When it comes to food, you know you probably don’t want to eat anything that was “invented by scientists.” If that food was something being promoted by the US government, you’d probably suspect it was time to run. However, because you are aware of what’s going on in this country and the challenging times that lie ahead, you can prepare and avoid the fate facing those around you.
Milkorno was invented by scientists at Cornell University to help feed the masses during the Great Depression. That’s your first clue that something is wrong.
A summary of subsequent clues is found in an article by Erin Blakemore posted at History.com last year entitled “Why FDR’s White House Served Such Terrible Food.” The Roosevelts entered the White House in 1933, as America was in the throes of the Great Depression. Eleanor Roosevelt didn’t know how to cook, but she cared about Americans who didn’t have enough money to feed their families. (She can't cook, but she wants to tell the rest of America how to cook.) She decided that the White House needed to set a good example for Americans, so she hired Henrietta Nesbitt, a woman with no experience, as “housekeeper” in charge of the staff and remodeling and running of the White House kitchen. (She hires someone with no experience for the position.) Roosevelt sought assistance from home economists to develop menus using modern techniques to help women incorporate nutrition and economy into their cooking. (She solicits the help of "professionals" instead of people who actually have to eat this stuff.) And she determined to set the example and serve these foods in the White House.
Foods that no one wanted to eat.
Visitors soon learned to stuff themselves at home before visiting the White House. Even Roosevelt’s own son begged to pay the five cents that a glass of milk cost.
One of these foods, Milkorno, served as the basis for many a dish served to the unfortunate souls dining with the Roosevelts. It was developed by the fine scientists at Cornell, and is a mix of
- 2 parts cornmeal
- 1 part powdered milk
- water
and in addition to being used as a base for other recipes, it was also served alone as a porridge or polenta.
Several
pamphlets promoting the use of Milkorno (and its siblings Milkwheato and
Milkoato) as well as recipes were issued.
I’m sure you won’t be able to read the Milkorno pamphlet pasted in
below, but there is a link to a clearer image in the references below. However, the fact that these recipes haven’t
survived to be in use at all today, or to be fondly remembered by older
generations, coupled with the additional facts of being developed by scientists
and promoted by a White House notorious for its terrible food, suggest that
these are foods we do not actually want to use ourselves. That's in contrast to slug burgers, water pie, and vinegar pie which have recently been featured here, as well as some desserts that are still popular among the older crowd like rice pudding and bread pudding.
However, I am becoming increasingly uneasy about the people in my community, the vast majority of whom do not prepare. Some of these people have valuable skills and equipment. They might need some food now and then. I have no intention of serving anything they’d want to eat again. These recipes might fill the bill.
In the coming days which likely include hyperinflation and unemployment, our government will yet again promote their solutions to the problem, ideas that include unpalatable foods and probably from questionable sources. Prepare well, and your children and grandchildren won’t have to be like Eleanor Roosevelt’s son, begging to buy a glass of milk with their own money.
Links to related posts:
Vinegar Pie (coming Saturday)
References:
https://www.teddyfeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/85e56961ecd47ff23047706920791b7f.jpg (clearest image of Milkorno recipes that I could find)
https://www.history.com/news/eleanor-roosevelt-white-house-menu-bad-food
https://rmc.library.cornell.edu/homeEc/4impact/milkorno2.html
https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1949&_f=md001371
16 june 2023
Jennifer, your article provided information I was not aware of so thank you. The people of this country have no idea what they may be in for in the next few years. It is sad :(
ReplyDeleteSuper, super interesting post! My first thought was about how the government seems unable to currently do a good job of just feeding the National Guard stationed in DC. And the history of "food science," advising Americans for decades to eat certain ways based on dubious science. My husband and I have learned to can in the last couple of years, thanks to blogs like your Jennifer.
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