Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1907-09-24
NORWEGlANS A PEOPLE :
WITHOUT INDIGESTION
THEIR SUPERIOR PHYSIQUE DUE
TO DIET 4
Nations Customary Food Is OF the
Soup and Stew order-Much
Nourishment in Liquid
Form

|, The stranger in Norway is forclply
struck with the superior physique or the
nation; he meets a race OF large-poneo'
fair-haired men and women, ana the
chief wonder is the absence OF ill-lormeu
and under-developed people, says the Fan
Mall Gazette. When the rigor OF tne
Norwegian winter is considered one IS
likely to ascribe this physical weii-pear-
ing to the survival of the f1ttest. But
the splendid physique is also due not
only to the widespread system of physi-
cal development in vogue, but to the Pc
culiarly suitable food eaten. Hence, an
| inquiry into the Scandinavian dietary is
valuable and interesting.
The customary food of the nation is OF
the soup-a rld-stew order. This results IN
| a large quantity of nourishment being
taken in a liquid form, and renders tne
diet one easy of digestion. Nations en-
| blowing food in more solid shape require
more LIQUID in the form of drink; but this
unfortunately leads to a dilutioD OF the
digestive fluids and renders them unable
to act on the solid food in the necessary
concentrated state.
1t is thus a matter of no surprise that
few Norwegians suffer from Indigestion;
indeed, it is easy to see that many OF the
dishes, as a result of their mode of pre-
paration, are to an extent predigested. In
this connection it would be well to point
to the effect upon the nations teeth.
Naturally the possession of perfect teeth
Is a guarantee of satisfactory masticatton,
the first stage in the assimilation OF food.
But the nature of the food taken deter
mines to a large extent the condition OF
the molars. There is no more fruitful
source of dental decay than the retention
of meat fibers between the teeth, in sLch
way that before chemical action has re-
reaction from the fiber have otter induced
injury to the dental enamel. This idea is
borne out by the fact that in Norway,
where roast meats are the exception, the
condition of the teeth compares most
favorably with that of our countrymen.
Take Juices from Food
The aim of Norwegian cookery would
appear to be, not to retain the juices in
the food material, but to abstract them,
and. after the cellular formation of the
food has been broken down, to return the
Juices to the dish. For this reason Nor
wegians regard English cookery. which
attempts to retain the natural juices in
Joints and poultry, as ''one-sided." They
regard England as the country of ''one
dinner and one sauce" But IL joints are
a thing unknown in Norwegian cookery,
It is rather a fact to be anticipated than
wondered at; at least. II one has OBJ
served the quality OF the meat exposed for
sale. For, in spite of the fact that the
beef and mutton are officially stamped
with triangular blue impression before
sale at the Kjordkontrol, the meat is poor
stuff indeed-skinny, dark and dry, and
sinewy as an Arab steed. AS a set-off
against the inferior meat the Norwegian
housewife has a supply of fish which can
be bettered by no country in the world
and of which every advantage Is taken.
In Norway as in America, three meals
are eaten per day--breakfast, mid
daeg" and supper. KATE" taken an
hour after dinner, corresponds TO our
tea, though the beverage is Coffee and
only fancy cakes are allowed to accom-
pany IL. At breakfast pofridge is usu-
ally eaten, and the sausage ubiquitous
in Norway as in Germany Is always in