Good Cooking Enemy Of Divorce

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20891, 22 November 1937, Page 14

Good Cooking Enemy Of Divorce

Key To Family Happiness

“’JHE good cook is never divorced,” says Professor Harvey Sutton in the Sydney Sun. “The age-old advice still holds good for wives who would keep their husbands happy and contented— Feed the brute!” The vice-president of the Sydney Housewives’ Association, Mrs. Ruby Duncan, also advises wives “to feed the brute, but feed him intelligently, and feed yourself at the same time.’’ Both Professor Sutton and Mrs. Duncan are agreed that first steps in training women in cooking and household management should be taken in the schools. Raise the school age to 16 and train girls during the last two years of their

attendance, is the professor's suggestion. Make training in domestic management compulsory for all girls between the age of 11 and 14, says Mrs. Duncan. These views originated in remarks made by Professor Harvey Sutton at the Women’s Christian Temperance Union Conference. He told delegates that “if women were better cooks less alcohol would be consumed by their husbands.” Monotonous Menus. Amplifying this statement Professor Harvey Sutton said there were considerable choices of food, but it was usually found that, in most households, the diet

was varied little. The choice of dishes was limited; the same items appeared on the menu with monotonous regularity. There were about 40 different cuts of meat, but rarely did one see more tlian two or three varieties on many tables. “The consumption of cheese in Australia is about one-third of England on a pro rata basis,” he added. “Cheese here is usually placed on the table, and it becomes dry and unappetising in appearance. If that cheese were used in the variety of appetising cheese dishes it would look most attractive and would lend variety to diet. “Through lack of proper training many housewives do not realise the possibilities in preparing appetising meals from simple ingredients.” He suggested that the school-leaving age should be increased to 16, and that girls should be taught domestic subjects. Such training between the age of 14 and 16 would prove valuable to girls when they married.

Cause of Unrest. Mrs. Duncan advocated scientific compulsory training for girls between the age of 11 and 14, irrespective of social position. “I believe that half of our ills and many of the troubles in Europe to-day are due to ignorance in dietetics.” It must be remembered, however, that many women have not had the proper training, because man has restricted her pocket, vision and liberty of action, so that it was not possible for her to make research into scientific matters as man has done.”

Mrs. Duncan suggested this menu for an average day:— For breakfast, wholemeal bread and butte, and eggs and bacon in winter, with eggs without bacon in the summer. Cereal foods with milk could also be served.

For lunch, wholemeal bread and butter; lettuce, celery, tomatoes and cucumber. either as a salad or separately. For dinner, meat, roasted or boiled, with two green vegetables and potatoes, followed in winter by steamed pudding and in summer stewed fruit with junket. This should be varied from day to day, but. said Mrs. Duncan, the family should have one hot meal every day.

System Vital. Frying-pan cookery was not so general as previously, she said, but she deprecated an excessive use of tinned foods. Lack of proper meals had a bearing on divorce and separation, said Mrs. Duncan. “Many homes have been broken up simply because they were run without system and the wife failed to give her husband proper meals," she added. “In any home where you find system absent you will invariably find some man who is looking round for the chance to murder somebody.”

Towel Grip. A substitute for a towel rail in the bathroom or kitchen is a “towel grip,” a device of bakelite and chromium. You just slip a piece of the towel into a slot and it will be held securely, but it is easily released with a downward pull. One of its advantages is that it helps to break the habit some people have of just leaving the towels on the floor after use. The gadget attracts them to make use of it, and by the time the novelty has worn off the new habit of tidiness has been formed.