“Tar Heel Investigates Local Food Situation As Price Panel Releases Violation Decisions.” The Tar Heel(Chapel Hill), December 8, 1943, 21st ed., Front Page sec. Accessed November 5, 2018. http://newspapers.digitalnc.org/lccn/sn92073227/1943-12-08/ed-1/seq-1/.

This front page of The Tar Heel was written in 1943, right in the midst of the United States’ involvement in World War II. Starting in 1942, price limits were set and rationing, using a point system, was enacted on food and other commodities due to the Emergency Price Control Act.[1] Rationing was practiced so that enough essential food and supplies could be used by the military throughout the war which impacted the whole nation, as seen in this edition of The Tar Heel. The entire front page was dedicated to various effects of rationing. “Staff Reports on GM Grill, Carolina Inn” by Sam Whitehall reports on the deteriorating conditions of the Carolina Inn cafeteria and how a lack of ration points created a want of meat in the Graham Memorial Grill. According to the latest ratings at the time in the article “Survey Shows 5 B Ratings”, there were no restaurants in Chapel Hill with an ‘A’ rating. In “Four Restaurants Break Ceiling Prices of OPA” by John Grant investigates how multiple restaurants raised prices of meals unlawfully, as these restaurants were experiencing an influx of people because Lenoir Dining Hall had closed. “Navy Dining Halls No Drain on University Ration Points” dives into how the rations point system in Chapel Hill works. The last article is an editorial that voices many students’ opinions and frustrations with the worsening food conditions in Chapel Hill during this time.

This object is relevant to the War and Postwar time period because it discusses the effects that World War II on daily life and shows how every American had to make sacrifices. Before WWII, America was still suffering through the Great Depression and after, there would be a post-war economic boom that stimulates the growth of the Middle Class. This object is important to the Chapel Hill food story because it gives insight into what life was like on campus and in the town during the war and how everyday rituals, like eating, were impacted. Chapel Hill restaurants and eateries were suffering due to the strain on resources because of the collective war effort. It also shows how involved students, especially the writers and editors of The Tar Heel, were in the food scene during this time. Students knew that rationing was happening, but still had higher expectations of what restaurants could provide to their clientele and made their concerns heard throughout the community.

[1] Laura Schumm, “Food Rationing in Wartime America,” History.com, March 23, 2014, , accessed November 06, 2018, https://www.history.com/news/food-rationing-in-wartime-america.

                                                                                                   Madison Fly