Foods that will win the WAR! 1918

Feather,

Did you notice that US consumption per person per year of sugar was 80lbs--and now our consumption is 130lbs. That about says it all--about how our diets have changed and how the government's request for a lesser consumption was ineffective in making that change.

Did you see that most of those sugar saving recipes substitute corn syrup? I have doubts it was less expensive or better for you.

HistoricFoodie wrote:   All that aside, I found two things particularly interesting. The minor one: Look at the translation line on the title page. I can't help but wonder why "the Scandinavian" is singled out?

I saw that and have no idea why Scandinavian was singled out too.

The major point: Notice that during WW I, the government advised, recommended, and urged the population to conserve and substitute. It is likely that all that effort was less than successful, because, come WW II, there was actual rationing. I suspect that rationing would not have gone into effect had there been widespread cooperation with the WW I programs.

Actual rationing and taxation seem to be the only effective methods--not that I'm agreeing or disagreeing with it.

There's probably a thesis buried in there for some enterprising history major.

Or even someone studying dietary changes and past and current common diseases related to food.

I suspect both my grandmother's on both sides of the family grew up with the headset from this type of cookbook and gov't urging. Times were tough and with large families their money didn't go very far. My parent's rarely bought chocolate bars or candy, rarely soda and meat was rationed more to the males than the females.  I first saw the inside of a restaurant when I was 18 or 19 and dating, it just wasn't the norm for us.

This is fascinating. My husband bought me the book of the BBC series "Wartime Farm" for my birthday, and while it's about WWII, not WW1, it's gotten me interested in rationing, substitutions, etc.

I read somewhere that lobster was the poor man's meat......not so much a poor man's meat now! I haven't seen mutton available in the last 40 years in the grocery stores. Maybe it's available from a farmer?