New-York tribune., 1910-02-01
ADVICE FOR WIVES
ON WHAT TO COOK.
j. E. Whitney Points to Immi-
grants HOuse5cifery.

grants HOuse7cifery.
From an expert observer of the practical
workings Of the arts OF Housekeeping and
cooking came yesterday a more detailed
indictment of the American housewife than
that drawn recently by Archbishop ireland.
when he said. in relation To the nigh cost Of
living. that there was a dreadful waste
and extravagance resulting from ignorance
of housekeeping and especially the almost
neglected art of cooking. by American
women"
J. Eugene Whitney. secretary of the Peo-
pies University Extension Society of New
York who by his direction of the work Of
a thousand practical teachers in those two
and kindred arts has been brought into close
contact with family life among all of the
nationalities which iuhabit this city. said
yesterday that the American housewife Of
this generation could probably learn more
Of household economy from the recent i'm
migrant than from any other one source.
There are at least three great lessons
which the native housewife. in poor or mod
crate circumstances. should learn from her
recently immigrated sister" said Mr. Whit
ney. First. proper marketing; second. that
not one particle of food should be wasted
economic and nutritive value Of soup
American women, even OF the poorer
classes he went on, carry with them 70
market false pride which impels them 10
invest in the higher priced foodstuffs, with
out regard to their value nourishment
whereas the recent immigrant, be she 1t>tl-
ian, German or French. buys her necessities
with the single motive of getting the most
possible for her money"
FRENCH AS FOOD SAVERS.
without guidance these immigrant won1-
en- undoubtedly invested unwisely. Mr.
Whitney thought. viewing their purchases
strictly from the chemical value of the
food brought: but. on the whole. they could
teach a great lesson to native women of a
similar degree OF poverty AS to the waste
of food Mr.. Whitney said that his obse--
walton of families in this city's poorer dis
tricts showed him that there was little or
no exaggeration in the old statement that
a French family could live on what an
American family wasted
1T would surprise the investigator" he
continued ito discover that the worst waste
and some Of the glaring cases of false pride
in marketing would be found among Arneri-
cans of the least means"
The French woman OF New York, he
pointed out, knows and makes use of the
fact that a cheap flank steak can be cooked
TO a taste equalling that of the juiciest
porterhouse. and the teachers sent out by
the society of which he is secretary teach
her, as we'll as her American sister. that
in reality the highly priced Juice of the
costler cut is blood largely composed OF
water, and not to be compared in nutritive
.-t,, &HaA Acr,
Different nationalities. said Mr.. Whitney
teach lessons on different food values. and
from each and all Of them the native house
wife could learn. Il she would. a family
economy which would to a great extent
kill the fear OF high prices. Cheese in
various forms as prepared by Italians. he
said, made one OF. the best examples of that
principle. and as 10 the tastefulness OF
their dishes one need only go 10 the higher
class Italian restaurants to find Americans.
and particularly American women, raVlnS
over its deIiciousness-
Foreigners in this city. Mr.. Whitney
said, from his observation, were better
nourished on the average than native born
poor, though the ratio OF their market ac-
counts was probably less than half that of
the American family in the same scale Of
income. One great advantage in the recent
immigrants scheme of economy, he
thought, was that the foreign born woman
seemed to understand better the idea OF
substituting the cheaper articles on the
market at various seasons for the articles
which went up the scale IN price.
FOREIGNERS MANY SUBSTITUTES.
AS an instance, he pointed out that with
meat at high prices the German woman
tro toll RI
cheese and macaroni and the French.
though likely to stick to her butcher, would
buy from him only the cheaper cuts, which
she would disguise by her cooking arts till
they were as tasty as the highest cuts on
sale Another poi-lt which applies par
ticuIarIy to the French woman in this city
is that she clings to the teaching OF her
French childhood-to serve attractively TO
her family whatever food she may have
to give them.
recent incident which Mr.. Whitney OBJ
served would probably be a revelation TO
most native women. II was the case of a
French family. recent immigrants. who.
when the husband and father left the city
on work. were reduced to the scantiest ex-
istence until the first money was sent back
to them by the head of the family. In tie
mean time the resourceful mother, able 10
b,1y nothing but bread and milk. concocted
from these meagre supplies. with water
added, a nutritious soup, on which the fam
ily lived and kept as healthy as their more
extensively nourished neighbors-
For the closest economy. combined with
the greatest variety and the highest nutri-
ton, Mr. Whitney's observations lead him
to give the palm to the French woman as
above any other nationality. With the
bones and scraps of meat which the aver
age native housewife throws away he
said, most Of the French women Of the
poor class in this city would prepare stews
and ragouts which would be welcome on
tables Of persons in far better circumstances
than those women. as well as on the very