The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-11-17
FOR THE VEGETARIAN
Food Limited to Bread. Fruit,
Roots and Oily Substances.
A GREAT VARIETY OF DISHES.
This List Is Asserted ID Embrace
Everything Needed for Mans
Health and Strength.
d wIlllarn a. Alcott IN ths veretartan.

must not eat this and that and the other
article, bur you are very Glow 20 tell Us
what we may eat In truth. IL sometimes
seems as though little, If anything. were
left us"
This inquiry. perfectly natural, and very
general, has not been wholly unattended
10. and yet Il Is to be confessed we have,
none Of Us who have conducted this journal,
gone 50 deep into the work as seems de-
siraole. My present purpose Il 10 give
list CT the various kinds or proper food. SO
plain tina. the least uninformed IN hygiene
may understand It.
/ shall divide the proper ailments for the
human stomach into four classes, viz: l.,
farInaceous, or mealy substances. II,
fruits. III, roots. ". oily substances.
!. Farinaceous substances-These may bs
called bre1dstuffs, or. as they are some
times termed. bread-corn; or. IN simple
language, simply corn. There are varieties
almost innumerable. but the following list
Will include the most important Of them,
as well a. their numerous modes Of prepara>
ton:
l. Wheat. Indian corn. rye. barley and
the genuine oatmeal may be eaten without
any preparation except that OF cleaning the
grain carefully. Pereira supposes the heat
OF the stomach ana other digestive organs
is not sufficient 10 render these uncooked
grains convertible into chyle and blood but
facts, in great numbers. show the reverse.
Certain dyspeptics OF particular habits and
temperament have recovered under the eX-
elusive use OF raw corn and wheat both,
and that. too. in a very small quantity. l
do not recommend these as the best things
for human sustenance. and yet for those
who have good teeth they are not very OBJ
jectionable, especially in cerbirauon, or al
formation, rather, with fruits.
2 Wheat, Indian corn, rye, barley, chest
nuts, and perhaps a few other faTinaceous
articles may be torrehed-i. G., roasted slow
- il such a manner as 10 make them al
once tender and friable. Cara should be
taken not 70 have the grains too mucn
browned-above all, burned; as in this case
there is sometimes a species Of empyreuma
developed which Is irritating If not poison
Gus. But toTrefed food is not so well
adapted TO any but the stronger stomachs
except in very moderate quantity.
g. Indian corn OF all kinds, but especially
particular species OF 1t, buckwheat, and
perhaps other kinds OF grain. may be
parched. The process requires skill. II may
be ground afterward and made into cakes.
bread, ETC., but is quite as good before
ground as afterward, and best OF all eaten
alone.
l. Boiled and steamed grains come next.
OF these we have many varieties belonging
to the tribe OF farinacea. Wheat. rye, OATS
barley, India corn, chestnuts, buchWneat,
beechnuts. peas, beans, lentils, millet, rice
and sage are among the foremost CT this
description.
5 Wheat, rye. Indian corn, chestnuts.
peas. beans lentils and rice may be crushed
or bruised without grinding them hneiy,
and, above all. without any separation OF
the coarser parts.
These crushed grains may be boIed-and
by a little standing afterward consolidated;
In which case they make excellent food.
Crushed a little more. however, other
words. ground or broken little hner-for
what is usually called -four, should never
be made or known-most or these SUP
stances may be consolidated Immediately
without boiling. They may be Wet with
water and baked quickly in the form or
Ioaves thicker or thinner. according az
fancy may dictate. In this physiological,
or rather hygiene view, We may have sra-
ham bread made not only or coarse wheat
meal. but OF the coarse meal or corn rye
barley and perhaps peas. beans ana ches.-
nuts Wheat meal. recomoined IN ms
wav has usually been called unleavenef
bread but Il is hardly necessary TO give Il
this name, since a substance when j.
leavened Is no longer entitled 10 the name
Of bread in the fullest sense OF the term,
as will be seen whenever we look cafeIulIy
AZ the nature Of the process
II Fruits-Of these We have great
quantity. Apples. pears peaches, pluns.
cranes melons. cucumbcTs, watermelons,
tomatoes. cherries. gooseberrles. straWb2r-
rlee raspherrIes thimbleberries, currants,
bilherrios. mulberries, blueberries, whortle-
berries and blackberries are among the
principal OF them, so far at least as our
Northern and Middle United States are
concerned. The perslmmon and n few
other fruits are found further South and
West.
III Roots-Po.atoes. turnips. carrots.
beets, radishes, artichokes, comfrey, ground
nuts. etc. are Of this description. OF some
OF these there are many varieties. Sweet
potafoes differ considerably from the COM
mon varieties OF this popular article. and
we have many varieties Of he turnip.
" Oily substances-Oiives. wa!nuts,
hutternuts. cocoauu;s. and perhaps a few
Others which could be uamed either as III
digenous or exotic substances, belong %
this class, though they are only adapted
70 normal stomachs. The diseased sto-u-
ach. except in particular eases, cannot Well
bear them.
IL is by no means pretended that the
above are all tho simple articles Of tie
four great classes Of Diet which are az
Missile They are such as most readily
occurred % the writer's mind in hastily
reviewing the subject Pat even here are
above sixty different dishes TO which the
most rigid vegetarian cannot object. II
he allows himself the use II even three
meals 2 day-sixtv meals IN twenty DAYS
he might have an absolute variety f3r
the whole time Tor whatever he may
claim on the score OF indulgence lie VII
never claim on the score or either IF
health or principle but one article Of food
az a r7eal--T mean Just this that though
a variety IN o}fr food ~ different meals
may Be and doubtless IS conducive 70
health y can never BE- shown that any
advantage is - be derived from variety
AZ the same meal SttI. p ie not Intended
% affirm that any considerable iD iu~v IS
likely 10 20 sust8i1c1-5f indeed anv A. Oh
-- from a slight VARIETY - The same meal
Thus bread ana melons bread s01 sfr1 ~
berries bread and cu~rantS potatoes aua
rice potatoes art peas. etc, may very
well 81 eaten Together.
Admitting this misunderstanding 7
mean. that We NAV lawfully use two IL the
above LIST q simple substances ~ tie
same rneal-an5 we have greatly enlarged
our sphere Of variety. Each ~ the FIVE
dishes ef unlocked farInarea. each of tna
Eve tarrcfed grains. each Of two parche5
grains. each q tire twelve boiled or steam
"a substances. snd each II tho nine kinds
og coarse bread may BE- eaten with one
Of the twenty or more different kinds =
fr-tft I have named or Win one % the
seven edible roots. Oaly a small portion
az these fruits and roots can - bad long
az a tfyna-at herwlse here would hn the
variety az NJ less than go 4crerf . -i.as
two a day for almost thf~ whole wear
round. We are l.m.tel perhaps fn order
- have every dish pcrfect. - some 80
dishes q this sort
Here then, IS an aggregate % ! -fs' Z p
ea~ant dishes. ~ for even those who i--
s,,Ira ir three meals CAV. more than a
s,,f8,tent variety for whole year. Frr
,r-ze who eat but twice a day u would "a
"a, eF1~iars for nearly twenty-five months