The Washington herald., 1917-07-19
Food and Work in Germany
But Prices Are Exhorbitant
Writer Says Teutons Have Passed the Lean
Week and Living Conditions Have
Improved in Country.

siderable distance on. During May
about 10000 pounds of butter and
lard disappeared in Berlin. think
I got some of 1t. Instead of two
little marbles of butter once a week
in the Adlon. had butter every
day and plenty. 1t cost, however,
S2.50 pound and then went up to
s3. 1t was an appetizing addition
to the breakfast or the dry bread
and the stun christened coffee" :"
One lady. whom 1 know. bought
fifty pounds of butter at one time
for which she paid slz5. The same
lady obtained 200 pounds of fairly
white -four at SIS cents a pound.
while others / knew had paid as
high as IS cents a pound.
Conee 81 Per Pound.
"Contraband" eggs were to be had
IL you knew how to get them. at Is
to 25 cents each. Sugar. beyond tie
amount the government proposed you
should have. could be obtained now
and then at So pound. A little cof-
fee was. at times. Forthcoming at So
a pound and tea 81 a pound. Contra
band meat was also to be had but
more difficult. Just before / left,
was invited to dinner at the house of
an opera song bird. The center
piece" on the table was nice pork
roast for the four Of us. It cost SIS.
There was also. real tea and real cof-
fee and butter.
Up to the time left, Jacques Mayer,
Of New York. was still giving his
generous dinners to about thirty
Americans, the cost of which could
nt 10, &c 60
each plate.
Hausfraus, however, are not the
only "foragers." Many OF the guests
at the Adlon and other private hotels
have private pantries" of tea, butter,
eggs and sugar in their rooms. Some
also have hams. bolognas and saus-
ages and even sides Of bacon in their
private pantries." A generous tip TO
the chef and an occasional slice of
bacon or ham to the floor waiter, al
ways assures the unostentatious prep
grafton of these highly priced "addi-
tions" to the regular breakfast, s.
luncheon or $3.50 four-course dinners.
1t is not unusual in the dining-room
or in restaurant to see persons take
from their pockets small round
nickel box containing butter for the
| day, possibly a second one with a few
Jumps of sugar.
Hams Under Mattresses.
A year ago many Germans. who
now "hamster," as this illegal obtain
ing food is called, would have consid-
cred 1t highly unpatriotic to take
more food than the ration cards call
for. but the duration of the war has
tended to destroy much of that unsel-
fish sentiment. There has been much
searching of houses and a number OF
| times sides of bacon, hams, bolognas
and other articles of food have been
found under mattresses and even be-
tween fine quilts in beds.
1t was the general belief among the
working classes of least Berlin and
| north Berlin" as the older sections
of the kaiser's capital are known
that houses in the fashionable west"
had pantries full of foodstuffs which
led to the fear during the strike in
the middle of April that the west"
might be stormed.
Generally speaking I found that the
food situation in the country and in
the provinces was very much better
than in Berlin and some of the other
large cities. 1t was also better in
bavaria than in north Germany. I
have seen numerous letters from peo.
pie in small villages saying that they
were getting along very well and were
not suffering nor even enduring any
great priVations. On the other hand
IN Berlin know families of the bet.
ter middle classes, where like Mother
Hubbard the hausfrau went to an
empty cupboard many a morning and
had not the slightest idea what she
could provide for the family for the
day. especially this spring when po-
tatoes were unobtainable for a time.