On the Mystery of the Disappeared Meat Stew

Submitted by Helen Roser

 Meat, during World War II, was consumed mostly by our troops, with smaller proportion for civilians. Thus it was that the most popular dish in the cafeterias for the Pentagon’s 40,000 workers was tasty, filling meat stew, with two crackers, for 15 cents.

Getting to the cafeteria before they ran out of meat stew was an incentive for an early lunch. A yummy bowl of meat stew, two crackers, and you were set.

But things changed. Suddenly, even early arrivers found no meat stew. It had been that way for days. When early diners protested: “Hey! Where’s our meat stew?”, The cafeteria workers didn’t say a word. In fact, they didn’t even look at us when we asked. What could be going on?

Morale was an important part of our war effort. Some of the mothers of Government Girls, as we were called, who had left sheltered lived to respond to our appointment to work in Washington, D.C., were apprehensive of the government’s mindfulness of their daughters. They need not have worried. Uncle Sam was well aware of the precious sons and daughters engaged in the war effort.

Washington, D.C. newspapers reported new legislation “for the duration of the war.” I noticed one new ruling that: “Whenever animal meat is served for human consumption, the animal from which it came will be clearly identified by name.”

Uh oh. Remember morale? What would have happened if a few letters home had said “Guess what? That terrific meat stew I’ve been telling you we get at the Pentagon turns out to have a new name. Now it’s called ‘horse meat stew.’”

Of course the war effort couldn't risk that. So our beloved meat stew disappeared forever and the cafeteria workers didn’t say a word. I never mentioned my theory about its disappearance to anyone.

It is said: “A rose by any other name would be as sweet.” I’m not sure our beloved meat stew would have survived under its real name, though it was tasty and filling, for 15 cents.