426 
DIGESTIVE ORGANS AND FOOD 
What other ways can you suggest that will help to increase 
the general food supply? 
334. Public Markets. — These are the places where those 
who raise garden truck, chickens, and other food products can 
bring them and the people can buy directly without paying 
the middleman or the retailer for his services. There is the 
further advantage that such foods are usually fresh. It is 
necessary to regulate the public markets in order that the 
food shall be properly prepared, and correctly weighed or 
measured. These markets are of great advantage to the 
poor people in cities, as they can get more good food at less 
cost than anywhere else. Is the market in your city well 
regulated? What are the rules governing it? 
335. The Preparation of Foods. — Some foods, such as 
milk, fruit, and nuts, may be eaten without being cooked, 
but most of our food has to undergo this process before it 
is suitable for eating. As no two kinds of vegetables Or 
meats are best cooked in exactly the same way, attention 
should be given to the preparation of food for the table. 
Successful cooking accomplishes three ends. (1) Changes 
are brought about to make the food more digestible, such 
as softening or dissolving it. (2) The nutritious parts are 
carefully saved. (3) The food is made attractive in appear¬ 
ance and taste, “ good to eat.” 
Every woman who wishes to have a happy, healthy 
family should make a serious study of cooking. Many of 
the facts about the nutritive elements which foods contain, 
and the many changes which they undergo in cooking are 
found out by chemists who study them in laboratories. 
It is not necessary for us all to know all these facts, but 
a good cook follows the rules and recipes which have been 
made as a result of scientific laboratory studies. 
To illustrate how much is involved in cooking, let us 
see what it means to produce a loaf of wholesome bread. 
Flour contains much starch, some sugar, some mineral 
