Not in the book — told aloud in a recorded conversation, December 2017
During the First World War, my dad — with his mother and two sisters — was shipped deep into Russia, along with the other German families from their village. Grandpa Lutz was already in Canada; there was nothing he could do but wait for word.
Dad told me one time how the meals were served where they stayed. They were on a farm with some people, and at mealtime there would be one pot — a stew — set out and passed around. Each person dipped in and had a spoonful, and it went all the way around, so everybody got the equal amount.
Then, when the head of the house tapped on the pot with a wooden spoon, that meant everybody could dip down and get one piece of meat. That was the main part — the prize at the end of the meal.
That’s how the meal was served. That’s what he told me one time.