Evening star., 1916-12-15

The Housekeepers' Alliance held one
of its most interesting meetings of the
season this afternoon at the Theo-
dorus Bailey Myers Mason house. 1908
goth street northwest, when the SUD
jeet of community buying relative to
the high cost Of living was under dis
cussion Three organizations other than
the Housekeepers' Alliance participated
in the meeting. They were the Wo-
mans Section of the Navy League. the
Civil Service Co-operators and the
Home Club of the Department of the
Interior.
The speakers of the afternoon were
Mrs. George Barnett representing the
Navy League; Mr.. ]. A. P. f'arnham'
who represented the Civil Service CO.
operators, and the chairman OF the
meeting, Mrs. F. r. Ransome, who IS
also chairman of the committee on CO.
operation of the Housekeepers ALI
ance. A feature of the program was a
practical lesson in economical meat
buying. in which the half of beer
was cut up for the purpose OF showing
the audience the proper methods Oh
cutting meats to best advantage.
The meat demonstration was Mr.. E. M.
Wilkinson of the Washington brancn
of the firm Of Armour & Co. In his
talk he cut up before the audience OF
over hundred women a side of beer;
showing them the proper mode of
cutting the meat from the carcass.
Cheaper Cuts and Nutritive Value.
Mr.. Wilkinson confined his talk main
ly to the uses of the cheaper cuts OF
the meat; gave Information as to their
nutritive value and outlined some
modes of their preparation for the
table. That the Washington house
keeper does not know her business as
well as she might was intimated by
Mr.. Wilkinson in the course Of his
talk.
Further to illustrate his demonstra-
ton Mr.. Wilkinson tackled up a large
diagram representing n fine steer. and
on this was clearly marked and num-
bered the various cuts of the beef, be-
ginning with the hind shank and rum
ming up the rump to the center upper
portions, where the prime cuts are to
be found.the juicy porterhouse and
Then he went forward to the less ex-
pensive portions of the shoulder, where
he discovered for his audience the
chuck, the Shoulder clod and bullion,
with other less popular pieces still
within the price of the average pocket
book and well worth the while Of the
housekeeper when she knows the best
methods of using them.
Pointing to the diagram, Mr.. Wilkin-
son showed each part of the animal as
the experienced butcher cuts it. These
facts. he said, every housekeeper
should know. Beginning at the cen
ter. he cut from it prime roast as it
should be cut. holding it up for the
audience to see. In few minutes the
large. unwieldy. untrimmed bit of bony
side was, by few strokes of the sharp
knife. a deNtrous twist and skewer,
transformed into a smooth, round, ap-
petizing oven piece.
''The trouble with the majority of
Washington housekeepers." said Mr.
Wilkinson. ''is that they do not know
how to cook. They have not learned
their business from it's scientific side.
Or. at least that is the opinion we
butchers hold.
Fifteen years of experience in my
business have demonstrated to me that
two-thirds of the Washington house
keepers are too prone to giving an
hour to the preparation of their dinner
and then going downtown for five
hours. Now. cooking. like any other
thing well done. takes some time. and
now. if ever, when the homemaker must
study economy. is the time to learn
something more than she knows about
meat-buyfng and preparation. The
housekeeper can save from 25 to so
per cent on her meat bills II she will
but take the trouble to study the food
values of meat and learn all that may
be done with the less expensive bits of
the meat"