Page:Wood - Foods of the Foreign-Born.djvu/20

4 for this, so the man got extra work at night to pay for the milk. This shows that they are willing to go at least halfway in changing diet habits.

In the chapters which follow a brief account is given, for several important nationalities or race groups, of the conditions and dietary habits of the people in their own country, and then of their food problems here, with special reference to health. Reference is made to some diseases in which diet is a factor and which are most frequently noted among the group by physicians, nurses, and social workers.

Diets and recipes for these diseases are given for each nationality. These recipes are made from our American raw materials, and many of them resemble our dishes so closely that only slight changes are necessary in our recipes to produce a welcome diet for these people. In printing these recipes no attempt has been made to force them into cook book English. Many carry their national atmosphere in the expressions used.

A dietitian has never been so honored, in college or out, as she will be by these foreign-born people when once she talks to them of their familiar foods. An Armenian storekeeper found a fellow-countryman, a chef in an Armenian restaurant, who was suffering from indigestion. He said to him: "You come with me. I take you to the smartest woman you ever knew. She knows our foods; she tell you what to eat; you feel better."

The recipes have not been worked out in calories or grams, as this can readily be done by the dietitian when necessary to fit specific needs. Because it might be that the same dish could be served with very little change, lowering the fat content, increasing the protein, or lessening the carbohydrate, as the case might require, it is