The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-08-21
Observations
Nays Sea Going
Food Far Cry From
Old Time Hard Tack
BY Helen Essary

Dear Sir" wrote an Indiana moth
er. my son will have a birthday on
Sept. 10. Will your people see that
he has spashetti and strawberry
short cake for dinner then? | al
ways had them on his birthday
when he was home. George is with
the South Pacific fleet. His APO
number is Xxx"
The letter was chsnneled lex
cellent word in military life) and
soon reached its proper destination.
the Bureau OF Supplies and Ac-
counts.
Cant say we actually will catch
up with George" said the Bureau
Of Supplies and Accounts when !
went to call. But his mother need.
MT have worried. He didn't miss
many birthday celebrations. And as
for the spaghetti" pridefully added
the S. and A.. as the Navy Bureau
of Supplies and Accounts Is called
informally, wen show you our new
Navy cook book. Then you'll see
that the Indiana mothers son and
every other son in our charge IS
getting spaghetti and a lot more
besides"
Later | was escorted along the
covered bridge the department has
thrown up across the Lincoln Men,
orial pool, TO meet Rear Admiral W.
B. Young, chief Of the s. and A. !
met the new Navy cook book and
the admiral almost in the same
handshake. It's always hard to sep
arate an author from his fayorite
composition. The admiral you might
describe as the father OF the 1914
revised edition of the principles OF
cookery. menu planning, and COM
prehensive collection Of recipes
based on the newer knowledge OF
nutrition
hasten TO say that both the ad-
miral and the cook book are well
bound, carefully put together and
done in clear, readable type. The
admiral is frankly pleased with the
Navy cook book. And justly so. For
the volume proves in its 400 pages
of expert advice on how TO cook.
what to cook, when to cook and
+ why, the astounding improvement
the Navy has made in its galleys
since the services have come to
know that food is morale.
The hopeful request OF the In
diana mother was a compliment TO
the cuisine which is admitted to
be the best floating cuisine in any
body's Navy.
When John Paul Jones was lick
ing the English ships into cooked
hats did the American sailor get a
birthday cake to keep him from
feeling homesick?" / asked Admiral
Young.
The admiral reached for 1.-THE
History OF the Navy RATION" one Of
l the departments many pamphlets
on food. The history began in 1874.
| That was the year Of the law Ito
procure by purchase or otherwise
six ships TO protect the commerce
OF the infant United States OF Am
erica against "depredations by the
Algerian corsaiars." Obviously, the
men OF the six ships needed food
with which to sustain the flesh and
spirit while fighting off the Bar
barry pirates.
The daily food ration Of each sail
DIT then was IS cents a day. The
piece de resistance OF the menu
was hard tack" Every day was
1ard tack day. Some days hard tack
vas dished up with black molasses,
Or maybe beans or yellow pea soup.
As a special treat there was plum
huff or dried apples. Plum duff was
definitely in the leftover class. 1t
vas concocted with remnants OF
,eans. hard tack. dried apples and
nolasses and boiled for several
hours thereafter.
There was no refrigeration In
hose far away days. In fact, Few
hips had refrigeration until recent.
y. The only method Of preserving
God for long voyages was by dry
ny out its moisture or putting II
own in salt. There was no scarcity
4 salt in a sa ilor's life. His Sun
az dinner treat was usually SAL
.orse."
"Salt horse was Just what u
ounds like" explained comman
er when went to ask him abou
he early eating habits OF the Navy
II was kept in a cask, and wheT
ne time came to dig it out, It wal
trapped in a net. thrown over
oard while the wind was blowini
trong in the other direction ant
owed for hours in the hope o
-ashing away some OF the salt ant
NELL
With each days allotment OF foo'
IL early seagoing fellow receive
half pint OF distilled spirits. No
ntil the Civil War period did tn
,od aboard ship begin TO improve
ice became more frecuentl
,ed II was possible to store larg
iantities Of fresh meats, fruits an
sgetables.
Hard tack fingered on, however
the ships rations until the day
the Spanish-American War.