The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1895-11-29
CONDENSED FOODS,
Army RatiOns In the Form of Butt0
Pills and CRpsnles.

army NAt1OnS In the Form OF Buttons,
Pills and Capsules.
Coming generations will dispense with
the cook and the kitchen. Beefsteaks
are to 10 done away with, vegetables
will be a thing of the past and a roast
turkey will be put up in a small package
no bigger than box Of cigarettes. Res
taurants 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 depart
ment is now making in putting up square
meals that the soldier can carry in his
pocket. When the japanese soldiers
marched into China each man carried a
cartridge belt and a dinner belt. Into
the latter were stuffed capsules, pills.
buttons and small packages like car
tridges which contained condensed foods
of various kinds.
If the soldier wanted cup of ten while
on the march he dropped a button i'll a
draw a large variety of meats from his
food belt a capsule made the soup and
couple of pills the fish already sea-
soned. For the roast he used a few
slices of beef which had been condensed
under a thousand pressures into a plug
like tobacco.
Buttons of various colors supplied all
the vegetables, a capsule made pudding
and another button, when dropped into
hot water, made cup of strong, black
coffee. 1t was even reported that cog
nae and whisky had been condensed into
tablets.
This system of furnishing the march
ing soldiers with cartridge belt that
will make him independent of the COM
missariat is now being experimental
upon by the United States government
The great question of food supplies
which so puzzled Gen. Grant and Gen.
Lee has been solved.
But the benefits of condensed food
tablets can be extended to private citi-
zens. Only a few men have the sense
of taste and gourmands who really en-
joy a meal are rare. 1t is estimated that
every man now wastes three hours a
day eating. After he has eaten he for
gets all about the pleasures of the ia
BILE and only remembers that 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 pill contains the due amount of
all the condiments. From this it is but
a step to put whole dinner into one
small package.
An ordinary table d'hote dinner can
be put up in form no bigger than a
pack of cigarettes which will be sold for
25 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 a small
You will be able to buy a dozen assorted
lunches. running from the simple sand
witch and glass of milk to the most elab.
crate spread.
Chicken livers Ell brochette. green tur-
tie soup with pate de fois gras and roast
ed ortolans la Capui are only few of
the delicacies that may appear in this
convenient form. a canvas-back duck
can be sent by mail for 2 cents, with the
essential elements of chestnut stufing
duly Incorporated, and all the fruits of
the season can be put up into small
vial no bigger than scent bottle.
These are some of the possibilities OF
the near future suggested to close OBJ.
servers by the army experiments now be-
ing made at Washington. The intention
is to provide the troops with an ''iror
ration"
The boards appointed to consider the
question of emergency foods are sending
in their reports, upon which final conclu
sions will be based The problem is
how to make up a food package of small
bulk which shall render the fighting
man independent of supply trains fol
cut off with detachment from the matt
command