WHILE THE KETTLE BOILS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 35, 23 February 1940, Page 43

WHILE THE KETTLE BOILS

Dear Friends, The other day I met a country girl who, for the past two years, has been engaged in a typing job in a city office. When I saw, her last she was a comely, strapping, sun-browned lacs. I was shocked at the difference these two years had made in her. She had lost all her freshness; locked pallid, tired, and nervy. . "I can’t understand this tired fe:ling," she said, "because after all, my job is a comparatively easy one — not like manual labour.’ A little bell rang in my mini. "So you think," I answered. " Well, my dear girl, you may be interested to hear his. In America they have made scientific tests, proving that an average typist does more work per day than a ditch digger. When the effort required to strike a key is multiplied by the thousands of key depressions a day, the total effort actually is greater than that required in eight hours of ditch digging. "What’s more," I went on, " you’ve given me an idea. There must be numbers of other bachelor girls like yourself who are doing their own housekeeping, so I am going to write my next weekly Letter specially for their benefit." ; Let’s start with food. For that is the most -important foundation. Most bachelor girls tend to fall into the " delicatessen habit." This is fatal to good health. Our constitutions demand a hot meal once a day — and even.a business girl can manage that. Grills will be your stand-by. These are not only the quickest and easiest to prepare, but are far more nourishing and digestible than fried foods. Don’t think a roast is beyond you, either. You can half-cook it the night before and finish it off when you come home the following evening. It doesn’t even require an oven. A small round of beef, ora piece of lamb suitable for two, can be roasted in a saucepan if turned over when half done. Casserole dishes, though they take a little longer, are both savoury and nourishing, and they have this saving grace -that everything goes into the one pot. The frying pan should be avoided as much as possiblethough liver and fish, of course, nfust be cooked this way. Always try and cook two vegetables — one a green. Potatoes (in their jackets), peas, carrots, beans, cabbage and spinach, should all be included in your diet. And don’t forget that "something raw a every day-no matter at what meal. Grated carrots, salads, and, whenever possible, fresh fruit. Breakfast should not be a very heavy meal. Toast with a boiled or poached egg, sardines on toast, or cereals, are all easily prepared. Lunch, too, can be light, and should include, whenever possible, a raw salad and brown bread and butter. By the end of the day you will be ready for that hot meal. There is one golden rule for every bachelor girl if she wishes perfect fitness. Drink at least a pint of milk a day. It will not only save. you doctors’ bills, but give you a new beauty. Plenty of water, drunk between meals, will also help to keep the body functioning properly, and clear and improve your complexion. Next week I have something further to say to the bachelor girl — about clothes, dressing, and other important essentials.

Yours Cordially,

Cynthia