Food was a primary source of conversation in Topaz and we were allocated 20 cents a meal. In January 1943, all the mess halls were instructed to equip and systemize the preparation of all infant and soft diet foods. There were only two babies in our half block and we were refused food for the babies by the workers in the mess hall, as they said the babies were not included in their statistics. The claim was made that there was a shortage of whole and powdered milk. No amount of pleading or reasoning with the mess hall chef or steward would make them bend, and we brought back portions of our own meals, which we mashed or watered down.
When we were brashly told to buy our food from the outside, a growing suspicion began that there was a conspiracy afoot and we made a friendly visit to the apartments of the chief steward and the mess hall chef and found their apartments were well-stocked with eggs, milk, flour, sugar and coffee; they had been taking home the leftovers. We threatened to expose them to the project steward or else give, and they gave. For the babies, we had to fight for their daily milk and eggs and we grated the raw potatoes or carrots given to us and cooked them on our hot plates. Man’s inhumanity to man was being expressed. Ingenuity is a blessing and I made a grater from a discarded sardine can to prepare the baby food; to this day it serves its purpose.