Page:Wood - Foods of the Foreign-Born.djvu/105

Rh appetizers or even entrées, these are not desirable as the main dish of the meal, because of the high seasoning. For this reason they are particularly bad for children.

LIMITATIONS OF THE JEWISH DIET IN THE UNITED STATES

When the Jew arrives in this country, some of the limitations of his diet, if unchanged by instruction, are evident.

Many of the Jewish people who come to America have lived much of the time out-of-doors, worked out-of-doors, and played out-of-doors. Here many thousands of them are tailors, sitting all day indoors at their work, and having little exercise or fresh air. Many of them pay little attention to their diet during the week, until their Sabbath. Then on Friday night, Saturday, and on our Sunday, which to most of them is a holiday, they have a feast time. On Friday all the cooking is done for the next two days. Chickens are cooked, soup made, and kitchen (cakes) and mehlspeise (flour mixtures) prepared. The result of these weekly feasts is that many of the Jews eat too much or have not a well-balanced ration.

By nature the Jews are an emotional people. A slight physical discomfort usually sends them to a doctor, whereas the readjustment of their diet would many times produce a cure.

The dietary restrictions of the use of butter and meat at the same time limit the use of vegetables. Jewish people are therefore not as fond of them as they ought to be for their own physical well-being. One must not forget that the Jewish housewife utilizes a small amount of fresh meat in dozens of ways. Rich foods are