52. One of the difficulties of every housewife having a family composed of persons of widely different tastes and ages is the preparation of meals that will contain sufficient food of the correct kind for all of them. Children up to 6 years of age usually require something especially prepared for their meals, except breakfast, but, as a rule, the selection of the diet for children from 6 years up to 15 or 16 years of age is merely a matter of taking from the meal prepared for the remainder of the family the right amount of the various foods. Tea and coffee should not be included in the diet of growing children, and should under no circumstances be given to small children. If the proper method is followed in this matter, no difficulty will result, but where children expect to eat the food served to the others at the table and are not content with what is given to them, it is better not to feed them at the same table with the adults.
53. The most satisfactory way in which to arrange meals that are to be served to persons of different ages is to include several foods that may be fed to all members of the family and then to select certain others proper only for adults and still others suitable for the children. A sample of such a menu for supper is the one here given. It is assumed that the children that are to eat this meal are not infants.
SUPPER MENU
ADULTS
- Rice Croquettes with Cheese Sauce
- Lettuce Salad
- Bread, Butter, Jelly
- Baked Apples
- Plain Cookies
- Tea
CHILDREN
- Steamed Rice
- Bread, Butter, Jelly
- Baked Apples
- Plain Cookies
- Milk
A menu of this kind is not difficult to prepare, and still it meets the needs of both the children and the adults of the family. The main dish for each has the same foundation--rice. Enough to serve the entire family may be steamed. Then some may be retained for the children and the rest made up into croquettes and served with cheese sauce to the adults. The remainder of the menu, bread, butter, jelly, baked apples, and plain cookies, may be eaten by every one. Tea will probably be preferred by the adults, but milk should be served to the children. Other suitable menus may be planned without any extra trouble if just a little thought is given to the matter.