Vol 37 • No. 12
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November 2016
‘Don’t need it? Don’t buy it’
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By Ken Stephens To author Studs Terkel, World War II was The Good War. And to Tom Brokaw, those who lived through it were The Greatest Generation. Sacrifice was the order of the day. And, as Betty Curtis and Carmen Suter can tell you, everyone made sacrifices every day. “I wouldn’t go through it again for anything, but it created an interesting generation of people,” said Curtis, who was 13 and living in Delphos, about 60 miles north of Salina, when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. On the home front, everything from sugar, canned goods, meat, shoes, clothing, gasoline, tires and more was rationed during the war and even for a couple of years afterward. Sugar supplies were limited because we couldn’t import it from the Philippines, which was cut off by the Japanese. It was nearly impossible to get new tires because the Japanese
also were in control in Southeast Asia, where most of the rubber plantations were. Even shoes with rubber soles were scarce. Canned foods were rationed because most were being sent to soldiers overseas or allies like Great Britain. German submarines had stopped a lot of food and other essentials from getting through. Even in Middle America many everyday items were hard to get: They had to be in supply, you had to have money and, perhaps most importantly,
you had to have a government-issued ration book and the correct number of stamps. The book was about five inches wide and four inches tall. Some stamps had pictures of tanks, ships or planes. Others had letter codes for specific commodities, such as gasoline,
or point values. Each person was allowed 48 points a month for canned goods, and that wouldn’t buy much. A 20-ounce can of corn required 14 points, a 30-ounce can of peaches was 21 and a 15-ounce can of asparagus was 14. But the asparagus would put you one point over your ration for the month. Better put it back and get a couple 10.5-ounce cans of soup, 6 points each, instead.
See Rations, page 8
Not mama’s holiday dinner By Joe Stumpe If I'd ever told my mother that I wanted to spatchcock the Thanksgiving turkey, she would have looked at me like I was crazy. When it came to turkey day and the holidays that follow, mom was as tradition-bound as 99 percent of the cooks out there. Which is a shame because most traditional holiday dinners are – let's face it – boringly predictable. We don't give each other the same presents every Christmas, so why do we feed each other the same food? In the case of holiday potlucks, it seems as if there's an unwritten rule
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that everybody must bring the same dish every year. But wouldn't the world be more interesting if green bean casserole didn't make it one year? As an example, Thanksgiving two years ago I showed up at my Aunt Mary Ann's annual get-together with a large platter of homemade sushi. I can still see my relatives struggling to contort their faces into something resembling surprised delight. And yet, those who tried it liked it. (Or enjoyed talking about it.) The issue thus settled, I return to spatchcocking, a technique that's been practiced in Great Britain since before See Turkey, page 4
Central Plains Area Agency on Aging or call your county Department on Aging: 1-855-200-2372
Courtesy photo
Vicki Churchman with holiday wreath.
Holiday events... Wreath Festival
The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum’s 33rd annual Wreath Festival will be from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Nov. 17-18. Seasonal museum exhibits include the Vintage Santa Collection, handcrafted miniature Christmas Trees and the Wichita Cottage adorned for a Victorian Christmas. Shoppers also will be offered a selection of home-baked treats, Christmas accessories, stocking stuffers, ornaments and other gifts. Lunch is served from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Reservations are suggested for groups of six or more. Admission to the 1st and 2nd floors is free. A $15 lunch ticket provides admission to all floors. The museum is at 204 S. Main. For reservations call 316-265-9314.
Holiday Tables
Mark Arts’ annual Holiday Tables decorating showcase will be from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, Nov. 3-5. The dining tables are of all shapes and sizes and decorated by individuals, See Holiday, page 16
Butler County: (316) 775-0500 or 1-800- 279-3655 Harvey County: (316) 284-6880 or 1-800-279-3655