Jennie thinks that people didn’t have a healthier diet a hundred years ago. [ori

M: Hi Jennie. Have you written your essay yet?
W: The one about life being better 100 years ago? Not yet. I can’t decide what to write.
M: Really? I finished my essay last night, no cars, no electricity, no central heating, no television. It’s obvious life was much worse.
W: Yes, but I think there were still some good points. Food, for example, there were no ready meals or fast food, so people grew their own fruit and vegetables. Surely that was better for them than a lot of what we eat today.
M: Well, maybe, but did everybody use to eat like that? I don’t think so. And what about clothes? Did you know that boys used to wear dresses and have long hair until they were about five years old? How embarrassing!
W: I know, but I find there were some beautiful clothes for women at that time. Anyway, you said there was no television. That meant people made music or performed plays in the evenings. That has to be better than sitting in front of the box.
M: Well, I’d rather watch TV than play the piano.
W: l think it’s a great skill to have. And I definitely think children had more respect for adults a hundred years ago.
M: True. But that was because the kids were afraid of being punished—and we’d find some of those punishments quite cruel nowadays. Not to mention all the terrible diseases and the fog, because of the coal fires and the hard work—I could go on and on...
W: Oh yes, I know. Can you imagine—the poor housewife used to clean the house and wash the clothes by hand every week. People didn’t have washing machines or vacuum cleaners. That’s why they needed servants.
M: Aren’t you glad you live in the 21st century?
W: Yes, I suppose I am. OK, well, thanks, Carl—you’ve given me some useful ideas. Now all I need to do is write them up as an essay!