=FLESH FOODS--Meat.=--Fresh, wholesome meat is neither pink nor purple; these colors indicate either that the animal was not slaughtered or that it was diseased. Good meat is firm and elastic and when dented with the finger does not retain the impression; it has the same consistency and color throughout; the flesh is marbled, due to the presence of fat distributed among the muscular fibers; it will hardly moisten the finger when touched; it has no disagreeable odor and has a slightly acid reaction so that red litmus paper applied to it should not turn blue. Wet, sodden, or flabby meat with jellylike fat, a strong putrid odor, and alkaline reaction should be avoided. These signs indicate advanced decomposition, and such meat is unfit for food. =Beef.=--This meat should have a fine grain, be firm in texture, with rosy-red flesh and yellowish-white fat. =Lamb and Mutton= should have a clear, hard, white fat with the lean part juicy, firm, and of rather light-red color. The flesh should be firm and close of grain. =Veal.=--The meat should not be eaten unless the animal was at least six weeks old before slaughtering. The sale of this immature veal, or "bob veal" as it is sometimes called, is prohibited by law in many States. It is unwholesome and may be recognized by its soft, rather mushy consistency and bluish tinge. Good veal has a firm white fat with the lean of a pale-red color. =Pork.=--This meat when fresh has a fat that is solid and pure white; if yellow and soft it should be rejected; the lean is pink and the skin like white translucent parchment. =Poultry.=--Good poultry is firm to the touch, pink or yellowish in color, is fairly plump, and has a strong skin showing an unbroken surface. It has a fresh odor. Stale poultry is flabby and shows a bluish color; it becomes green over the crop and abdomen, and the skin is already broken or easily pulled apart in handling. The odor of such a bird is disagreeable and may even be putrid. =Fish.=--With the exception of the salted or preserved varieties fish should always be perfectly fresh when eaten. Probably no other article of food is more dangerous to health than fish when it shows even the slightest traces of decomposition. The ability to recognize the earliest signs of staleness is of the utmost importance. Fish deteriorate rapidly and should always be carefully inspected before purchasing. Fresh fish are firm to the touch, the scales moist and bright, the gills red, and the eyes clear and slightly prominent. When held flat in the hand the fish should remain rigid and the head and tail droop slightly, if at all. Stale fish are soft and flabby, the skin is dull and the eyes sunken and often covered with a film. The tendency of the head and tail to droop is marked and the fish has a characteristic disagreeable odor. This odor of decomposition is best detected in the gills.