1938 Kitchen Quiz Answers

I'm glad that you enjoyed taking a look at my 1938 Foods and Home Making book. Thank you for your wonderful comments and for joining in for the quiz!



Here are the questions again, with the answers below:

Question: If you are sent to market to buy tea for the older members of your family, who prefer the beverage served with cream, what kind of tea leaves would you buy?

Answer: The two most popular types of tea are black and green. Black tea leaves are fermented before drying. Well-known black teas are Flowery Pekoe, Orange, Pekoe, and English Breakfast. Darjeeling is a fine black tea grown in India. Green tea leaves are dried without first fermenting. Gunpowder, Imperial, and Young Hyson are popular green teas. Those who are particular about the flavor of tea think that only black teas, especially those produced in India, are suitable to serve with cream.

Question: What is a silence cloth?

Answer: The clatter of dishes is usually not pleasant. To make the placing of a dish on the table noiseless, the table may be covered first with a soft, heavy cloth known as a silence cloth or padding. There are materials which are made especially for silence cloths. Heavy cotton cloth which is fleeced on both sides is often used. Sometimes silence cloths are made of quilted material. Asbestos (Yikes!) is used also as table padding. Flannelette is not so heavy as the materials just mentioned, but it is inexpensive and may be bought not only in white but in dark-wood colors. A silence cloth not only deadens the sound of dishes but protects the table. The appearance of a table is usually improved by a silence cloth. It makes the table linen appear heavier and helps keep the linen flat on the table.

Question: Suppose that you are having a meal at a friend's home. On the table near your cover is a dish of preserves; there is a spoon on the table beside the preserves. Suppose the hostess says: "Mary, will you please start passing the preserves?" What will you do with the spoon beside the preserves? Will you help yourself first? To whom will you pass the preserves?

I am having a hard time finding the exact answer to this question. It was asked in the "Breakfast Unit" in the chapter called "Good Manners at the Dining Table." I have read the chapter over and over again and don't see a single mention about preserves and spoons. It's driving me crazy! I will have Phillip look at it tonight in case I am missing it. I did read several times throughout the book, that foods should always be passed to the left of each person. I'm pretty sure we pass things to the right at our house though. Hmmm....

Question: How high should a work table be? Give a reason for your answer.

Answer: No one can do work well in an uncomfortable position. No one likes to do work that makes the back ache. To find the proper working height for a table stand straight and hold the upper part of the arm close to the body. Then bend the arms at the elbow. The distance from the floor to the elbow minus two inches gives the proper working height. Of course, if several persons work at the same table, the height of the table should be determined by the height of the average person.

Question: How thick are the walls of a refrigerator?

Answer: In many climates, refrigerators are needed only in summer. Refrigerators are necessary when the air is warm enough to cause foods to spoil readily. A refrigerator is well built when the warm air cannot penetrate into its inner walls. Several thicknesses of different kinds of material are used for the walls of a refrigerator. The insulating material should be at least two inches thick.

Your homework for today will be to check your refrigerator walls! Are they at least 2 inches thick? ;0)

I would be happy to post another kitchen quiz sometime in the future!