I've been reading some American Girl books from the library. I loved these when I was a kid, and since one of the newer characters is a Jewish girl living on the Lower East Side in 1914-1915, I figured I'd check those out.

After reading the last book, I'm kind of amazed that no one has launched a "These books are indoctrinating our children into Socialism" protest yet. Basic plot of the book is that Rebecca's uncle and cousin, who work in a factory with the sort of horrible conditions you'd expect from a factory in 1915, go on strike. Rebecca and her other cousins are told to stay home, away from the strike, because it's too dangerous for kids (Rebecca is 10), but they decide that they should help out and go anyway. While they're there, they first see some "thugs" come and beat up the workers. Then some police come, and Rebecca says, "It's the police! Now they'll arrest the goons and protect the workers!" But the police join in with beating up and arresting the workers. Then Rebecca tries to stand on a box and make a speech, and someone throws a rock that hits her on the head.

Throughout the book, they talk about a strike leader named Clara Adler with a sort of awe and reverence. I'm nearly certain that Clara Adler is based on Clara Lemlich. Clara Lemlich was a Communist.

At the end of the book, there's a history section that gives some background about what was going on then. Most of it is fairly straightforward stuff about why people went on strike, and what they wanted to accomplish, and bit about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire. The last paragraph is,

Jewish people have always deeply valued fairness, equality, and opportunity. In Rebecca's time, when millions of Jewish immigrants settled in America, they brought these values with them into the workplace and into American society. Like Rebecca, they were willing to stick up for the underdog and speak out for what's right. Many of their children and grandchildren went on to become leaders in the fight for people's rights.

And then there are photos of Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

I was pretty surprised to see all this in an American Girl book. Some of the Samantha books did deal with political issues, but they were about child labor (10-year-old working in a factory) and women's suffrage, which I think are generally considered settled issues from a long time ago within the US. I guess I'd expected that, since a lot of the American Girl doll accessories and clothes and other things have become so much like they're trying to appeal to everybody by making things as nondescript as possible, I'd figured the books would have become much more non-controversial, too.

This is making me want to look at what the Josefina books are about. I'd already thought that it was kind of neat that they'd created that character as an American Girl -- she lived in New Mexico back when it was still Mexican territory. And one of the new characters is a black girl whose father is a doctor, living in New Orleans in 1853, but my library doesn't have those books yet.

Ooo, Kaya has all sorts of animals you can get for her.

So, I'm reading up on hardtack because I've read plenty of Questing Tales where the heroes go off and don't have Elven Lembas to sustain them.

And I'm thinking, what food do you associate with that kind of narrative which involves a long trek?

Cheese, right? Because they can always cut away the mold and it's still lots of protein, and you eat it with stale bread, or soak the bread in something to make it palatable.

And in Lonesome Dove there's a lot of discussion of what Po cooks (including tasty grasshoppers), and in the miniseries that great shot of Gus lifting up the lid on that big skillet on the fire for a pan of biscuits.

And jerky I guess. And what else? Do contemporary fantasy writers spend as much time thinking these things through or do they always lock in a Mighty Hunter who can shoot down a buck a day, or round up a brace of coneys or what?

What's the ration in a Maturin/Aubrey book? Hardtack and rum and lime cordial?

eta: And now I'm reading about "rabbit starvation" which comes from eating only very lean meat without fat or carbs. The human body, apparently, doesn't like the Atkins diet in excess.

I've not heard of "rabbit starvation" - does it mess with your gall bladder?

Jerky is what I think. Hard tack if you can carry flour. Well, they bring the already baked biscuit on ship, don't they?

I am apparently still an Atkins pedant, because I have to point out that it is relatively high-fat.

I've not heard of "rabbit starvation" - does it mess with your gall bladder?

Unsafe levels of protein. It has been observed that human liver cannot metabolise much more than 200-300 g of protein per day, and human kidneys are similarly limited in their capability to remove urea (a byproduct of protein catabolism) from the bloodstream. Exceeding that amount results in excess levels of amino acids, ammonia (hyperammonemia), and/or urea in the bloodstream, with potentially fatal consequences,[1] especially if the person switches to a high-protein diet without giving time for the levels of his hepatic enzymes to upregulate.

I am apparently still an Atkins pedant, because I have to point out that it is relatively high-fat.

Noted! Humans can live on an all-meat diet as long as the meat is fatty.

Well, they bring the already baked biscuit on ship, don't they?

They did. It lasted so long that WWI soldiers got biscuit stamped with "Remember the Maine" on it.

Also, Water Crackers are basically the same thing but not quadruply baked, and much thinner. Also Carr's charges way too much for them. Or at least I find their profit margin excessive, since you can get them from TJ's for ninety-nine cents.

Humans can live on an all-meat diet as long as the meat is fatty.

It also has a lot of vegetables! Sheesh.

And, as the first episode of "Due South" reminded us, there's pemmican (meat, fat and, I believe, berries). um, yum?