Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-08
LOCKER ON in IOWA.
For the Times Republican.

convinces the writer that 95 per cent
Of our citizens eat 50 per cent of beef
and per cent of other kinds of meat.
Once In this state the writer boarded
with a family who actually had on the
table three times day and seven days
in the week beefsteak and no other
kind Of meat. OF course this was an
exceptional case, but owners of meat
markets tell the Looker-on that they
never get out of beef, but have pork,
mutton, veal and fish as they can buy
it. Since the big refrigerator boxed
have come into general use now the
butchers have pork on hand the year
round, but IL a butcher runs out OF
beef there is no use of opening the
front door. With this universal de-
mand, and it is probably so the coun-
try over, is an easy explanation of
general and permanent advance in the
retail price of beef. The people want
1T and have the money to pay for 1t,
but no more extravagant form of living
is known than the present general use
and price of beef, especially of beef
steak The writer took dinner with
young married man not long ago. He
is beef eater, steak eater. wanted to
do the right thing as host and so the
young man. the young wife and the
Looker-on sat down to 70 cent beef
steak It was from Chicago packing
house, cut thick, broiled rare for this
scribe, and we'll done for the host, and
any way for the wife. And our APP
probation of this kind Of beefsetak
showed in bare platter before other
"fxins" arrived.
But it was rank extravaganza, just
the same. That 20 cents invested In
mutton, veal, or pork roast would have
left some for the neighbors. Seventy
cents in poultry, chicken, small tur-
key, ducks or a goose would have made
IA Thanksgiving dinner and then
some" for the next day. Seventy
cents invested In any kind of salt meat
or salt fish would have kept that fam
lily for a week. Seventy cents put into
rice oat meal or breakfast foods
would have kept those two young mar
ried people alive for month. OF
course with some little additions Of
cream. sugar. etc. But supposing this
family wanted meat and was bound to
have beef. A seventy cent roast would
have lasted two days. A boiling piece
costing that much would have fur
nished meat for four days, and then
hash for breakfast. Invested in soup
bones this young couple could have
lived in plenty ESQ far as meat food is
required) for month.
The subject of this effusion came
from the kitchen. A hotel kitchen,
near the hotel office (not in this town.
wherefrom came the sounds of pound
Ing" the beefsteak. The butcher
bought an old COW for 2 cents pound.
The boys on the farm had pounded
her for twelve years. Probably fifty
milking stools had been smashed over
that old frame. The butcher pounded
her all the way driving her to town.
Then he placed one Of her hind legs
on the block. The hotel man wanted
some round steak cut thin" and now
the cook was pounding 1t for the last
time. Just before the Looker-on start
ed for the dining room that cook put
a lot OF Chicago refined lard into the
skillet and before it was even melted
placed a slice of pounded round steak,
cut thin, into the frying pan. There
so cents this dish Of grease soaked,
fried, leathery beefsteak was served to
the writer and more of his calling.
But some of these hotel cooks and
proprietors realize that there Is econ
omy in boiling beef. So they buy
chuck" piece. The intelligent COOK
places this in kettle. nils it with cold
water and puts 1t on the at $3.50 a. m.
Sometimes 1t boils, then 1t has rest,
then 1t soaks half an hour, but about
1880 1t has to be ready Tor diner.
So then 1t is taken out, placed on
side dish and brought to the guests In
chunks. It tastes like boiled dish
rag is supposed to. 1t looks piece
of sponge. It is only equalled In nour-
ishment by fried steak, cut thin. The
water this beef is boiled in goes In the
swirl pail; thus the hogs get all OF the
nourishment, and I'VE starve" and the
hogs get fat and sell for cents
pound. AS an explanation for this
outbreak, the reader should know that
business has called the Looker-on into
many small towns this spring. But
even in the larger towns. in the more
pretentious big hotels in Iowa, it's
shame and disgrace the way good
meat is spoiled by cooking. A COM
mon practice in these larger hotels
is to roast beef and pork in the same
dish In the same oven. No man living
can tell whether the gravy Is beer
or pork. And In not to exceed twenty
hotels in the state of Iowa can guest
get a slice of roast beef fit for civil
ICED being to eat. II one wants 1t well
done, it's Cooked to death" II some,
like the writer, like roast beef rare,
1t is either served almost raw or we
have no rare beef today"
1t is not true that our Iowa cooks,
both public and private. so abuse other
meats Pork Is generally we'll served,
Poultry nearly always is eatable.
Fish fried and served otherwise is
generally good. Mutton and veal when
we get 1t is good in quality and In
cooking. And when 1t comes to bread
and pastry we can as rule depend
on appetizing products But beef
beefsteak-the crying need in Iowa is
for school Of instruction for beef
cookers.
ap Mye.@14A<
Yields Sharp Ak.
Millions marvel at the multitude OF
raladies cut off by DR.. Kings New Life
Pills-the most distressing, too. Stom-
ooh liver and bowel troubles dyspep-