Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-04-08
Are French War Brides Making Good?
Home Problems They've Had to Solue

Are French war brides making
good? Are the girls whom dough-
boys married and brought as brides
to this cbuntry adapting themselves
to changed conditions, customs and
habits, to say nothing of strange
ami unknown Language. To be trans
planted to a foreign land. among
strangers and there be set down to
| manage a household, beset on all
sides by unknown customs, habits
and people Is the one experience OF
a life time. How are the girls making
out? Are they becoming adapted to
their strange surroundings? Are they
becoming Americanized? Indications
generally are that they are.
| In seeking the answer to these
| nestions and to learn some of the
problems these French girls have
had to overcome, reporter sought
| Mrs. Howard Miller, 106 North
Fourth street. She was Miss Marcelle
Huguenent, of Choicyle-Roi, Seine,
France, before her marriage and she
has been in this city now for two
years since she came across a war
bride.
Language q Big Handicap.
| To her. as to most Of the French
war brides, the language was the
greatest handicap. But she is mast
ering this difficulty and is rapidly
learning to read ana write English.
Next to the language. shopping and
preparing meals puzzled her most.
| Our stores are entirely different from
those in cities of the same size in
France. What is grocery store here,
would not be considered a grocery
store over there. Our groceries handle
bread, canned meats and milk, while
in France none of these can be pur-
| chased at a grocer's. There they have
| two kinds Of meat markets, those
selling fresh meats, and others SELL
ing prepared meats, such as, sausage.
bologna, salt fish. lard, and sousicon.
| the latter similar to the hamburger
OF this country, with the exception
that 1t is made of horse flesh and is
.hishly seasoned with garlic.
Horss Meat q Favorits.
Horse flesh Is the favorite meat of
the French middle class. 1t is priced
higher than either pork or beef, and
Is much more tender. And altho cats
are not favorite meat, the French
| demands that the rabbits head be
left on. for fear the butcher will sub
stitute cat which. when prepared,
can not be told from rabbit.
The housewife there pays for her
! order as she gets it. There is no
credit system. If 4 piece of furniture
Is to be bought on the installment
plan. the installments are sent in and
when the article is paid for it can
be taken home.
Difficulty With Meals.
The preparation of an American
meal is so different from the French
| method, that brides brought to this
country were sadly perplexed. Three
meals O day was starvation rations to
the girl who had been used to at
least six. The French. hen" oN'''
r;sers, had their srst breakfast at s
O'clock. This consisted OF D.,.
butter. and coffee. The lunch hour
was O'Clock with cheese or jam
| sandwiches and wine. Dinner was
served at noon. This was the meal
that was so different from our big
meal.
Where we require potatoes at two
meals day at least, the French
houf ewife would never think Of hav
ing them more than once a week and
then prepared French fried More
than one vegetable is never served
q nj 40,
| largely in the French diet. No meal
would be considered complete with
out salad, which fairly reeks with
garlic Cheese. jam and wine are the
other staples of the French dinner.
One Thing at Time.
One thing at time is put on the
plate and eaten, and to see Amc rlcans
pile their plate with meat, potatoes,
gravy and some other vegetable,
greatly shocked the French bride.
In France, only cattle and pigs eat
corn, and for the French to eat this
| popular American cereal would be
as far from their thoughts as eating
tankage would be from ours.
Another lunch hour comes again at
4 O'clock, which Corresponds to the
. " SlOCh IHcdl' AIN duClIlSI DlS Hledl
Is served again at o'clock. Before
the French family goes to bed they
aiways enjoy a slight repast. usually
consisting OF left overs from the
evening meal
Other strange customs. new to the
Trench girl, was the fact that men
would stoop to the mental act OF
wheeling baby carriage. This is
never seen in the home country.
Where small boys play marbles and
fly kites In this country, the old men
amuse themselves In the same way
In France. Grown women enpoy the
!! pleasure and the .ey,r u III
Ing rope there, while only young girls
have this for thel ~ Y. s
They A. Disappc pointed
EGa Mnnt ~ the French bridNa were dln.