The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-07-12
PRIZE MENU CRITICIZED
WHAT A WORKLNGMAN WLTA A
Family OF fave,

Flaws in the Case.
To the Editor of the journal and Courier:
I have been very much interested In
reading the menu published in the
Courier of Saturday on which a New
Haven woman won a prize, and must
say it is the most conglomerate mixture
of error have ever read. How body
of women who know anything about
housekeeping could have passed such
an homogeneous mixture of falsehood
without analysis is beyond comprehen-
sion.
Let US charitably suppose that the
committee of awards never kept house
and know nothing of retail prices or the
appetites of a healthy family.
Let us analyze this queer menu and
see how absurd IL is.
First this lady proposes to feed a
family of five for q whole week, baking
and ALL with only two pounds Of butter.
She can't do it without starving the
family. 1t would take nearer six
pounds, and then not be extravaganza
Another marvel is a roast of lamb at
thirty cents for meal for a family Of
five, and have enough left or supper,
Spring lambs costs all the way from
twenty eight to thirty-fve cents per
pound and after it has been roasted the
meat loses fully half its bulk Fancy a
family of five hearty people making
dinner on a pound and quarter OF
lamb and then having enough left for
supper. They must be very small eat
ers and used to starvation living. Ger
tain 1t is that no workingman's family
could subsist on that kind of fare for
any length of time without starving.
Then again on her Mondays menu,
pie is placed on the extra list at five
cents. You can't make or buy one short
of from twelve to fifteen cents, and
pie cuts six pieces. Possibly the menu
provides for three babies in the family
who eat nothing, or else the children
are prohibited the luxury of pie.
Tuesday she proposes to have peas at
five cents for two quarts. She can't buy
them canned short of six to ten cents
per can of one quart, to say nothing of
green peas, Then there IS more five
cent pie. Possibly that is half Of the
pie left over from Mondays dinner of
which the children were robbed
Wednesday she offers ham at ten
cents for five people. 1t would be in
teresting to examine the size of this
ten cent piece of ham. Sliced ham
costs to-day eighteen cents pound. Is
there any sensible person who thinks
seriously that five persons can be fed
on three-quarters of a pound of ham,
fried or boiled, and make a square meal
off. it.
On Thursday she offers chicken for
five at cost of thirty-five cents. Think
of five people making meal off a lit
tie two pound chicken. What does this
woman mean? 1t is presumed that the
family Of five are all able bodied healthy
and hearty eaters. The daily menus
she offers would not suffice for three
hearty people, SO it Is probable she
must have calculated on two infants in
the family who eat little.
Glance at her market list Butter she
quotes at sixteen cents per pound.
What family of taste could eat such
tub-tainted and frowy stuff even If
hungry. It is possible that it is because
of the strength of the butter that it
lasts SO long. If it were good it would
be exhausted at the end Of the second
day. She quotes vanilla and lemon ex-
Where does this woman do her market
ing? Possibly Oak street might furnish
some such prices as those she quotes,
but no respectable retail grocer or
butcher that has any standing in the
community would furnish a decent
quality Of goods at the prices she
quotes. Then she is going to buy one
pound of lard for eight cents and with
it do the family baking for week. fry
potatoes and fish with it, etc, or else
she has got to use some Of that sixteen
cent butter, of which she has only
two pounds to last the family for seven
days.
But here is another absurdity. She
buys four dozen of eggs at sixty cents
to last this family a week. Now what
does she do with them? Sunday she
proposes to have sponge cake. 1t will
take four of these eggs to make 1t. She
is going to have lemon pie; this re-
quires another egg. Ice cream takes
four more and her chocolate cake will
take at least one more; don't let us be
extravagant but give the good woman a
fair chance to demonstrate her econo-
my. She has used ten OF these eggs on
Sunday.
Monday she gives the family boiled
eggs. Let us suppose this family isn't
used to hearty eating and give them
an egg apiece. The same day she
bakes q cake. 1t takes two eggs Gus
tard takes five more She has used
thirteen eggs on Monday.
Tuesday she gives more boiled eggs
and as the family appetite may not
have increased it takes five eggs, one
apiece. Her vanilla eclairs require
three more eggs. She has used eight
for Tuesday.
Wednesday she varies the bill of fare
with an omelette. This takes six eggs
Pudding takes two more, and ham and
eggs take five, floating island two and
orange cake two. She has used seven
teen eggs for Wednesday.
Thursday comes and she gives the
family fried eggs. They must not be
extravagant, and so we allow them an
egg apiece, and it takes five to go
around. Pudding takes two more and
harlequin cake at least two more. Ten
eggs are thus used for Thursday.
Friday she again has boiled eggs. and
five are used. II takes two for her loaf
cake, making seven in all.
Saturday she makes an angel cake
It takes anywhere from twelve TO TWEEN