption, but does, as a matter of fact, really increase the consumption of the very foods we are trying hardest to conserve. Our soldiers may have a penchant for hors d’ceuvres, but the government commissariat countenances no such frills, and we presume that they eventually become contented with their restricted but substantial menus. So, when wishing to ape government simplicity, we also cut out hors d’csuvre, what do we do ? Show our patriotism ? By no means. We make a still greater demand upon the substantiate which the government sorely meeds a monopoly of in so far as is possible. It has been shown that small course meals actually increase the consumption of meat and wheat by 30 per cent because restricted meals do not so readily satisfy and thus extra portions are called for. Let mt, then, if we would be up and doing in true copybook style, go back to the courses that dally with lobster, and terrapin and duck, game and sea foods, because by so doing we will be lessening our demand for the staples which the army must and will have. We will be just as good patriots as we were before the war and we’ll be steadying market conditions as well. Besides, we ell have a weakness for a varied diet anyway, and it’s ; such a oomfort to know we can indulge our palates ad lib., as it were. aK&tjaawaaafc r*■