Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-01-13
FOOD F A rs
BY May ID. Stalker, Home Demon
stration Agent.

II has been said that women are to
blame for the presen, high cost of liv-
ing because they fail To give the mat
ter of buying intelligent consideration.
In a measure this is true, for who does
not often put off the preparation OF
a meal until the eleventh hour land
fifty ninth minute), then make a
grand rush for the nearest market or
the telephone, and order some hing
that can be hastily prepared for the
family What is the usual result? l
do not think this question requires any
elaboration,
The following on the cost of food is
quoted from Mary SwartZ Ross. and
is well worth reading: 1T is compare
lively easy to plan attractive menus
if one does not have to ,ount the cost
CT materials nor of the labor required
in preparation and service, though, of
course it can never be done without
some time and thought. With plenty
OF money, the great danger is in the
line of over-elaboration, which rs not
only inartistic, hut temptc 20 over-eat-
ing and waste OF food. 1t is better TO
crafty ones esthetic taste by excel
lence of quality in food and service
than . multiplicity of dishes Espe-
c.;,lly To be Stunned are the dishes
made over rich with cream and but
ter which are not only expensive but
upset. digestion. For most people, cost
is a large factor in the feeding prob
lem, from one-fourth TO one-half of
the family income has TO be devoted
to buying food and the smaller the
income the larger the percentage
which must be so spent.
Fortunately there is no vital con-
nccton between nutritivc value and
cost. Nutritious and expensive are
not synonymous; in fact some of the
most nutritious foods are the cheap
est Cost alone, therefore. is Il poor
guide for the housewife III dete,lnin-
ing what she will feed hsr family, She
needs to know some of the factors
which influence the cost OF food in
order to make wise selec ion, espe-
cially if she has to try continually to
make one dollar do the work OF two.
"One of the factors in the cost of
food is the amount of labor and price
of material required to produce il. A
potato is cheap, ard lnc will produce
dozen with very little work on the
part of the platter. Hence potatoes
rank as a cheap food Fish, which
forage for themselves and have only
TO be caught and brought to rioIket,
make a cheap meat. Under pioneer
conditions, meat is, in general Cor IT
should he) cheap. since il comes from
wild animals. But when grain mas TO
be raised to feed cattle for Eeef the
cost of the animals food ana care
make meat dear.
With the best facilities for trans
portation, many foods deteriora,e in
transit, and any percentage of fosS
must be added 70 their cost SO per-
stability becomes another factor 10
be reckoned with. tc carload of
peaches goes 20 market and half of
them spoil before they reach the retail
buyer, the housewife will have TO Jay
twice as much for them as If rhey had
all kept perfectly.
THE way in which goods are put
up for the market will affect the cost.
Package goods are more expensive
than the same material in, bulk. small
packages cost more in proportion than
large ones; fancy wrappers bring a
fancy price. Elegant shops and m :
mediate delivery add materially to The
original cost. The extra charge for
package goods is often worth paving,
because greater cleanliness is asGur-
ed and sealing keeps the material in
better condition, to say nothing of the
greater ease of storage at home A
small package is better inves ment
than Il large one. If part of the large
one would spoil before it could be
used. But these things should lie rea-
lized by the purchaser, Each house
keeper must decide for herself where
the danger of loss and inconvenience
of storage counterbalances the gain
from large quantity buying. but the
tendencies in cities is to buy in IN
necessarily snail quantities, not only
because storage space is precious. but
because it is easy to replenish ones
larder quickly. In the country, where
space Is available there may he the
opposite danger, of buying in snch
large quantities that the food either
deteriorates before it is used up, or it
costs great deal of extra care TO keep
it in proper condition.
Zone cannot say then. that either
the dearest or cheapest foods are the
best to buy. The first cost gives no
direct clue to the real part which the
food will play in the domestic econ
omy, and different conditions of liv-
ing must determine what it is wise to
buy"
After all is said the question of
what we eat reverts back to the same
old story, that is, what we can really
afford to buy.