Evening star., 1943-04-19
Gchool Cafeteria
Project Promotes
Healthful Eating
Hot, Nufrifive Meal
Served Pupils by
Somerset P.TA
Bv Frances Lide.

~ xFUHCCS At1cs
Youngsters who take their lunches
at the Somerset School Cafeteria eat
their spinach-and like it! That's
part Of the story which makes this
school project interesting.
Operated by the Somerset Parent
Teacher Association, the cafeteria
is directed by Mrs. Arthur Ringland,
who explained that it's sort OF CO.
operative affair, with group OF
mothers and some of the older chill
dren taking a big share Of the re-
sponsibility.
Sandwiches and other cold
"snacks" are frowned on in the
cafeteria, where great attention is
given to nutritive values.
For Is cents a day a child may
have a complete meal at lunch
time. A sample menu includes soup,
a meat or meat substitute, a green
vegetable, dessert which usually is
made of fruit, wholewheat bread,
butter and milk.
Little opportunity is given for Sc
lection-for youngsters rarely choose
wisely-but soup may be changed
for a vegetable and some OF the
cider children often substitute a
salad for dessert.
When a youngster has finished his
meal a clean" plate is the rule.
This is accomplished by the use
of public opinion" at the tables,
Mrs. Ringland said.
If Johnny doesn't eat his spinach
or kale, his fellow classmates are
so shocked that he doesn't wish to
offend. The older pupils also act as
sort of patrol" officers and asked
pointed questions when they find
food left on the trays at the end
of the meal.
Unpopular dishes are soon &C
cepted as matter of course and
the youngsters quickly develop a
taste for things they once spurned.
In preparing the food, Mrs. Ring
land has the cooperation OF a
group of P-TA mothers who arrive
every day in teams Of two.
The sixth-grade girls look after
the service. Some are detailed to
serve the trays. while others punch
meal tickets. Then they help clear
the tables at the end Of the lunch
period.
While gne primary purpose OF the
cafeteria is TO provide well-balanced
meals, the mothers who help are
gaining practical experience in nu-
triton. All of them have taken
some special training and they see
theories put into practice when
they work in the cafeteria.
In fact, the value of the cafe
terra as a Laboratory" has been
recognized by the Red Cross, which
is now using it to offer training in
canteen work
Mrs. Ringland says that she can't
praise too highly the work of the
Cafeteria Committee, which is made
up of the mothers who help with
preparation of the food and general
administration. They don't let
other responsibilities interfere with
this service" she explained. 9th
erwise, We simple couldn't operate" "
Mrs Edgar burlington is chair
man of the committee, which in
cludes Mrs. Albert L. Slower, Mrs.
John Probey, Mrs. Ernest Aiken,
Mrs. Arthur Lambert. Mrs. Frank
c. Hutton, Mrs. John Snodgrass,
Mrs. Meredith F. Burrill. Mrs.
Vance johnson, Mrs. Frank B.
Crider, Mrs. Charles P. Ince, Mrs.
James Cappell and Mrs. Dwight
Pollard.
In addition to the regulars"
there is a committee of substitute
workers which includes Mrs. Wesley
Sauter, Mrs. Maxwell Conklin, Mrs.
Clark w. King, Mrs. George T..
Allen, Mrs. Ned Brooks, Mrs. John
Littlepage. Mrs. Joseph kingsbuy,
Mrs. R. E. Gibson, Mrs N. A. j, de
Voogd. Mrs. Hale G.. Knight and
Mrs. Elvert Holsten.
Mrs. Ringland, who has an eX-
tensive background in nutrition
work-a great deal of it abroad dur
ing and after the last war-took
over management of the cafeteria
last fall during an emergency and
has continued it because it seemed
to be a war job worth doing.
A graduate of the University of
California, where she specialized in
biochemistry and nutrition, she
went to Europe in 1915 as a Volun-
teer worker with the American
Fund for French Wounded and lat
er served as nutritionist for the
children's bureau of the American
Red Cross in its Paris office. While
in Europe she studied at the Chill
dren's Hospital in Vienna under
Won Pirquet, who did pioneer work
with sunshine treatments and spe-
cial feeding. After the armistice
she went to Prague with the Ameri-
can Relief Administration and also
spent some time in Constantinople
working with Russian refugees.
In addition to running the cafe
terra, she teaches classes in nutri-
ton and canteen management
under the adult education program
of the MONTGOMERY County Board