The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-03-27
Who Says Americans
Can't Save Food!

(By Harrison Rhodes, of Eigilantes)
Many Americans, pessimistically
inclined, say that our national habit
of wastefulness is so deeply Ingram
ed that even the war cannot break
us of it. But We have only begun
to learn what war can do in trans
forming countries. and what mira
Giles patriotism and an aroused ma
we can learn from England. from
plete food rationing.
Our pessimiStic critics seem to
take kind Of bitter pride in our
being the most wasteful of nations,
especially as regards food. They
cannot have known England in the
days that preceded the war.
England was very rich Eve were
not even the only rich country and
she was above all a prodigal with
food. She admitted that she did not
know how to cook, but the war PROV
ed that she used good materials and
plenty of them.
WastefulnesS was a quality which
seemed peculiarly to appeal to the
snobbishness of English servants, and
since the number of servants in
homes in England was, from our
American point of view, enormous,
they set the tone.
An English family's position was
judged. in the kitchen at least, by
the quantity of butchers meat that
came daily. English tables and side
boards literally groaned under the
weight of joints. You threw what
was left of a joint away-Soups were
un-Eng lish and minces and hashes
and stews had an almost degraded
social position. When the British
Army went across the channel it was
said that the French were absolute
ly aghast at the quantity of meat they
fetched along There was so much
too much that the spoiled beef and
mutton that was buried near the
British camps became almost a pub
lie scandal. The French said it
seemed to give pleasure to their al
lies to waste.
The French have always utilized
everything, and can make delicious
dishes Of cuts we despise There is
quaint story of Il pennlless noble
man who fled to England at the time
of the French Revolution, and said
he did not find London prices so
high as he had been told. He bou-
ght excellent beef from a man who
went through the street every day
with his meat stuck on wooden
skewers. He did not realize he was
dealing with the eats meat man."
who sells for feline pets.
So England luXuriously wasted.
Every gentleman had at least a
choice of two dishes for breakfast,
and was perhaps more of a gentle
man if he sent one away untouched
which the servants could proudly
cOnsign to the garbage can.
In every way England, London es-
pecially, was luxurious. They told
you stories of a lady who had to
have her pearls warmed before an
open wood fire before she put them
on to go 10 the opera, and OF another
who said she supposed there were
pigs who had no dressing-rooms ana
had their maids brush their hair in
the same room they slept in, but
thank God, she didn't
II such a people can come down
tC simplicity of life. cannot We? Is
Britain made CT sterner or better
stuff than America? If the king of
England can only get to eat what his
food-card calls for, cannot We endure
wheatless meals and meatless days?
No American will dare answer no.
Apology for disloyal remarks is
better than no apology, but it would
be much better not to have reason
to apologize.