Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-04
LENT AND
WAR BIDUS
EAT FISH
, + there is one thing likely TO dis
gruntle the American housewife III

ia To be told b% some Nouiu-he "u
thority that while we are paving IN
creasingly high prices for food, the
housewives in France and England are
paying prices less than ours. There
are always some evil prophets I'M
times like this who will scatter seeds
Of discomfort in just this way. Mrs. \.
got It from her sisters drcssmak'r.
who got il from Mrs. as cook AIRS.
Il. being one of the dressmaker's best
patrons. surely her cook was to Il" l'c-
iicVed- and that cook said that
cousin Of hers said that she had
letter from her sister who said that lo
London bacon WAS selling Tor i've
shilling a pound and that there hadn
been a dav since the war began when
the people she worked for-vcry mod
eratcly of people they were, too
hadn't had their bacon or boiled hsh
tor breakfast and that bread in Lon
don was actually cheaper than n 'h"
United States
SO Il goes. and we hear rumors Of
that sort that have taken perhaps
year to reach us We do not make
ncedSul aIlcvauCe q for different WAGES
and for fuctua dons in prices and i1
comparing the price af bread W" q"
not take, iuto consideration that tho
government in England has had to
suhstdize wheat III order TO make Il
posiblc to have bread at a reasonable
rate ard c.E-CourSe II IS ultimatcly tho
bread eater who paws the IN xes That
paws the subsidy. Really food Condi
lions among our allies are far worse
man they are here Recent accounts
If food prices iu France and Engiaud
and even IN neutral Switzerland sound
ike fairy tales even 70 us Eut even
= there were some prices fl ENGLAND
that werc lower than hero wc ought
st!lI 10 count ourselves blessed because
or ore or two VERY important Good sup
plies we have IN abundance, whereas
in England there IS dearth
Most important in this classification
Is fish. Through the reality wonderful
work on the part of the Food Admins
1rstion-few of lis realize what mas
terIy foresight IS required 10 effect
such q result-fsh prices a-e now he
FMS brought down almost to n pre-
war basis In England. on the con
trary, fish, once the uaiustay of large
numbers or the poor IS sold only 1T
prohibitive prices. The fried fish shops
in certain sections Of London Who're
the poor and sh!ftlsss once bought
the only food they knew save bread
and tea and possibly some cheap PAS
tries. are entirely abandoned. The
reason for this IS not far 10 seek. Tho
fishing industry has been h0pelcsslN
crippled. if not actually killed. by Tho
submarine danger, and II fish were
brought from the sea n would bC at
such rrirhtfuI hazard that II w0uld he
~ prohibitive price. Moreover II is
@o4rafrv said that the usual breeding
beds OF the fishes have heen disturbed
by the unusual activities Of war craft
slcng the coast snd hence there iS 4
serious shortage a. fshes in thC yiciu
ftv Of the British Isles
FORTUNATELY we have no Such pcri,s
TF we had a taste or fish shortage W
might learn 70 appreciate Il moro than
we do 4 prominent cookery instr7gc-
Tor IN one OF the large domestic science
colleges said quite seriously the othec
day that the CHIEF reason G1y fish was
not eaten more frequently IN the small
home was because or the antipsthl
held by most housewives for the odor
of fish. The woman who has q cook or
maid cf all work does not hesitate
about ordering fish. but II she has t.
prepare It herself and wash up after
il" she thinks long time before get
ting Il.
But as this domestic science author
ity can point out very clearly fish may
be handled from the moment it comes
into the kitchen till the fish homes and
skin go out IN the refuse so that il is
no more objectionable than a chicken
or q beef steak. It is all q matter OF
taking a little extra precaution and
acting very promptly with soap and
4
have contained the fish. But just be
cause the housewife does DISLIKE the
smell o. fish she usually leaves The
fshy things I'll last. thus waiting gill
the permeating aroma has become
more or less frradicah bic.
This fish prejudice really oueht rol
70 be. Tor FISH is the best or al possible
meat substitutes and an extremely
wholesome food. For persons to uhoU
red meat is denied because of ap"pIec-
tic tendencies or other conditions due
10 so-calied high living, fish i per
fectly harmless. The Only possible
danger that .er comes .U the eating
of fish is that of ptonaires and now
adays stale FISH is practically an ina
possibility in city markets and. besides
il is the easiest thing any houscn ifc
ever does to tell fresh fsh when -h'
sees It.
Now We are urged strongly tn ca
dsh and TO eat more fish. Ii seems t
be our patriotic duty 70 DO ~. fol
Just as sure as We find adequate nour-
ishment in fish Ee VIII leave off eating
large quantities Of beef. pork, ant
lamb And no one needs 70 he told
that at this time Of year a cuttin3
down on the quantity Of meat We ca
IS beneficial Nothing could be bet
ter substitute than fish
And the presence Of Lent also makes
the quantities of fish that are con
sumed considerably larger than usual
For whatever our religious habits ~
most Of US do eat more FISH in Len
than at other times Of the year and j
We don't do II for religious motives W.
can do It for motives nearly as gooc
and perhaps not Very different -thos'
OF patriotism
To make q success or your fish eat
ing campaign you should once at leas
visit the fish market and learn from
the fish dealer yourself what fishes ar