The Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1904-1985, 1948-08-19

you can't have dessert. The three
course meal consists of soup. main
course, dessert or bread. Excellent
tea or cup of something horrible
posing as coffee is added without
coupons for an extra shilling GO
cents). If you have coffee they bring
hot milk to go with it while for
tea the milk will be cold. In either
case you get only two Jumps of
sugar for the pot.
The main course, incidentally, in
an English restaurant will consist
of the entree, which always means
a choice of fish or some kind OF
dish posing as meat or poultry pota-
toes and one vegetable. Dessert is
usually a pudding of some sort or a
bite of cheese or canned fruit
The price of this repast, again
controlled by English law, is five
shillings or one dollar. Your tip is
extra and not added on the bill in
England. They trust your generosity
knowing they'll get more than ten
per cent anyway. On the continent
where prices are not controlled, they
add the tip or service charge and
then expect more.
The swank dining out places in
London, usually manage to add
service charge or some extra fee to
make the bill add up to more than
the legal five shillings and you're
expected to order wine or cock
tails.
What I missed in Europe was
meat, green salads, and most of all,
fruit. In Paris in June / paid the
equivalent of sixty cents for one
fresh peach. Oranges were plentiful
but expensive in Italy in early June.
There were a few strawberries in
Denmark and Sweden in late June.
In Stockholm, l celebrated Mid
summer Eve, the great Scandina-
Wan holiday, by buying bowl of
vanilla ice cream and strawberries
at the Grand Hotel for a sum in
Swedish kroners equal to three
American dollars. Tip was extra.
The bowl served two. After nearly
three months of no milk and little
fruit it was worth it.
The people in Europe look healthy
enough, probably as result of their
potato diet, but their vitality is very
low. They have little if any reserve
strength. In England especially
where the people have lived under
such rigid food controls with bomb
ing thrown in for good measure it
is miraculous that no major epide-
mics have broken out.
No people can live for nine years
on short rations and under stress
and strain of war without showing
some effects and the English are
no exception. War and rationing
have made their inroads on the ira
ditional reserve of the average En-
glishman. They have not changed
him radically unless it is to make
him friendlier and a little more
democratic, both with his own peo-
pie and the people of other nations
particularly Americans.
The one real bright note of Eu-
rope is the children. They are get
ting the best food available and lots
of help from America. Whether il
be in England, Italy, France. Holland
or Belgium, Scandinavia or even
Germany, the children look clean,
healthy, well-nourished and beauti-
| full
But then children everywhere are
beautiful >. and the only hope
| of the world.
Some day, and God grant that ii
might be soon, Wen grow a gene
tration that will be unselfish, strong,
and have faith and courage enough
to make this old world the dwelling
place of real peace and brotherlv
love and understanding.
Only when that generation is born
and supplemented into power can we
justify the existence of the human
l race in this world.