Are Our Adolescents Ready For a Job?

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 60, Issue 1, 15 January 1940, Page 77

Are Our Adolescents Ready For a Job?

HOW many girls who feel well equipped to do a good job after leaving school next month will miss securing a position because of a poor complexion, poor posture, unsightly teeth, or a malnourished appearance? How many who are overweight will be in disfavour because the interviewer feels that they will not be alert and keen in carrying out their work. A good complexion, good teeth, good posture, and desirable weight are not only assets, but are essential to a girl or boy seeking work. The employer himself quickly appraises an applicant on all these points. A manager who has been employing girls for 15 years says: “I seldom hire a girl with a poor complexion. If she lets herself slump down in her seat while waiting to be interviewed, little notice will be taken of her; she should sit erect and look as if she were ‘on her toes.’ Teeth are so important that girls themselves realise this, and frequently say that they will have dental work attended to as soon as they get a job.” Improving Appearance Few girls and boys— even mothers —appreciate the importance of food in improving appearance, protecting teeth, or controlling weight. Many girls are so afraid of becoming fat that they are sadly malnourished. On the other hand, some girls who eat sweets in abundance gain weight far in excess of a safety or beauty zone. They are more likely to have a breakfast of sweet buns and

sweetened tea; for lunch, a meat pie, and more tea, with pie or cake for dessert; and in-between meals of bakery cakes, sweets, and ices. Such meals are deficient in foods necessary for the growth of “teen ages,” for health protection, and for an appearance of vigorous health. A bad skin condition and constipation may result, while stooping shoulders, rough, unkempt hair, and a heavy, dull, listless expression are sure to follow. For good health, which is evidenced by an alert manner, good posture, a clear skin and hair that is smooth and glossy, every boy and every girl must have milk, vegetables, and fruit —not just a few days before an interview, but for months before; from early childhood is best. If sweets are eaten, they should be used as dessert at the end of a meal, and then preferably in the form of a simple pudding, custard, or fruit. Dental work is not only expensive, but indicates something fundamentally wrong with the diet and health. What a pity boys and girls do not realise that proper food is necessary for good teeth. Early Habits A wise mother will help to establish such food habits early in childhood, and will continue to encourage the adolescents to drink milk and eat plenty of fruit and vegetables and whole-grain bread and cereals. Such good food habits, together with plenty of fresh air, sunshine, and exercise, and

long hours of sleep, will give boys and girls that look of absolute cleanliness, freshness, and good health that must supplement his or her special training for a job. BEAN AND NUT CHOWDER. Dried lima beans, 2 cups. Sliced onions, 1 cup. Diced carrots, j cup. Minced parsley, 1 tablespoonful. Sliced raw potatoes, 2 cups. Peanut butter, 1 cup. Scalded milk, 1 quart. Method: Soak lima beans overnight and drain. Put into a saucepan with plenty of cold water and boil gently for one hour. Pour the water into another saucepan and arrange the vegetables on the beans in successive layers, sprinkling each layer lightly with salt and pepper. Return the liquid adding boiling water if necessary. Cook until the vegetables are soft. Mix the peanut butter to a thin, smooth paste with a little of the hot milk and add to the chowder with the remaining milk. Blend thoroughly and serve with a garnish of chopped parsley. FISH CHOWDER. White fish, lib. Cold water, 3 cups. Salt pork or bacon, 2 slices. Onion (small), 1. Diced carrots, lj cups. Milk, 2 cups. Salt, 2 teaspoonfuls. Potatoes (medium), 4. Method: Wash the fish and cut in pieces off the bones. Cook the bones in cold water 20 minutes and strain off the liquid. Cut the bacon (or salt pork) into small pieces and fry with the sliced onion; then add the hot liquid and vegetables and cook 20 minutes. Add the fish and cook 15 minutes longer at a moderate temperature. Then add the milk and simmer five minutes. Serve with crackers.