BEVERAGES.
In my little book on "FIFTEEN CENT DINNERS," I decidedly advocate the
substitution of milk or milk and water as a drink at meal times, for tea
and coffee, on the score of economy; because milk is a food, while the
two former drinks are chiefly stimulants. They are pleasant because they
warm and exhilarate, but they are luxuries because they give no
strength; therefore their use is extravagant when we are pinched for
healthy food. It is true that when we drink them we do not feel as
hungry as we do without them. The sensation of hunger is nature's sure
sign that the body needs a new supply of food because the last has been
exhausted; the change of the nourishing qualities of food into strength
is always going on as long as any remains in the system; the use of tea,
coffee, and alcohol, hinders this change, and consequently we are less
hungry when we use them than when we do without them. Tea and coffee are
certainly important aids to the cheerfulness and comfort of home; and
when the first stage of economy, where every penny must be counted, has
passed, we do not know of any pleasanter accessory to a meal than a cup
of good tea or coffee.
=Tea.=--The physiological action of very strong tea is marked; moderately
used it excites the action of the skin, lungs, and nervous system, and
soothes any undue action of the heart; used to excess, it causes
indigestion, nervousness, and wakefulness. No doubt its effects are
greatly modified by climate, for the Russians drink enormous quantities
of very strong, fine tea. A recent war report gives the following
account of its use in the army.
"The Russian soldiers are said to live and fight almost wholly upon tea.
The Cossacks often carry it about in the shape of bricks, or rather
tiles, which, before hardening, are soaked in sheep's blood and boiled
in milk, with the addition of flour, butter and salt, so as to
constitute a kind of soup. The passion of the Russian for this beverage
is simply astonishing. In the depth of winter he will empty twenty cups
in succession, at nearly boiling point, until he perspires at every
pore, and then, in a state of excitement rush out, roll in the snow, get
up and go on to the next similar place of entertainment. So with the
army. With every group or circle of tents travels the invariable tea
kettle, suspended from a tripod; and it would be in vain to think of
computing how many times each soldier's pannikin is filled upon a halt.
It is his first idea. Frequently he carries it cold in a copper case as
a solace upon the march."
Dr. Edward Smith sums up the physiological action of tea as follows:
"1--A sense of wakefulness.
"2--Clearness of mind, and activity of thought and imagination.
"3--Increased disposition to make muscular exertion.
"4--Reaction, with a sense of exhaustion in the morning following the
preceding efforts, and in proportion to them."
=Coffee.=--The action of coffee is so similar to that of tea that we need
not consider it separately; it will be sufficient to remark that the
chief points of difference are lessening the action of the skin,
increasing the action of the heart, and, when used very strong, aiding
digestion to some extent.
=Cocoa and Chocolate.=--Both these articles are made from the kernels of a
tropical fruit, about the size of a cucumber, the fleshy part of which
is sometimes used to produce a vinous liquor; they are produced from
the seeds of the cocoa palm, and from a kind of ground nut. These
kernels consist of gum, starch, and vegetable oil; and are marketed as
cocoa shells, which are the husks of the kernel; cocoa nibs, which
consist of the crushed nuts; and ground cocoa, which is the kernels
ground fine.
Chocolate is the finely ground powder from the kernels, mixed to a stiff
paste with sugar, and, sometimes, a little starch. It is very
nutritious; when it is difficult to digest remove from its solution the
oily cake which will collect upon the surface as it cools. It is so
nutritious that a small cake of it, weighing about two ounces, will
satisfy hunger; for that reason it is a good lunch for travellers.
Both cocoa and chocolate are very nutritious, and are free from the
reactionary influences of tea and coffee. Let us count the cost of these
beverages, and see which is the best for us.
One quart of weak tea can be made from three teaspoonfuls, or half an
ounce, of tea, (which cost at least one cent;) we must have for general
use a gill of milk, (at one cent,) and four teaspoonfuls or one ounce of
sugar, (at one cent); thus if we use only the above quantities of milk
and sugar, one quart of tea costs three cents; if we increase them it
will cost more.
One quart of weak coffee can be made from one ounce, or two
tablespoonfuls of coffee, (at a cost of two cents;) two tablespoonfuls
or ounces of sugar, (two cents,) and a half a pint of milk, (two cents;)
the total cost six cents.
One quart of cocoa can be made from two ounces, or eight tablespoonfuls
of cocoa shells, (which cost two cents,) with half a pint of milk, and
an ounce of sugar, (at four cents more;) we have a quart of good,
nutritious drink at six cents. It is all the better if the shells are
boiled gently two or three hours. Of course the nibs, or crushed cocoa,
and chocolate, will both produce a correspondingly nutritious beverage.
=Beer.=--Very poor families sometimes spend every day for beer enough to
buy them a good, wholesome meal, because they think it makes them
strong. Beer, like all other liquors, is of no value whatever in making
strength; it only nerves you up to spend all you can muster under the
excitement it causes, and then leaves you weaker than before. What you
need when you crave liquor is a good, warm meal. The best doctors say
that a man cannot drink more than about a pint and a half of beer a day
without injuring his health; and that healthy people, during youth and
middle age, do not need it at all. Let it, and all other liquors alone
entirely, and you will be better off in health and purse.
=Beer for Nursing Women.=--It is generally believed that women who drink
malt liquor are able to nurse children to greater advantage than those
who do not use it. The fact is that while the quantity of milk may be
increased, its nourishing quality will be impaired. There may be more
milk for the child, but it will be poor. The effect of all malt liquors
is to promote the secretion of the fluids of the body, but not to enrich
them. Do not drink beer for the sake of your child, but try milk, or
milk and water instead, and see if after a fair trial you do not have
plenty for the baby, and if it does not grow strong and fat. If milk
does not agree with you, or you cannot afford it, use barley water; it
will not only give you plenty of milk, but it will nourish you as well
as the baby. You will get from it all the nourishment that you may fancy
you get from malt liquor, with this advantage: in the barley water you
will get all the nutriment of the grain unchanged, while in the form of
beer the fermentation has destroyed part of it. The following is a good
receipt:
=Barley Water.=--Thoroughly wash two ounces of pearl barley, (which costs
less than two cents,) to remove any musty or bad flavor, put it over the
fire in two quarts of cold water, and boil it until it is reduced to one
quart; then strain it, cool it, and drink it whenever you are thirsty. A
little sugar can be used without hurting the baby.
=Milk.=--I have already said that milk is the most perfect food; we will
now see what it is made of, and how it nourishes the body; and then we
can understand how necessary it is to have it pure. The elements of milk
which strengthen the whole body are the solid parts that separate in the
form of curd when it begins to turn sour; the whey contains the salts
and phosphates which strengthen the brain, bones, and digestive organs;
the cream is the part which makes us fat. When we remember that cheese
is made from the curd of milk we can see why it is so valuable as food,
and why a meal of black or brown bread and cheese will satisfy a hungry
man.
Try to afford at least a quart of good milk every day. It can be bought
in New York now for seven or eight cents a quart; and if the children
have plenty of seconds bread, or oatmeal porridge, and a cup of milk, at
meal times, they will be strong and rosy.
Skim-milk, butter-milk, and whey, are all excellent foods, and far
better drinks than beer or whiskey. Make a plain pudding now and then,
with skim-milk, adding an ounce of suet to restore its richness. If the
milk has turned a little sour add lime water to it, in the proportion of
four tablespoonfuls of the lime water to a quart. If the lime water is
added before the milk begins to turn it will help keep it fresh. The
following is a good receipt for making lime water:
=Lime Water.=--Slack four ounces of quick lime with a little water, and
gradually add enough water to make a gallon in all; let it stand three
hours, then bottle it in glass-stoppered bottles, putting a portion of
the undissolved lime in each bottle; when you want to use some, pour off
the clear fluid from the top.
Children should never have tea, coffee, or liquor; all these drinks hurt
them; give them milk, or milk and water; or pure water, if you cannot
afford milk. But you had better scant their clothes than their supply of
milk. If you have to limit the supply of food, deny them something else,
but give them plenty of bread and scalded milk, and you can keep them
healthy.