HOUSEKEEPER ABROAD
GENEVA IS COSTLY
Mutton in New Zealand; pineapples in Honolulu, varied salads and roast chicken in Michigan; and fruit, vegetables and Continental fare in Geneva, home of the League of Nations. Such are the experiences in food that travel brings. Mrs. Condliffe, wife of Dr. J. B. Condliffe, of the secretariat of the League of Nations, lias, one might say, kept house right round the world. A comparison of the ways and means, the prices and methods of each separate country is interesting. Honolulu, for instance, was different from New Zealand; and in Michigan the cost of living was high. But Geneva is easily the most expensive of all. A leg of lamb—politely they call it lambcosts about £1 or more. Consequently when lamb appears on the table the occasion is something of a festival. "Vegetables and fruit, however, are very cheap," Mrs. Condliffe told a Christchurch reporter. "We get a great selection of vegetables, the very best, things you seldom see here. And we get them early. A great deal of the fruit comes from Spain. In common with many of the wives of the secretariat members Mrs. Condliffe goes shopping in the markets each day, for though the League men must work for the peace of the world, the League wives must shop that the men may eat. She enjovs the marketing.
" I sally out with my basket—two baskets. It is interesting. The language of the market is French, and I've picked up the jargon. In the market I will probably meet women of Sweden and Norway with their baskets. Australia, too, and perhaps another New Zealander. There is one very chaming little Japanese Quaker who is to be met there, but she mostly does her shopping from a limousine. The national idea of dignity is different from ours. America sends her maids or a chauffeur. "The women from New Zealand and the Scandinavians seem to foregather naturally. You get to know all the stallholders of the market; there are some interesting characters among them." b
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New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22004, 10 January 1935, Page 3
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340HOUSEKEEPER ABROAD New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22004, 10 January 1935, Page 3
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