DIY History | Transcribe | Iowa Women’s Lives: Letters and Diaries | Eve Drewelowe's journals, volumes II-III, 1950s

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Eve Drewelowe's journals, volumes II-III, 1950s

Page 077

86. the time however, there was an abundance of wholesome innocuous food-stuffs to select from on the oriental hotel bill-of-fare. The problem really was not difficult because usually mashed potatoes might easily be substituted for rice; stewed-fruits for fresh; and fish for pork or goats meat; and cabbage could be skipped altogether. Inherently and by early training my taste in foods is simple and I decidedly prefer to have dishes prepared without condiments. The Chinese version of English-stew or Irish mulligan, "chow-mein" as we know it in America is different from the oriental dish. The chicken in it, however, may be separated from the rest of the ingredients and eaten with relish. The bamboo sprouts too, cut also into recognizable cubes are quite delectable and blandly digestable. My husband also tried the shark-fins, pumpkin seeds, birds-nests, bean sprouts and a hundred year old eggs but I confined myself to fresh eggs and the knowns only in China. In addition to having simple tastes in food I have never really desired to smoke. Although I must confess that I have tried it - and just only tried it but did smoke once when I didn't know how, nor had I any right to try. But somewhere in my memory remains that picture of years ago when I smoked half a cigar at my second eldest brother's wedding. That was just for smartness on the part of a mere child who should have been - but wasn't - spanked. As to smoking since then, however, there clings an aesthetic objection for myself.

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86. the time however, there was an abundance of wholesome innocuous food-stuffs to select from on the oriental hotel bill-of-fare. The problem really was not difficult because usually mashed potatoes might easily be substituted for rice; stewed-fruits for fresh; and fish for pork or goats meat; and cabbage could be skipped altogether. Inherently and by early training my taste in foods is simple and I decidedly prefer to have dishes prepared without condiments. The Chinese version of English-stew or Irish mulligan, "chow-mein" as we know it in America is different from the oriental dish. The chicken in it, however, may be separated from the rest of the ingredients and eaten with relish. The bamboo sprouts too, cut also into recognizable cubes are quite delectable and blandly digestable. My husband also tried the shark-fins, pumpkin seeds, birds-nests, bean sprouts and a hundred year old eggs but I confined myself to fresh eggs and the knowns only in China. In addition to having simple tastes in food I have never really desired to smoke. Although I must confess that I have tried it - and just only tried it but did smoke once when I didn't know how, nor had I any right to try. But somewhere in my memory remains that picture of years ago when I smoked half a cigar at my second eldest brother's wedding. That was just for smartness on the part of a mere child who should have been - but wasn't - spanked. As to smoking since then, however, there clings an aesthetic objection for myself.