Immediately after the Civil War, however, the diet began to
change. 61. Rail transportation increased the supply and improved the quality
of the milk that reached urban centers; cold storage and refrigerator cars made
possible the greater consumption of fresh vegetables, fresh fruits, and fresh
fish; and commercial canning extended the range of appetizing and healthful
foods. Subsequently food statistics indicated an increased consumption
of dairy products, fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, sugar and syrups, coffee, tea,
cocoa, and spices. Decreased consumption was shown for meats, potatoes, and
grain products. 62. By and large, the American diet continued to reflect a
considerable reliance upon animal products, rather than on grains, which meant
that a relatively large acreage was required to feed the American public.
Whereas a grain and fish diet, such as in Japan, requires only a quarter of an
acre high-yield cropland and no pasture per capita, the American diet
requires about two and a half acres of cropland and ten acres of pasture per
capita. Also it indicated a shift toward the so-called protective foods, toward
those high in vitamins and proteins. 63. This change was greatly furthered by
governmental food inspection (the Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in 1906), by
the increasing use of mechanical refrigerators in the 1920’s and 1930’s and of
freezers for frozen food during recent decades. In the years
after World War Ⅰ a food revolution took place that was reminiscent of the one
that occurred after the Civil War. The output of the food-manufacturing industry
quadrupled from 1900 to 1940. 64. In that interval, as we have mentioned
earlier, home canning gave way to commercial canning, and the labor of
housekeeping was lightened. Fortunately most of the major dietary changes
that have taken place since the middle of the 19th century have resulted in
better nutrition for the population. In part, these shifts have taken place
because of a preference for new foods rather than old, but in part, they have
been made because the new foods were advocated by nutritionists. Apparently
American dietary customs were not so deeply ingrained as to prevent change in
the interests of better health. 65. Possibly one factor that has contributed
to the readiness of Americans to accept new foods or food preparations is the
general familiarity most have with a variety of regional dishes coming from many
different lands. Within a small area in New York City or San Francisco, one
can find restaurants specializing in French, Italian, German, Turkish, Arabian,
or Chinese cuisine. And at a Chinese restaurant in the United States the chef
and waiter are as likely as not to be Oriental.