Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1895-11-13
POCKET DINNERS.
Capsules That Contain Essences
of Solid Foods.
A PILL WHICH MAKES A CUP OF TEA
Beef Comes In Tablets and Soups In
Small Capsules-War Department
Experiments.
PILL WHICH MAKES A CUP OF TEA

Coming generations will dispense
with the cook and the kitchen. Beef.
steaks are to be done away with, vege.
tables will be thing of the past and
roast turkey will be put up in small
package no bigger than box of cigar
cites. Restaurants are to disappear.
dinners will no longer be served and
the time now wasted in eating will be
saved for more useful purposes.
All this is likely to come about
through the discoveries which the War
Department is now making in putting
up square meals that the soldier can
carry in his pocket. When the Japan
ese soldiers marched into China each
man carried cartridge belt and a din
ner belt. Into the latter were stuffed
capsules, pills, buttons and small
packages like cartridges which con-
tained condensed foods of various
kinds.
If the soldier wanted cup of tea
while on the march, he dropped a
button into a tin of hot water. For
dinner he could draw a large variety
Of meats from his food belt. A capsule
made the sonp and couple of pills the
fish, already seasoned. For the roast
he used few slices of beef which had
been condensed under thousand pres
sures into plug like tobacco.
Buttons of various colors supplied all
tot hi lnc 10
ding and another button when dropped
in hot water made cup of stong black
coffee. 1t was even reported that
cognac and. whiskey had been con-
densed into tablets.
This system of furnishing the march
ing soldier with cartridge belt that
will make him independent of the
commissariat is now being expert
mented upon by the United States
Government The great question of
food supplies which SO puzzled Gen.
Grant and Gen. Lee has been solved.
Huge wagon trains of flour and beef
ION the hoof" are to be things of the
past. Armies in future can cut them
selves off from their base of supplies,
as they will carry the supplies with
them.
Their movements will not be i'm
peded by droves of cattle brought along
for food for the cattle, in the form of
little tablets, will repose in belts or
kNapsacks, and victory will not wait
upon the cook. The soldiers can even
dine while fighting.
After putting cartridge in his gun
the private can put capsule of roast
beef in his mouth. He can have beef
tea while charging the enemy, Boston
baked beans during pause of the
battle and condensed mince pie in the
very hour of victory. These are some
of the staples which governments are
now supplying to their men.
But the benefits of condensed food
tablets can be extended to private citi-
zens. Only few men have the sense
of taste and gourments who really enjoy
a meal are rare. 1t is estimated that
every man now wastes three hours q
day eating. After he has eaten he for
gets all about ''the pleasures of the
table" and only remembers an hour
is gone.
All this time can be saved. The food
buttons and pills already contain every
necessary element.
The small button labeled "a cup of
tea' is already sweetened. The beef
steak will contain the due amount of
salt and pepper. The soup capsule has
all the condiments. From this it is
but step to put a whole dinner into
one small package.
An ordinary New York table d'hote
dinner can be put up in a form no
bigger than pack of cigarettes which
will be sold for % cents and may be
carried in the vest pocket. This will
embrace everything from the oyster to
the coffee, including the wine and the
inevitable olives.
Breakfast buttons will include coffee
and rolls, oatmeal, fruit, and small
chop or steak with perhaps vegetables.
You will be able to buy iozen as
sorted lunches, running from the sim
pie sandwich and glass of milk to the
most elaborate Hotel Waldorf spread.
Chicken livers en- brochete, green
turtle soup with pate de fois gras and
roasted ortolons al Capoul are only
a few of the delicacies that may appear
in this convenient from. A canvas.
back duck can be sent by mail for two
cents, with the essential elements ol
chestnut stuffing duly incorporated, ano
all the fruits Of the season can be pui
up into small vial no bigger than {
scent bottle.
These are some of the possibilities O.
the near future suggested to close OBJ
servers by the army experiments now
being made at Washington. The in
tention is to provide sthe troops will
an iron ration"
The boards appointed to consider tn
question of emergency foods are send
ing in their reports. upon which fina
conclusions will be based, the prot