Can I Borrow a Cup of Sugar?

Jeri Novak, daughter of Fritz and Leona [Kath] Novak, shared with me the story of my grandfather, A.N. Larson’s, generosity in providing for her family during the WWII years. Jeri was born in 1943, during the Second World War, a time when food rationing was in effect. At that time, prior to the production of canned, and eventually, powdered, baby formula, Karo syrup was mixed with milk to make baby formula. The amount of Karo syrup allotted to each family did not carry the Novak family through until the next month, so A.N. would hide a few bottles of Karo and earmark it for Jeri’s mother. Jeri informed me she still had the book of food war ration stamps that her mother used for food at the A.N. Larson Store.

The photo above is also a ration book for the Larson Store, given to me by my cousin, Neil Polifka. Upon looking closely, it has the name of A. Manthie, which I initially assumed was Al Manthie, a gentleman I have previously written about in this blog, and who was certainly known to all who ever lived in or around Tenney. However, Al's granddaughter Sherry, upon closer examination of the photo, noticed that the age of this "A. Manthie" person is 67, meaning it would be Al's mother, Amalie Manthie.

The food rationing program was set in motion during the spring of 1942 during World War II. Fortunately for our Tenney folks and others, it prevented a situation in which only the wealthy would be able to purchase commodities. Sugar rationing began a year later, in 1943. Families had to register in order to receive coupon books, after which the coupon books were distributed based on family size. A specific amount of particular food items was allowed to be purchased with these coupon books of stamps. Ration stamps became, for all practical purposes, the currency of the time.

“Blue stamp rationing” covered canned, bottled, and frozen fruits and vegetables, juices, and dry beans. “Red stamp rationing” covered meats, butter, fat, oils, and cheese. No food was wasted, and often people’s gardening and home butchering got them through the month until the next coupon books became available. A coffee drinker had to make a pound of coffee last five weeks—what a nightmare that would be for today’s Starbucks-oriented coffee guzzlers.

Food rationing lasted until November, 1945; a milestone that certainly must have been celebrated with great gusto. Additionally, it served as a means of developing the frugal habits of many of that generation throughout the remainder of their lives. How many of us can recall (or still experience) our parents or grandparents, who lived through the rationing years, carefully preserving, stretching, recycling, substituting, or reusing any number of food or non-food items. With a smile on my face, I remember my paternal grandmother opening her gifts so slowly and carefully, so as to not destroy the wrapping paper, that we "spectators" would all be on the verge of unconsciousness by the time she got the darn thing unwrapped. This would be followed by a slow, methodical, careful folding of the wrapping paper so that it could be reused for her own package-wrapping needs.

My own wasteful generation—myself included—could learn a few things by repeating a phrase often spoken during those war ration years: “Substitute or do without, and pray for the end of the war.”