Home » Food & Drink » Culinary History » Use It All; Wear It Out; Make It Do; or Go Without!

Use It All; Wear It Out; Make It Do; or Go Without!

© Carey Draeger

It was a time of careful shopping, empty sugar bowls and Victory gardens growing on every bit of available land. Karo syrup, honey and molasses replaced the sugar in cakes and cookies. Americans ate more chicken--the Sunday pot roast had become a fond memory. Tires were patched and repatched; new tires were as valuable as gold and more difficult to acquire. Gasoline and shoe purchases were severely limited and required special stamps. America was at war with the Axis; it was time to tighten the belt and make sacrifices to ensure an Allied victory.

Within a year after America's entry into World War II, factories were producing armaments instead of civilian products like automobiles and electrical appliances. Shoe manufacturers made boots for the U.S. Armed Forces. Silk and nylon went into parachutes instead of women's stockings. Shortages of metals, rubber and sugar quickly appeared as Pacific supply routes fell under enemy control.

In April 1942 the Office of Price Aministration announced sugar would be rationed--Philippine imports had been cut off and ships carrying Cuban and Puerto Rican sugar were needed for defense use. Large amounts of sugar were also required to manufacture the alcohol used in explosives. By 1943 coffee, canned meat and fish, canned, frozen and dried fruits and vegetables and fresh meat, fish, butter and cheese quickly joined the list.

On December 6, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Claude R. Wickard to the newly created position of food administrator to supervise the rationing of consumable and usable products vital to the war effort. Wickard, well aware of his job's importance, noted during a radio broadcast later that month that "the way we manage our food supply will have a lot to do with how soon we win the war."

By early 1943 the point system for food and other commodities had become reality for most Americans. Each citizen, regardless of age, was issued 2 ration books on a specific date--set by the Office of Price Administration--each month. Blue coupons were used with cash to purchase canned foods; red went toward meat, fish and dairy products. Every coupon had a special point value and the total monthly point allowance was 48 blue and 64 red points. The rationing points translated into about 2 pounds of canned fruits and vegetables, about 1.5 pounds of meat and 4 ounces of cheese per person. The average family of 4 received 8 ration books, or a total of 192 blue and 256 red points per month.

The copyright of the article Use It All; Wear It Out; Make It Do; or Go Without! in Culinary History is owned by . Permission to republish Use It All; Wear It Out; Make It Do; or Go Without! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.