The following menus for “Helps’ Hall” in a New York hotel illustrate the unvaried, unappetizing and unhealthful food offered. The meals were served on the hottest days of the month of August. Breakfast: Oatmeal, unsalted and with lumps in it, sugar, tea and milk. Lunch: Macaroni without cheese flavored with meat grease, boiled potatoes, bread and corn bread, butter, coffee or tea and unflavored rice pudding. Supper: Fish (which was very strong and unedible), boiled potatoes, bread, butter and tea. Following this supper for lunch the next day there was rice cooked in meat grease with boiled potatoes and stew added. For supper there was stew again, corn bread, coffee, tea and bread pudding flavored with cinnamon. And so on, every day appeared stew and boiled potatoes during a week of work in this hotel. The workers all complained of the food as not fit to eat. They said, “They don’t care what they give you in a hotel. Don’t eat most of it, it will kill you. They feed you like dogs here.” Many workers did not come to lunch at all. They made a little tea and a sandwich in their rooms. Many others on hot days, after eating such meals, had indigestion and were forced to leave their work. They went out for meals as often as they could, especially for supper. One girl said, “I am so sick of potatoes. I do want some fresh vegetables and a salad. Of course you can get a real meal sometimes outside, but, Holy God, on our wages!” Another worker was overheard giving advice to a girl who was leaving, “Well, kid, I tell you, it’s God’s truth this ain’t no place for a young American girl like you. When you’re young, you can get out. You get into a club, kid, where you get the same grub they eat theirselves. Here, the grub will make you old before your time. Look at me, I’m just thirty and I look fifty. If you stay here, you just get used to the food and everything. You see, they’re all old ones here. You get out. Now I just eat a little toast and tea some days. What else do they give you? Potatoes! I tell you to get out, though I hate like hell to see you go.” The food served to pantry workers was much better and they could eat salads and fruit if they cared to. They ate on the job, however, and often had no time to eat their lunches. Waitresses in some hotels ate the same grade of food as maids and kitchen help, but they “picked up” extra food on the side. * * * * * [Sidenote: Lodging]