The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-05-19
Impure Food

The French do not enjoy their food without
suspicion any more than we do, but they
seem to take tolerably energetic measures
towards securing the purity of the articles
they consume. French Journalist wander
ing about What he calls the cham fair, saws
he suddenly became aware Of great tumult
not far from him, and, turning to ascertain
the cause, perceived a cart which appeared to
belong to some employees of the prefect of
police, and which was fast filling with hams
sausages, and other savory articles, amidst
much laughter and plenty of ''chaff." This
operation came to an end, and the agents of
the prefect were about to retire, when curio-
sity prompted the amused spectator to enter
into conversation with one of them respect
ing this strange scene. 'Sir, said this in
dividual, with honest pride, "Paris has no
idea of the services we render it. But for
us the population would be decimated.
You see, sir, in a town like this in
which you must satisfy nearly 2,OOO, 900
appetites daily, the supply of the public
need offers facilities for imposition which
would lead to universal fraud, if some mea
sures were not taken. Everything that can
be eaten or drunk tempts the cupidity of
adulterators. 1t would be we'll if innocuous
frauds alone were perpetrated. He who
adulterates coffee with chicory, chesnuts,
acorns, potato, beetroot, carrot. turnip
maize, can give no one gastric fever. but
some will o;;s,ploy ground bricks! Oil NAV
be adulterated in thirty-eight different ways,
As to this, ID needs only TO be remarked that
Paris consumes more than million litres of
salad oil; but only 100, 900 litres at most of
real olive oil find their way to the capital.
What is the rest made of Truffles are made
at will with yams, mushrooms, and even cork.
In the lowest class of restaurants you find
cats, horses, and even rats flesh cooked,
Yes, sir, without continual supervision con-
hnual mishaps would occur. This super
vision is exercised in the most varied forms.
Sixty inspectors incessantly keep watch over
the butchers meat; wine-tasters are
employed to judge of the beverages
sold in three thousand Partisan public
houses. At the Halle seventy persons are
employed solely to ascertain by holding eggs
up to lighted candle whether they are fresh
enough for consumption. AS to ourselves.
sir, we form part of the scenting-out brigade.
1t is our duty to discover by the smell the
condition. OF all sorts of eatables offered for
sale. We begin our work every day at eight
o'clock, generally arranging not to pass over
the ground already reconnoitred by our COL
leagues; but this we sometimes have to do.
as those tradesmen whose goods have
been lately overhauled are very apt
to think themselves safe, and take ADVANTAGE
OF their fancied security to make dishonest
profits. In twelve months we visit two thou
sand five hundred establishments and we
have to bring about twenty actions week
against dishonest tradesmen. All comes
under our urisdiction-tainted meat, rotten
fruit, milk adulterated with horses brains,
whiting, etc. This is not all; we have to
examine the state of the kitchen utensils in
the five thousand eight hundred restaurants.
eating g-houses, and table dhotes of the capi,
tai, otherwise verdigris would claim yearly
tribute of victims.