The Fingers. — Almost all foods are served with a fork, or a spoon. The serving dish for all such foods should of course be provided with a fork or a spoon. There are a few foods, however, such as bread, cake, and wafers, which should be taken with the fingers. Bread should not be cut at the table. It is better to break off a piece of bread and then butter it than it is to spread the entire slice at one time. If cake is soft, it should be eaten with a fork. Celery, hard cheese (if cut into pieces), radishes, confections, and most uncooked fruits are taken with the fingers, and eaten from them. Olives and salted nuts may be taken from the serving dish with the fingers, but usually spoons are pro- vided for the purpose. Pieces of chicken or chops should be handled only with the knife and fork. Special utensils are sometimes provided for holding corn served on the cob. 352 THE PLANNING AND SERVING OP MEALS Fruits served whole are sometimes difficult to manage. When possible the hostess should prepare them before they are served. Oranges and grape fruit may be cut into halves or peeled and sliced ; bananas may be peeled, scraped, and sliced. If fruits, such as apples, pears, and peaches, are served whole, they should first be cut into quarters, and each quarter should be pared separately and eaten. Peaches may be cut into halves and eaten with a spoon. The Napkin. — When the napkin is placed on the lap, it need not be spread entirely out, but may be left with one fold in it. A guest who is to be present at consecutive meals should fold his napkin after eating : if, however, he is dining in a hotel or restaurant, or if he is in a home for but one meal, the napkin should be laid on the table without folding. Quiet Eating. — Quiet mastication without hurry and without noise is an obligation that one owes himself and his companions. Always refrain from talking during mastica- tion. One cannot eat quietly unless his lips are kept closed while chewing. CHAPTER VI Cost of Food Foods differ greatly in cost. One pound of rice costs much less than one pound of beefsteak. One cut of meat may cost less per pound than another. Twenty-five cents buys much less in weight of sweetbreads than of beefsteak. Many factors other than difference in cost must, however, be taken into consideration when determining the value of foods. Cost of Food in Relation to Nutritive Value. — Foods differ in nutritive value per pound. One pound of dried split peas contains more than three times as much nutriment as one pound of fresh peas. The nutritive value of a pound of sweetbreads is much less than that of a pound of beef- steak. Cost of Food in Relation to Refuse. — Although one cut of meat may sell for more than another, the higher priced one may be cheaper because there is less waste. In most localities flank steak costs more per pound than shoulder steak ; yet flank steak is the cheaper meat because it is all edible, while there is about one fifth waste in most shoulder steak. One pays for some refuse even when one purchases eggs. Cost of Food in Relation to Season. — Most foods are higher in price when out of season. Strawberries may cost fifty cents per quart in February and twelve cents in the spring 353 354 THE PLANNING AND SERVING OP MEALS or summer months. An unseasonable food is invariably expensive. There are many things, then, that the thrifty buyer should take into consideration when purchasing foods. It is one of the obligations of a woman who purchases and plans the foods for a family to be careful of expense. The fol- lowing statement concerning thrift is both forceful and true :

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The Fingers. — Almost all foods are served with a fork, or a spoon. The serving dish for all such foods should of course be provided with a fork or a spoon. There are a few foods, however, such as bread, cake, and wafers, which should be taken with the fingers. Bread should not be cut at the table. It is better to break off a piece of bread and then butter it than it is to spread the entire slice at one time. If cake is soft, it should be eaten with a fork. Celery, hard cheese (if cut into pieces), radishes, confections, and most uncooked fruits are taken with the fingers, and eaten from them. Olives and salted nuts may be taken from the serving dish with the fingers, but usually spoons are provided for the purpose. Pieces of chicken or chops should be handled only with the knife and fork. Special utensils are sometimes provided for holding corn served on the cob. Fruits served whole are sometimes difficult to manage. When possible the hostess should prepare them before they are served. Oranges and grape fruit may be cut into halves or peeled and sliced ; bananas may be peeled, scraped, and sliced. If fruits, such as apples, pears, and peaches, are served whole, they should first be cut into quarters, and each quarter should be pared separately and eaten. Peaches may be cut into halves and eaten with a spoon. The Napkin. — When the napkin is placed on the lap, it need not be spread entirely out, but may be left with one fold in it. A guest who is to be present at consecutive meals should fold his napkin after eating : if, however, he is dining in a hotel or restaurant, or if he is in a home for but one meal, the napkin should be laid on the table without folding. Quiet Eating. — Quiet mastication without hurry and without noise is an obligation that one owes himself and his companions. Always refrain from talking during mastication. One cannot eat quietly unless his lips are kept closed while chewing. CHAPTER VI Cost of Food Foods differ greatly in cost. One pound of rice costs much less than one pound of beefsteak. One cut of meat may cost less per pound than another. Twenty-five cents buys much less in weight of sweetbreads than of beefsteak. Many factors other than difference in cost must, however, be taken into consideration when determining the value of foods. Cost of Food in Relation to Nutritive Value. — Foods differ in nutritive value per pound. One pound of dried split peas contains more than three times as much nutriment as one pound of fresh peas. The nutritive value of a pound of sweetbreads is much less than that of a pound of beefsteak. Cost of Food in Relation to Refuse. — Although one cut of meat may sell for more than another, the higher priced one may be cheaper because there is less waste. In most localities flank steak costs more per pound than shoulder steak ; yet flank steak is the cheaper meat because it is all edible, while there is about one fifth waste in most shoulder steak. One pays for some refuse even when one purchases eggs. Cost of Food in Relation to Season. — Most foods are higher in price when out of season. Strawberries may cost fifty cents per quart in February and twelve cents in the spring or summer months. An unseasonable food is invariably expensive. There are many things, then, that the thrifty buyer should take into consideration when purchasing foods. It is one of the obligations of a woman who purchases and plans the foods for a family to be careful of expense. The following statement concerning thrift is both forceful and true :

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