d, she will notice that milk is
emphasized. It is absolutely essential that the children in the family
shall have milk. If the family do not like milk to drink, it should be
remembered that every bit which is used in cooking serves the same
purpose as if it were taken from a glass, but little children do not
ordinarily get enough milk unless they drink some. Fruit should be
served at least once a day and better twice, and some vegetable other
than potato should be not only served but eaten by the family. Children
who are not taught to like vegetables when they are little sometimes
never learn to like them, and it is really important to eat vegetables,
not only because they contain important substances for growth, but
because it is only good manners to learn to like all the ordinary foods
which are served. Anyone who has cooked knows how discouraging it is to
feel that some member of the family does not like the food. There is a
temptation in the city where fruit, vegetables and milk are high, to use
too much meat and but little of these foods. It has been suggested
recently that in forming an idea as to whether the money is being spent
to the most advantage, the money spent for fruit and vegetables, for
milk and cheese, and for meat and fish should be compared. In a
well-balanced diet these amounts should be nearly equal. An increasing
number of people are becoming lacto-vegetarians, which means that they
eat no meat or fish, but balance their absence by using more milk, eggs
and cheese.

Before starting to prepare a meal the Scout should not only have her
menu in mind, but should have an idea how long it will take to prepare
each dish so that everything will be ready to serve at the same time
with all the hot dishes very hot and all the cold dishes very cold. If
all the dishes of the meal require about the same length of time in
their preparation the ones should be started first which can be most
easily kept in good condition.

Enjoyment of a meal depends quite as much on neat and comfortable
service as it does upon good food. The table cloth, napkins, dishes and
silver should be clean and the dishes should be arranged so that there
is as little danger as possible of accident. This is the reason, for
example, for the rule that a spoon should never be left in a coffee or
tea cup. This arrangement is usually more comfortable if nothing is
placed on the table which is not going to be actually used at the meal,
except th