The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-20
CAMP PATIENTS
DEMAND CHINAWARE
Tired of Eating Chips From
Battered Dishes Originally
Enamelled.
DO NOT ENJOY FOOD
Yet It Is Of Highest Quality
and Cooked by Expert
Chefs.
DO NOT ENJOY FOOD
specfnl pespafcA 10 TIE sus.

specfat Despatch 10 THs sus.
CAMP DIX, N. J.. April 19.-Uncle Sam
IS spending approximately q half mill
and wounded hero nephews brought
back from the battlehelds OF Europe to
the base hospital at Camp Dix tho finest
vdands the markets afford. He has spent
other huge sums on installing tho most
modern of kitchens where this food IL
cooked under direction Of famous chefs
and under the direct observation of
expert dleticians.
And yet, because of red tape blocking
an appropriation OF few hundred dol
lars for decent tableware, what is prob
ably some of the dinest food ever served
in an American army mess is put before
nearly two thousand convalescent pa
tents In dishes bowls and cups the
very appearance OF which would be like
ly to discourage the appetite Of a hun
CRY man In the pink of health.
They Once were White.
These dishes, bowls and cups are of
enamel ware They may have been
white when they left the factory and
their enamel may have. been intact But
after a few trips through the dish-wash-
ing process they have lost both enamel
and color An inspection of the big mess
hall In the hospital this week showed
that most OF the tableware had taken on
the streaked dirt fues common TO most
| used enamel ware The enamel was
Clipped from edges of the utensils es-
| pecially the cups, with the result that
patients have to drink their coffee. tea,
milk or cocoa with what looks and feels
| like 4 streak OF rust between their lips.
Frequently, patients say, slivers of the
| Clipped enamel get into theiH mouths with
| the food. The upshot OF the matter Is
that friends on the outside are con-
tinually hearing patients complain of the
hospital food when army inspectors. die
ticians and civilian visitors repeatedly
| have found the food itself unusually SUI
perior.
The mess officer at the base hospital
Ia Lieut.. Stanton U. Kohler. who before
the war was in charge of the menus of
a big New York hotel. only the best
i is the rule Lieut.. Kohler's office has es-
tablished for the purchase and prepara-
ton OF food served in the hospital.
Two types of meals are sent out from
the hospital Kitchens one of light diet
for the other patients In addition to the
regular service a patient may order any
dish or delicacy he thinks would appeal
| to his taste. providing his ward surgeon
approves.
A days menu, that OF April is. picked
at random, Is furnished below:
Light diet-Breakfast Cooked cereal,
| fruits. French toast. coffee. cocoa or
milk. Dinner Tomato boullion, fricassee
, of chicken with gravy. mashed potatoes
string beans. brown-betty. pudding,
| bread. butter, coffee and milk. Supper
Creamed peas and rice. baked potatoes.
peaches, cocoa.
| General mess, heavy diet---Breakfas st
| Oatmeal. creamed beef on toast. grape
fruit. bread, butter and coffee. Dinner
Roast beef and gravy. mashed potatoes
! mashed turnips. stewed corn, cornstarch
pudding. corn meal, mullins, butter and
coffee. Supper: Cold meats. potato
salad. rice pudding. bread. butter and
| tea.
| Aluminium on Battle fields.
From the central kitchens meals are
sent to the fifty ward kitchens in COW
cred containers set in boiling water. The
mess officer has recommended that this
service be further improved by the IN
stslation OF steam tables IN each ward
kitchen TO insure the food being kept hot
until service.
Even on the battlefield these sol.
| diers ate their chow from aluminium
kits. In most OF the French or Eng
fish hospitals in which some OF then
were originally patients they were
served from china plates. In his own
homo the average man, convalescent
| from illness or injuries, is likely TO de-
! 1.I. f.11r
messy The life of the camp has robbed
the convalescent soldier of none OF this
loneliness of palate and army sur
geons. recognizing the Importance tina,
detail plays in keeping the appetite OF
n patient good have made apparently
every possible effort to have heavy white
porcelain tableware substituted for tho
| enamel
Inquiry at the office OF Lieut.-C W
Cole Davis. hospital cOmmandant, this
week. brought out the fact that hospita
authorities have been endeavorng fol
| several months TO get a requistior
from the QuartermasteI's Department
for better mess hail equipment. Upor
the suggestion OF correspondents that
tho 20. NJ" might have changed it,
mind the commentaries Office immedi
atcly got the medical supply headquar
| ters In Washington on the long-dls
lance telephone and renewed tho re
quest. There was lengthy explanation
but tho net result was: Nothing do
ing"
Enamel tableware only Is issuabl'
for hospitals, according TO the edIc
of the powers that be. Chinawar'
might be broken. I'm the view OF Wash
ington officials. who may not be aware
that n large percentage OF the perma
|