At peak times of farmwork, my dad used to drive to the Fort Hays Agricultural Experiment Station in Hays, Kan., and pick up a few POWs to help out on our farm. (I think these POWs were actually from Hastings, Neb., having been reassigned to various places, such as Hays, where farmers needed help. However, I don't remember dad saying anything about a guard accompanying them when he brought them out to our farm. At any rate, I think the disdain some POW's voiced for certain foods was generated by their experiences in POW camps before they were transported to the USA. One Friday my mother and her sister-in-law, knowing they had these special "guests" to feed, seined the draws on our farm and came up with quite a few fish and crayfish. They fried the fish and boiled the crayfish and served them with egg noodles that had been cooked and then fried in butter and a bowl of Great Northern beans. Upon seeing these treats on the dining table, the POW's registered their disdain and said that all they'd gotten to eat when they were POWs in England was "Fisch und Wassernudel." My mom and my aunt were very disappointed, having done their best to offer the POWs what we considered some of our favorite foods. And believe me, in those days fresh fish was a rare treat in western Kansas. -- Sam Brungardt, St. Paul, Minn. _________________________________________________________________ http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_2G_0507