The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1907-03-12

Women Diet Experts and Directors
in Large Institutions.
Suggest Ways In which Food Hay
he Improved and Cost Le~@ened
An Important Fame
ttonary. Al

A new and congenial occupation in
life has opened up for women which
will be suitable to their domestic
tastes as we'll as fairly remuneratiye.
The project is to learn the business
of diet control and secure employ
ment ms experts in that line at col
leges, large boarding schools and in
stitutions of various kinds, such as
hospitals and asylums. Here, accord
ing to the opinion of Prof. w. o. At
water, of Wesleyan university, is
profession especially adapted to
women and in which many clever
persons of the gentler sex are
destined to find employment within
the next few years. Household
economies is a study that naturally
attracts women and they are much
better fitted than men to manage
the business of feeding large NUM-
bers of people. Schools for the study
of such subjects are already open to
both sexes ana women have evinced
a marked inclination to acquire
knowledge of this kind.
1t will be the duty of the woman
who governs the diet of large i'm
stitution to suggest ways in which
the food may be improved and the
cost of it lessened. Not only will
she arrange the bill of fare so that
there shall be the proper proper
ton of fuel food (such as bread and
potatoes) and fiesh-maIing FOODS
(such as meat and beans) but she
will know how to furnish attractive
/ III
Incidentally she will watch the
waste in the kitchen and on the
table and will see that it does not
become excessive.
The Importance of such a func-
tionary in hospital or orphan asy
lum and the control she would exer-
else, influencing the comfort of all
the inmates, is sufficiently obvjops,
while at great boarding school, or
in charge of the Commons" at a
college, she would exert most
weighty authority. But it ought to
be realized that scientific diet con-
troll does not imply the weighing out
of protein" and carbohydrates"
in castiron quantities, to the discom-
fort of those whose only desire is to
satisfy healthy appetites. 1t is sim
ply method of supplying the best
and most appetizing things to eat
at least cost, with due regard to the
health of the consumers.
The woman dietary expert will see
that the food is first rate in point
of quality and freshness; that it is
appetizingly served. She will make
a special study of the food market
/ in order to get the best things at
/ the least prices in different seasons.
She. will introduce variety into the
diet in such way as to make it more
attractive than what would be fur
nished by one of less skill from much
more costly material. In short, she
will be thoroughly scientific and
therefore an absolutely capable
housewife.
Most housewives have ideas on
such subjects which are more or. less
elementary; the woman who makes
such work her business will have
positive and exact knowledge instead
of going by guesswork. In the
kitchen she will bring into play inn
4 proved machinery; for improvements
well worth employing as improved
machinery in the factory. They save
in the cost of preparation, which
means a saving in the cost of food.
She will have made study of wash
ing machines and of ranges, and the
use of the oven thermometer will be
familiar to her. For different foods
are best when cooked at different
temperatures, and a knowledge of
this branch of the subject not only
: makes the dishes served more APP
petizing but saves fuel.
There is about TO be established
In Washington 'diet Kitchen" un-
der the direction of young woman.
IT'S patrons win be largely physicians,
who will send in their prescriptions
for meals to be supplied, just as they
{ furnish prescriptions for medicines
TO be filed by the apothecary. Doc
tors nowadays realize that proper
, food is as important for sick people
as suitable medicines, but it is diff
cult for them to control the former
satisfactorily, inasmuch as the ordi.
{ nary cook IS not intelligent enough
) to prepare it exactly as it is wanted
I The diet kitchen. however says the
:, Cleveland Plain Dealer. will furnish
, meals precisely according to pre-
, scription. preparing them in scien
] tific manner adjusting with accuracy
the proportions of protein" ant
| Carbohydrates" and delivering the
! food three or more times day al
the residence of the patient. Incl
! dentally, of course, all dishes USED
! will be thoroughly sterilized, beins
carried back in the wagon TO tn,
! culinary establishment for a batl
4 of live steam, to supplement tn,
/, ordinary process of washing.
n The usiterate of Na<fons.
Eight per cent. of the population