Page:The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, vol. 1.djvu/156

 I, therefore, began with the sweets. I lived upon them exclusively for about two or three days and could have done so for a long time, but one of the Indian friends mentioned above was very fond of his roti and rice and dal; so he arranged with one of the native sailors to cook us some Indian dishes. The flour and other articles were provided free of charge by the steamer authorities. So we lived on these Indian dishes. The sailors were very dirty and I generally preferred the English loaf to the roti. In spite of the persuasions of the brother passengers, I could not persuade myself to sit at the table with them to eat. I was so modest. During the return voyage, however, I naturally managed better. I was not ashamed to sit at the same table with other passengers. And it is very desirable that, if one has no religious objections, to do so even on going to England. There is sufficient vegetable food provided on the steamer. I, however, requested the chief steward to supply some vegetable foods and I had usually for breakfast oatmeal porridge, milk and stewed fruit and bread, butter and jam and marmalade and cocoa. For dinner I had rice, vegetable curry, milk and jam pastry, stewed fruit, bread and butter. For supper bread, butter, jam, cocoa, some lettuce with pepper and salt and cheese. I had only three meals per day. Two days in the week they provide fresh fruit and nuts on the steamer. How I began on 12 pounds per month: After staying with a friend for a month who treated me very kindly and taught me how to behave and how to use the fork and the spoon. 1 I moved to a family where I had to pay 30s per week for board and lodging. Thus, my board and lodging cost me only 6. I was told, however, that living on 12 per month would be considered very economical. I therefore managed somehow or other to spend 12 per month. I did not discard tea from the very beginning. Did I believe at first in taking only three meals per day? A suggestion was thrown out by somebody that I would be considered to be stingy if I took all meals every day in the family and tea very often. Following up this suggestion, I used to lunch outside at least once a week and take tea only thrice a week. Thus, I paid for all this in the family; I spent about 10s in the lunching and taking tea outside. I used to spend unnecessarily a great deal also in travelling. It need hardly be

Vide An Autobiography, Pt. I, Ch. XIV.

said here that taking your meals or tea outside purposely to show that you are not stingy or that you are rolling in wealth is anything but gentlemanly and entirely unnecessary.