Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-10-04
Hard Times Have Their
Silver Lining
BY KATHLEEN NORRIS.

y ONE weeks ago a woman who
lives in a North California rural
community wrote to San fran
cisco newspaper that she could
not manage the table expenses
for a family of six on an allowance
of $40 a week. Her children are hal1-
grown, two in high school, two IN
Junior college" and their teacher had
to!I then: that each should have
Quart of milk day. The distracted
mother appealed to the newspaper, de,
manding advice as to budgets ana
billS-of-fare. Her complaint was that
go a week would hardly buy more
than milk and oatmeal much less
meat and vegetables and desserts, and
SO on. for FAMILY OF six.
[ immediately wrote to the newspa-
per, answering this woman. 1t was
foolish thing to do, perhaps, for hun
dreds of letters poured in about 1t ana
most of the writer's were angry.
One-third of them were angry be-
cause they are bad managers, know
nothing of thrift, domestic science, or
budgetng, hate economy and kitchen
work and resent suggestions from older
and richer folk.
The other two-thirds were equally
aroused because they do understand
budgeting, they are managing their
kitchens on very small sums and they
don't need me or any one else to in
Struct them: they could teach me
trick or two! The letter of mail
mans wife, living in San Francisco
was typical Of many.
We have four children, too" wrote
this indOmitable woman. We are
buying a home, a radio and gas
stove, so that our overhead Is exactly
SOL per month, with taxes and IN
surance included, of course. Our table
costs exactly $45 per month and we
live well. Now that all four children
are in school, I have a part-time job
which brings me in sic week, put
this is saved, every cent OF 1t, for that
annuity you wrote about some years
ago.
"A quart of milk a day. for children
to gulp down with their other meals!"
she goes on Indignantly. Great big
children in high school and college,
too. If they're so delicate they have
TO have invalid treatment, then they
ought to stay home and save school
books and shoe leather, anyway"
X x
4 MOTHER woman, this one in the
"A university town of Berkeley, adds
an excellent suggestion
we are following the newspaper
controversy about the budgets for poor
families with great amusement" she
writes, in a cultivated, clear hand. MY
sister and I. both widowed and with
Joint income of S2,400 a year, have
five small children to raise and an
invalid father as an added charge. We
manage very we'll for eight persons on
SIS a week and are constantly having
treats and surprises at the table.
The Government allowance for
eight persons comes out $l20. OF
course we had TO better that! But we
are surprised ourselves sometimes at
the case with which we cut it exactly
in half.
Does it occur to you as astonishing"
this letter goes on, that the women
who have been protesting. through the
newspaper columns, at the idea OF a
1O-cent meal budget, so constantly
use the terms menus or bills Of fare
in speaking Of feeding their families?
Surely these are not words for persons
OF limited means to use.
Food is what these families need
not menus and bills of fare. There is
10 question here OF tempting appetItes::
there is only the age-old question OF
keeping healthy and alive. We don't
discuss menus in our house, we have
good, filling, simple food. and the per-
son who is tired of milk-toaSt. boiled
potatoes, rice. macaron1, beans, apple
sauce. eggs, less gingerbread, prunes,
pancakes and bread pudding, Is always
privileged to skip a meal"
She is quite right. There is too much
fuss made nowadays about course din
ners. in plain homes. A bowl of onion
soup. at a cost of 2 cents plate,
toasted stale bread, and baked apple,
form a far more satisfying meal than
ham from the delicatessen, fried onions,
hot biscuit. tomato salad, sweet potatoes
with marshmallows, doughnuts and cof-
fee. jelly
Mac roni and cheese are meal. not
part of a meal Pork and beans are
meal. heavy soup with vegetables
and rice in it is a meal. Milk-tcast is
q meal Baked potatoes with bacon
are a meal
x x
THE Europeans are smarter about
this than we are. An italian
woman would feel great contempt for
the unsatisfyine odds and ends OF tood
an American woman calls meal. A
great plate of hot macaroni, with
Lo,,,I IF ca1ad and hit of cheese salts