Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-18
FOOD AND HEALTH
BY WINIFRED STUART GIBBS.
Food Specialist.

The gift of imagination Is Of serv-
Ice in other places beside that Of
writing stories or plays or painting
pictures or doing any OF the other
things that are usually supposed to
belong only to artists. Imagination
will help the housewife to realize new
possibilities in the attractive pack
ages Of food that adorn her pantry
shelves.
Many of us can remember when
we were advised to buy all foods In
bulkebecause ut is foolish to pay for
the frills.' There is a large group
Of housewives who must needs keep
to this advice simply because of a
non-elastic income. Such women may
easily protect their families by select
ing a high-grade grocer who sells
clean food from n clean place. They
may then buy ginger snaps or what
not by the pound rather than by the
package. Women with a little more
leeway. however. will be ready to
pay the extra cost of the modern
sanitary package, because of the bet
ter quality Of food, and they will also
be saved the trouble Of taking extra
thought about sanitation. since even
a careless grocer cannot harm the
contents of such carefully made con-
tanners.
1t Is with the other side of the ques-
ton, however, that we are dealing at
the moment-the more stimulating
side. Imagination that goes back OF
the beautiful and clean package Of
food has a fascinating trail to travel.
Just by way Of illustration, take
raiSinS. Weren't the children chat
tering about the Egyptians last night,
when they came home from school?
Do you suppose they know that we
first heard about raisins from the
Egyptians and that even before their
time, jewellers in the prehistoric ages
probably made the discovery of how
to dry wild grapes so as to make the
delicious food product which we know
as raisins? Wouldn't the children
take further interest in their morn
ing cereal if they knew that the
plump raisins contained therein really
have a place in history?
Perhaps these same children go to
the type Of Sunday school where they
listen to the simplifed Bible stories.
Why not suggest that they ask for a
story about David and how he
brought the ''asses laden with
cheese and raisins for the purpose of
helping to pay his taxes?'
Then there are the older children,
those who are studying history.
formation acquired about the histori-
cal development of the raisin indus
try and the world trade in ralsins.
AS long ago as 1900 A. D.. we find
that Hungary was producing raisins
and that Spain developed an enor-
nous business with the export of this
fruit.
No properly constructed magma
ton will be satisfied without helping
its owner to visualize our own place
in the development of this industry.
We find that soon after the Civil
War the men and women who helped
to settle California found that the
climate was especially good for the
culture of grapes and raisins. Enei-
neering projects were undertaken
that made it possible to irrigate the
land and to overcome other handi-
APPS SO that by the last quarter of the
nineteenth century the raisin growth
of our Western States had assumed
enormous proportions.
This is only the beginning of the
story. One might go on almost in
definitely pointing out pictures of the
workers who make the fruit. those
who pack it and those who construct
the machinery that helps to distribute
it. Who wishes to be a nominal gina
tive consumer of Just raisins.' Just
cheese" or any other food, for that
matter. when he can, if he likes,
stimulate his own interest in life.
broaden his sympathies for human
endeavor and human accomplishment,
by merely using his package of food
as the open sesame?