The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1948-08-19
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realize there are millions of people
in England and western Europe,
who never get quite enough to eat
either because they do not
have the money to pay for it or
because they don't have enough
ration points to fill the needs of
their respective families.
The European food situation for
American tourists may be summed
UP like this you can get practi-
cally anything you want to eat pro-
vided you have money enough to
pay for it anywhere in Europe ex-
cept in England and Norway. In these
two countries the food simply isn't
there. Though they give the very
best they have to their visitors their
best is not what we'd call satiss
factory or even an adequate diet by
American standards.
If all the people of France and
italy had enough money to pay the
high prices demanded by the
Black Market for food then there
surely would not be enough food
TO meet the demand But the aver
age Italian and Frenchman doesn't
have that much money. So the peo-
pie who do have money in France
and Italy manage to live very well
off food obtained in the black mar
axets The poor do the best they can
usually without.
The farmers throughout western
Europe naturally are living better
than any other single class of peo-
pie except the very wealthy !.
of whom there are not too many
left.
An English housewife will tell you
it is absolutely impossible for her
to feed her family with the rations
allowed at present by the govern
ment. She makes her points go as
far as possible and then the family
has to eat out the rest of the week.
This adds a still greater strain on
the family budget which is already
hard pressed even though the price
of food has been kept down by
government subsidy, ruse or de-
vice that has not fooled the Eng
ish for one moment They will tell
YOU they see no need of paying in
creased taxes to pay for the food
subsidy, and that it can't go on
forever.
The rations allowed each English
citizen now gives him fresh meat
once a week, and not too large a
serving then. He is limited to three
ounces of butter and three ounces
of margarine a week and then he
cannot always find the butter. All
dairy products are in short supply.
Cheese is strictly rationed and all
milk is reserved for children and
invalids. didn't see any real
cream at any time in England. They
serve thin very poor quality milk
for the tea even at the most fashion
able places in London T. and no
lemon, ever.
Sugar, a great necessity for the
Englishman because of his tea-drink-
ing habits, is limited to two pounds
per month per person. Home baked
cakes and sweets as well as candies
are out completely. Candy cannot
be bought in the stores without
giving up precious ration points.
Fruits are. scarce and very ex-
pensive, or dear" as the English
would say.
Eggs are rationed severely with
two to four eggs per week being
allowed in the summer if you can
lind them in the stores. During last
winter the ration was one or two
eggs per month and there weren't
enough eggs in England to supply
all the population with that num-
Der. Powdered eggs, which can be
quite palatable if cooked properly,
can be bought most of the time but
again points must be surrendered.
Bread, too, was rationed in En-
gland. and throughout Europe this
summer with most countries feel
ing that bread rationing can be mo-
dified or perhaps eliminated this
winter if predictions of record har-
vest materialize.
Poultry, fish and fresh vegetables
are the principal unrationed foods
in England and on the continent as
well.
Meat, sugar, bread, fats of all
kinds including soap, are in short
supply and rationed in France, Italy,
Holland. Belgium, Denmark, Swe-
den. and Norway.
Only in Denmark. Sweden and
Norway, however, is the tourist
given ration coupons as he goes
through customs. Only in these
three countries do you have to take
your coupons to the restaurant with
you in order to be able to eat. Diff
ferent color coupons are given for
meat, butter, bread, sugar and soap.
IL tourist in Scandinavia runs out
of coupons he can give his passport
to the bell captain at his hotel. who
will present it to the proper autho-