MESS BILLS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 253, 13 July 1918, Page 9

MESS BILLS

OLD EXTRAVAGANCE GONE. (By "Tabs," in the "Daffy llnil.") When,, years ago, J first knew what living in an officers' mess meant I always looked forward with timorous feelings \n the beginning of each month. This was because the mess president then took tlie opportunity of submitting one's account. ,It was an uneasy moment. However frugally one lived,, the. total might be anything from .£lO to ,£2O, although it included nothing more costly lo drink tlinn draught; ]>eor and a couple of glasses of port on "guest nights. , ' . This was in tlm "good old days." Thank Heaven, they have now gonn and a now and better regime has replaced them. At the present finis if an officer's moss bill exceeds 2s. 6d. a day there is pretty certain to bo » row. In many messes the daily cost works out at a couple of shillings, and in some it is as little at Is. 6tl. This happens to be the figure obtaining in the ono to which I belong. It is really less, because G{d. is refunded as a "commuted allowance." What do wo get in return for this trifling outlay? Well, a substantial breakfast, hinchcon, afternoon tea, and supper. lifet mo give to-day's bill of fare: Breakfast: Porridgo and milk, eggs and bijeon, toast, butter, and marmalade. Luncheon: .lioast beef, two vegetables, _ stewed fruit, rico pudding, and cheese, lea: Bread, butter, lettuce, and cake. Supper: Soup, corned beef, biscuits, and cheese. Not bad, this, for Is. Cd. Harassed housewives will bo glad to learn how it is done. I will let them into the secret. It is merely a combination of economy and good management, coupled of course, with the fact that a fair supply of bread, meat, and sugar is issued to each member as a Government ration. Consequently, it is only "extras," such as milk, eggs, butter, vegetables, cheese jam, and biscuits, that have to ba bought. , But they must be bought with care and in the right market. This is tho mesa sergeants job. If ho is a good caterer, all is well. If he isn't, all is distinctly wrong. In this latter case,' however, he is sent packing pretty quickly, and somebody elso gets Ins billet. "A good cook is also required, so that tho best can be made out of tho avnilnble supply. Where wo are concerned wo are perhaps singularly fortunate in having tho position tilled by an ox-hotel cliet, who (loos wonders with Army beef, l'uel and light, too, uro thrown in .by tho Powers-that-Bo as well tie an adequate kitchen eUiff. It is for these mid other similar reasons, then, that in a properly-conducted mess an officer can live like a fightingOTCk lor a maximum expenditure of 2s. "I 11 , i -V, ,/. st lui I>P?»s. wo do it for •iboiit half this. But then we «re coniPiit lo iivo simply; and do not attempt .0 run tho show liku a smart restaurant, or want a band and a palm court. ins idea that officers' messes nro hot- ■ Kit ol extravagance and that the memSera habitually live on all the delicacies of tho seuson dies hard.