Food for Rich & Poor

"Sciosophy," according to the late Dr. David Starr Jordan, who coined the word, is the pseudo-dietetic dicta imposed by food advertisers upon consumers. Said he: "It is the most delightful science in the world, because it is acquired without labor or pains and keeps the mind from melancholy."

Last week the American Dietetic Association meeting in Manhattan (where members bravely dined at Russian. Swedish, Japanese, Chinese, German, Italian, French. Turkish restaurants) set its face against sciosophistic eating. They confirmed the great dietetic discoveries of the recent past. For example, liver.* But the trend was against all fads. Said Dr. Mary Swartz Rose: "The mysteries of vitamins, the specificities of minerals, the inner qualities of proteins, shortcomings of calories, the intricacies of biological equilibrium lend themselves to sciosophical interpretations that sound like gospel to the man on the street; and if they extract a little money from him, so much the better."

For Health, But that did not settle the question about keeping healthy & wise. Professor Henry Clapp Sherman of Columbia University settled that point. Babies are born with sufficient iron and copper in their blood and livers to keep going for quite a while. But calcium, which babies need for bones, they must get from mother's or a cow's milk. If a baby takes too much calcium from its mother. she must replenish her supply by eating calcium-bearing foods. Otherwise her teeth may decay, her bones ache, her resistance to disease decline. Thus calcium (lime) is the mineral which cooks must closely watch. For most people it is more important than a dish of blood-renewing liver.

Nutritionists this year are stressing Vitamin A. Vitamin D--derived from cod or halibut liver oils, manufactured as viosterol, or developed in the body by natural or artificial sunlight--is essential for the utilization of bone building lime salts in the body. Vitamin A, however, now appears to be the body's best soldier against aisease. Best, appetizing sources of Vitamin A are butter, whole milk, egg yolk, edible green leaves (spinach, lettuce, celery leaves, beet tops), yellow corn, sweet potatoes, carrots.

For Flavor, Dietitians confessed themselves fed up with the flat recipes which they supply to restaurants and households. They demanded and were served a "flavor luncheon," approved by Edith Barber of Manhattan when she exclaimed: "We in the United States have not given full respect to flavor. That is one place where we have failed. Meals in the United States are generally more balanced than those in Europe, but we have not given full respect to the art of bringing out the best in food. We ought to develop the respect and almost love for tood that one finds in the average European maitre d'hotel."

"We need the spirit and adventure in cookery in order to add zest to cuisine," cried Professor Mary Van Arsdale of Teachers College.

At their annual banquet, which Chief Dietitian Marie Casteen designed, the dietitians dined as follows:

Alligator Pear Stuffed with Lobster

Consomme Borsch

Ripe and Green Olives Celery

Filet of Sea Bass Saute with New

Potatoes Parisienne Roast Boneless Baby Chicken with Jelly and

Broccoli Mornay

Hearts of Romaine Salad with French Dressing

Lemon Ice Cream Roll with Cream Sauce

Demitasse

For Poverty, What is the smallest amount of food which will keep a person healthy in poverty? Dietitians thought this list, offered by Lucy Gillett of Manhattan, sufficient:

At least a pint of milk a day for children, and for adults if possible.

Three pounds of potatoes and one-half can of tomatoes a person a week.

Three to four pounds of cheapest varieties of vegetables and fruits, such as cabbage, carrots, yellow turnips, onions, bananas and prunes, per person a week.

Day-old bread, because of decreased cost.

One-half to three-fourths pound of fat and sugar per person a day.

Cod-liver oil for every child under three years of age.

Small amounts of eggs, cheese, meat and fish when funds permit, "for psychological, if not for physiological reasons.''

* Dr. Frieda S. Robscheit-Robbins reported that experiments on dogs of the University of Rochester had shown that plain liver is far more valuable as a builder of red corpuscles than milk, green vegetables or fruit.

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