PREFACE 



Daniel had good reason for his famous and witty after- 

 dinner speech when he remarked to the Hons, "After you, 

 gentlemen, after you!" On the same principle prefaces 

 are often postponed. But I hope that you will read this 

 one before dining, that you may understand why such an 

 anomaly as both a discussion of the food values of fruits 

 and formulas for the practical preparation of fruit dishes 

 should be offered men as well as women. 



Whatever mental attitude one may hold in relation to 

 foods, whether one makes meat the chief article of diet or ex- 

 cludes it, or follows a middle course, one uses fruit as one 

 does water: possibly as a luxury, possibly only because 

 other people use it, but always to some degree (unless one 

 be an Esquimau beyond even the reach of courageous 

 Arctic berries), and always, just as surely, in lesser degree 

 and with less appreciation of its real value than one should 

 use it. 



Difference of age, of climate, of occupation, or consti- 

 tution make variation of kind and quantity of foods a 

 necessity, but, generally speaking — ^leaving out discussion 

 of the three types of necessary food elements: protein, or 

 nitrogen, the carbohydrates (including sugar and starches), 

 and fat — ^all this aside, it is agreed that human beings as 

 a class need more of the potash salts than they ordinarily 

 realise or take into their systems. The lack of proper pro- 

 portion of these salts lays the foundation for many troubles, 

 in simple and complicated form, which, however, may be 

 avoided by the substitution or inclusion of more fruit 



