As a tribute to Women’s History Month, this story was provided by the Sherman Room of the Mansfield/Richland County Public Library and originally published by the Mansfield News on Aug. 14, 1921 on Page 3 of the Social Section. Those interested in more history should check out the Sherman Room at the Mansfield/Richland Public Library or visit this link.
MANSFIELD — There is an old and very trite saying that the road to a man’s heart is via his stomach. There is no question about that fact that, feed a man good meals, and he will be back again. While his heart may not be particularly involved, his head surely approves of thought on the part of the manager of meals.
There are meals and meals, but Miss Helen Adams, manager of the Evergreens, says a meal, to be really beneficial, must be balanced.
Miss Adams should know for she has received her B.S. degree from Columbia university and has been dietitian in the St. Luke’s hospital. Yet there are women who insist when ordering a specially prepared meal on having a menu that makes one sick just to think about it.
Feeding a man may be rather a hard job, but feeding a woman, who has cooked, haphazardly in her own kitchen for years, is a task for diplomacy. However, even with all the responsibilities involved, Miss Adams has surely been successful.
“There are just two things that require absolute common sense,” says Miss Adams, “one is the buying, and the other is the hiring of help. The buying is a particularly hard part as it is almost impossible to judge how many we are going to have on any day.
“We have tried keeping a diagram of the number for a certain number of Mondays, for instance, but they absolutely refuse to tally in any way, so that we simply have to take a fair average and judge from that. If we run out of anything, we just have to substitute something else.
“My menus are always made out a week in advance, so that there is no possibility, at the last moment, of overlapping or having a general confusion. I do my marketing every morning and often at the last moment have to substitute what I can get for what I have on my menu, because of marketing conditions.
“Speaking of the number we have to prepare for, weather has quite a bit to do with that. If it rains in the morning along about 1 o’clock lunchers will crowd in, but if it rains just at 12 o’clock, hardly anyone will appear. I haven’t the least idea where they go, but we have found that to be the case. Perhaps, by 12 most everyone has started for home.”
Apropos of the craze for calories, or the newer vitamins, was the question, “Do you figure the exact number of food-giving values you have in your menu, Miss Adams?”
“Not anymore,” she answered, “because I have become so used to planning meals that I can tell at a glance whether a menu is a fairly well balanced one or not.”
“And about the help proposition?”
“That,” said Miss Adams smilingly, “requires a great deal of tact. There must be a great deal of fairness and also an equal amount of firmness. I require that the girls whom I employ be neat, reasonably quick, and courteous. They also must have a working knowledge of the ordinary table manners.”
“Do you find that it is easier to supervise meals for men than for women?”
“Not necessarily, but men and women require different kinds of meals. Most women like dainty, soft foods, and are particularly fond of salads, while the men prefer something substantial like pie.”
“Suppose, Miss Adams, someone came to you for advice on taking up work like this what would you tell her?”
“Well,” mused this ‘manager of meals,’ “the first thing to do is to get actual experience working for someone else. Never start in business for yourself without knowing exactly about buying, hiring help and book keeping.
“The other day a girl, who had saved a little money, and wanted to invest it in a business of her own, came in to ask my advice. She had no experience whatever, and knew nothing at all about managing such a place. It would be almost impossible for such a person to succeed. But I do not see why any girl with a big smattering of common sense, knowledge of food values, and other practical experiences, should fail.”
