The independent., 1907-03-14
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age means is lacking in thrift. Here
are some Of the charges against her:
She does not know how to buy eco
nomically or how to cook properly
what she does buy; she is Indifferent
to the culinary features Of housekeep-
ing; she wastes almost as much food
as she uses.
The experts stop short OF giving ex-
act figures indicating the proportion
of waste but agree that most house,
keepers could easily save from 10 to
20 per cent on ther food bills without
diminishing quantity or quality.
This is especially true, it seems. Of
families in moderate circumstances
living In flats and apartments. Here.
for example, Is what the proprietor Of
a big market, whose customers in
clude the rich as well as the moder-
ately prosperous and the poorer
classes, mad 10 say OH the subject:
"The wealthiest are the closest buy
ers. The kitchen of nearly every rich
woman who trades here contains a set
of scales and Ii short weight is given
by grocer or butcher he hears of ii
in short order But my poorer GUS
toners seldom or never have scale.
which Is a mighty big mistake. My
advice to every poor woman and to
every young couple starting house
keeping is to buy set of scales the
first thing and weigh every purchase
when you get it home. Yes, I'm afraid
light weight is served out in many
shops, especially those in the poorer
neighborhoods. In first class stores
customers run less risk.
mot long ago, for instance,
friend of my daughter who was re-
Gently married, told me at my own
table of buying one pound OF butter
at a certain store and finding 1t six
ounces short when she weighed 1t in
her kitchen. The grocer knew she was
bride and sized up her experience,
never dreaming that she had a weigh
ing machine.
"One day / sent out to half dozen
neigfboring stores and in each pur-
chased half a pound of the best but
ter In only one instance did ! get
eight ounces The other packages were
from half ounce to three ounces
short weight / wouldn't be afraid to
wager that not more than one out OF
every hundred of the women who live
in small flats and buy in small quan-
titles ever question whether she Is get
ting sixteen or twelve ounces for
pound of butter.
w uEu started III DuSiiitSS iCetIly
forty years ago, customers always
wanted the trimmings of the cuts OF
meat they bought sent home along
with the meat and we were expected
| to throw In bone extra besides. The
| trimmings and the bone went into the
| stock pot and made a good founda--
ton for all sorts of soups. But when
| the new style flats with gas ranges
| came in the stock pot went out. NO
one makes stock now, because canned
soups are SO plentiful and so good.
"Cost more? Why, certainly, more
| than double, but that doesn't make any
difference except with rich people who
always have their soups made In their
own kitchen.
Women in those days went to mar
ket more generally than now. On the
whole / think a housekeeper can save
good deal by seeing the things she
| buys The dealers are not trying to
cheat her, but one day certain vege-
tables may be higher than they are
| the next, and the cut of meat she asks
for may not be ON hand, in which case
better cut is generally substituted.
or maybe a cut which weighs more. BY
not going to market and ordering by
| telephone, as so many do she may
| pick out what is scarcest and highest.
| On the other hand, IL on the spot. she
may see piece of meat a tTife small
Ter than the quantity asked for. or
which is not precisely the cut. but is
practically as good. for less money and
she can substitute one vegetable for
| another which is not SO expensive
At this point two young women en-
tered the place, one holding small
slip OF paper. They were in a great
hurry. a clerk stepped forward with
an order book.
Il want small roast of lamb about
four or five pounds. and one pound OF
pork tenderloin.' said the woman. read
Ing from her slip
"oh. yes. vegetables. What have
your"
The clerk called of half a dozen. in
cluuding cucumhers.
Send me two quarts of spinach a
head of lettuce and put In two small
cucumbers. That's all" and the wo-
men whisked out
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