Evening star., 1942-08-05

Henry MeIemore. day comes 1t
will be all right by me, because,
without being Pollyanna, I can
see the blessing in such rationing.
Right of the bat, rationing will
draw families closer together by
making them eat the same things.
There won't be such tremendous
choice in foodstuffs. One OF the
major problems in the American
home today is deciding what to
have for dinner. Papa likes lamb.
Mama likes beef. Johnny won't
eat beef or lamb but dotes on pork.
Sister will struggle through help
ing of any of these. but her heart
isn't in her eating unless she has
meat loaf.
With rationing, this will all be
ended. Mama can end any argu-
ment or fuss by saying that this Is
war, her stamps call for this kind
of meat or vegetables, and to COM
plain is to be unpatriotic.
believe the children of the Ma
ton will welcome the restricted
menu that will come with rationing.
One of the big hardships of being
child is that grown-ups force chill
dren to taste things. My father
was a great one for having the
children take a bite ana see If you
don't like it." And he wouldn't
take mo" for an answer.
My tastes ran contrary to his,
very contrary, in fact, but more
than few hours of my childhood
were spent opening my mouth and
trying to hold my breath while
concoction not to my liking was
poked via spoon or fork.
Dad felt that any child could
learn to like anything II he ate it
often enough, even If it were squash,
which happened to be one OF his
favorite dishes. To this day
plate OF squash on the table
frightens me more than the thought
Of reading Poe in a haunted house
at midnight.
Dining in restaurants will be SIM
pli1ed by the rationing OF food.
Frankly, how many times have you
ordered food in a restaurant and
then, when the food was served, COW
eted the dish that your companion
had ordered? This, after studying
the menu for 10 minutes and hav-
ing an equal chance to order what
most appealed to you.
Wives are the greatest sufferers in
restaurant eating. Breathes there a
man with soul 80 dead who never to
his wife has said-Honey. like what
you have much more than what
ordered. This poses a great problem
for the wife. Should she be firm,
unyielding and go right ahead and
eat what she ordered, or should she
unselfishly suggest that she swap
with her husband? Most wives yield.
There is soft streak in them that
causes them to turn over their lamb
chops and tackle a rooster under
bell that they wouldn't have ordered
in 10 years Of dining out
Even the most hardened wife will
share her plate with her husband.
and offer him choice bits Of her food
for dsbbles Of the dish that he
ordered and which she doesn't like.
II you see two people go through
an entire restaurant meal without
any swapping Of food you may be
sure that they are courting and thus
showing of to each other, that they
are almost complete strangers, or
that they are mad at each other and
will maintain grim silence no mat
ter how much they would like to
do q little swapping.
| X X
do hope. however, that rationing
will never affect desserts. There is
nothing more gratifying when eat
ing In a restaurant than to have one
OF yo,r companions decide that he
has had enough, and doesn't want
the sweet that comes with his meal.
This allows you to tell him to order
it anyway, so that you will be able
to combine it with yours and make
q really suberb concoction. Not only
does this doubling up Of desserts
please the palate; 1t delights the
streak OF economy that all Of us
have in us. It's like getting some
thing FOR nothing.
The only fear of general rationins
that have concerns the ration
cards. How to keep from losing the
pesky things Is problem. Perhaps
Mr.. Morgenthau will allow q fellow
to deduct from his income tax the
expense Of hiring a small ration
hound to guard and protect his
cards. The hound could carry them
around his neck like st. Bernard
dog. Ill write Mr.. Morgenthau about
that the first thing next year.
Distributed BY McNausht Syndicate, Inc.)