美国大萧条时期人吃不饱饭，为什么超过一半的人每星期去看一次电影？

大萧条时期的一本菜谱，由Patricia Wagner女士收集：

这位女士在菜谱的前言里写了一段情真意切的话，中心思想是：大萧条给经历过它的一代人留下了精神创伤，也让他们习惯了节俭生活。现代的美国年轻人要忆苦思甜，多看长辈的故事，改掉大手大脚的毛病。

You can tell Depression Survivors by observing their habits: They turn out the light when they leave a room, they shut off the water while brushing their teeth, they don’t use the clothes dryer from April to October. They have always worn sensible shoes, they have a garden and do a lot of canning, they turn down the heat at night. They probably don’t have an air conditioner, but they most likely have a microwave and use it for warming up the morning’s coffee. They write their grocery lists in pencil on the backs of old envelopes; they can forecast the weather using only their knees and they doubt the credibility of color radar. They buy things on sale if at all possible. You’ve seen them - they’re the ones with the good old toasters and the window fans that work.
We can learn a lot from these wonderful people. It might be a good idea to bring back some of the frugal habits of our senior citizens. “Just think of the money you’ll save!!”

“你可以通过观察他们的习惯来判断大萧条的幸存者：他们离开房间时会关灯，刷牙时会关掉水，从四月到十月他们不使用干衣机。他们一直穿着舒适的鞋子(而不是想穿就买新的)，他们有一个花园，做了很多罐头(自己种菜)，他们晚上会把暖气调低。他们可能没有空调，但他们很可能有微波炉，用它来加热早晨的咖啡(不用烤箱和咖啡壶)。他们用铅笔在旧信封的背面写购物清单；他们只用膝盖就能预测天气，怀疑彩色雷达的可靠性(大萧条冻出了风湿病)。如果可能的话，他们会买打折的东西。你见过他们——他们有老式的烤面包机和依旧能用的挂窗风扇。

我们可以从这些好人身上学到很多东西。恢复老年人的一些节俭习惯可能是个好主意。“想想你能省下多少钱！！”

附上食谱里2道我挑出来的比较烂的菜(非家庭菜肴)，单位已换算：

Poor Man's Soup 穷人汤(救济餐)

1根炖汤用大骨(家畜腿骨等)
1斤晒干的豆子
2斤西红柿
1斤芹菜，切成块
1斤土豆，切成块
半斤未煮的生大米
150克牛肉
小半斤洋葱
盐，胡椒，香料
Pick over beans and soak overnight. Simmer soup bone in 8 qts. water for several hours. Add beans, simmer 45 minutes. Meanwhile, fry beef and onion. Add to soup along with remaining ingredients and simmer for one hour.
把豆子摘干净并浸泡过夜。将16斤水和大骨一起煮沸成骨头汤。煮几个小时后加入豆子，煮45分钟。同时，炒熟牛肉和洋葱，与剩余原料一起加入汤中，再煮一小时。之后保温。

Uncle John’s Navy Hash 海军小兵大锅饭(这菜谱直接是给军队的食堂厨子写的，没有精确量)

放凉的烤土豆 多少人吃饭就放多少
放凉的熟肉，是肉就行，看你领到多少(擦汗)
菜市场剩菜，至少要包括胡萝卜，卷心菜，芹菜 多少人吃饭就放多少
1个切碎的洋葱
鸡蛋打散，最少两个
掰碎的苏打饼干 看你能搞到多少
调料(一般是盐和胡椒)
Cut potatoes, meat and vegetables into pieces. Fry meat and onion together until onion is cooked. Add potatoes and vegetables and fry till hot. Stir in beaten eggs to bind all together. Add crushed crackers.
将土豆、肉和蔬菜全切成块。将肉和洋葱一起炒至洋葱熟。加入土豆和蔬菜，把它们全炒热。再加入打散的鸡蛋，让它们糊在一起。最后加进碎饼干。

另外，

菜谱中黄油(butter)，糖(sugar)，牛奶(milk)，猪油(lard)，奶油(cream)，起酥油(shortening)依旧是常见的配料；

菜谱的贫穷主要体现在粗粮主食(玉米corn为主)，冷门肉类(比如veal鹿肉)和动物内脏(吃得最多的是肝脏)。