Coping Class

M.F.K. Fisher showed how to deal with shortages.

The fear of not having enough is nothing new, of course. People who lived through rationing during World War II must be experiencing a kind of deja vu with all of the talk about the possibility of Y2K-related food shortages.

What’s different is tone. The World War II generation had M.F.K. Fisher to help them through their lean times. Her “How To Cook a Wolf” (Duell, Sloan and Pierce, 1942) was not only eminently sensible but gracefully written as well.

There is certainly no shortage of authors offering advice on how to sustain body and spirit through whatever Y2K problems come up. And much of their counsel on keeping the millennial bug from the door is practical.

But while the advice might be somewhat similar in substance, the style is sadly lacking. Fisher managed to put a romantic and civilized spin even on such frugal practices as saving the liquid from canned vegetables and building a makeshift insulated oven to conserve fuel.

Her modern counterparts offer some of the same tips, but they overcompensate with fervor what they lack in elan. It is unlikely that tips like these were what she had in mind when she wrote, “You can still live with grace and wisdom, thanks partly to the many people who write about how to do it.”

On appetite:

“Since we must eat to live, we might as well do so with both grace and gusto.”

--Fisher

“Y2K will make all of us a lot less picky about what we eat.”

--Y2ksurvive.com (https://www.y2ksurvive.com)

On entertaining:

“Emergency is another word that has changed its inner shape; when Marion Harland and Fanny Farmer used it they meant unexpected guests. You may, too, in an ironical way, but you hope to God they are the kind who will never come.”

--Fisher

“Imagine a situation in which entire segments of our population are hungry and cold, without money and medical care because the government’s computers were unable to issue their checks. If a number of people were suddenly cut off from public assistance, and the grocery shelves in their area are empty, they might come to your neighborhood looking for these things.”

--Y2kwomen.com (https://www.y2kwomen.com)

On being prepared:

“It is often a delicate point, now, to decide when common sense ends and hoarding begins.”

--Fisher

“A one-year food system may weigh about 500 pounds and use about 3 feet by 3 feet by 3 feet of space. If kept in a basement, be sure that the cans have enamel on the outside to prevent rust or corrosion. Store them on a wood pallet or on shelves to prevent moisture gathering on the ground.”

--Y2kchaos.com (https://www.y2kchaos.com)

On the balanced diet:

“One of the stupidest things in an earnest but stupid school of culinary thought is that each of the three daily meals should be ‘balanced.’ Instead of combining a lot of dull and sometimes actively hostile foods into one routine meal after another, three times a day and every day, year after year, in the earnest hope that you are being a good provider, try this simple plan: balance the day, not each meal in the day.”

--Fisher

“Since most of the main dishes include foods from several food groups, one dish may count for several servings. For example, Almost Chicken Soup with Rice provides 1 cup cooked rice (two starch servings), 1/4 cup TVP (one meat/bean serving) and 1/2 cup vegetables (one vegetable serving).”

--Denise Hansen, “Eating Off the Grid” (Subito Services, $18.50)

On liquid courage:

“If you are used to drinking, and can, it is pleasant to have whiskey or a good stable wine in your cupboard. A glass in your hand makes the ominous sky seem very high above you.”

--Fisher

“You may not choose to drink coffee for obvious health reasons, but it is an excellent barter item in an emergency.”

--J. Candy Arnold, “Y2K Kitchen: The Joy of Cooking in a Crisis” (Summit Resources, $24.95)

On preserving grace under pressure:

“Now of all times in our history, we should be using our minds as well as our hearts in order to survive, to live gracefully if we live at all.”

--Fisher

“There is often a slight chemical-like smell when the package is first opened . . . spoon it out into a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes to let the smell dissipate. You might want to stir it once or twice to thoroughly air it out.”

--Y2ksurvive.com, on eating emergency rations