, 1874-06-07
WAFFLES.
The Peripatetic Caterer Ct
Chicago.
The Peculiar Edible He Sells, and How
It Is Manufactured.
Profits Of the Business.


Of the midday arpctites of our businessmen
The peculiar aim OF the noon-day caterer ls tn
providing on the shortest notice Of 8 6ubstantls
meal for his customers, none OF whom, it ma
be prcmised. ever allow the eating Of appetit
to cousule more than twenty m:nutes' time
the outside Thus it comes that the restaurant
OF orr city are between II and O'Clock each da
scenes of great hustle, with hosts Of nyin
walters. o merry clatter Of knives and forks
and more sudden disappearance of food thai
can be observed in any other city Of the world
This tendency to save time is fully appreciated
by those who supply businessmen witl
their wants, and every centre of peculia,
business is surrounded by cluster Of eating
houses OF different grades, from the free-lunct
counter to the tirat-class restaurant euch ol
them Offering speciai inducements to their pa,
tro:.s. Round the Board Of Trade, the Court
House. the Custom House, The TRIBUNE Build
ine and othor important business localities, the
Establishments Of the enterprising Donifacora
spring up in numbers, and. astonishing as it
may be, they almost all seem to be doing good
basinesa.
THE VICTIM OF A MISTAKE.
Occasionally restaurateur makes mistake
IL tbs choice Of his locality, and settles down in
- O: vLtl.er custom fails to follow him. In
VAN he places outside OF his door huge board
Cslicato dessert to be obtained inside,
1Ii4..lux from the 75-ccnt porterhouse
soak down to the 25-cent dish Of fried
Evcf aud bacon, and with the moderate
price III the cleareEt Of figures placed oppo-
Site each carnal temptation. To no purpose
does the disappointed proprietor have q
couple OF thousand entlcing hand-bil1s setting
forth the peculiar virtues OF his eating-houso
printed OF and distributed on the streets among
paEBers-by. He has struck the wrong place, and
DAY after day the virgin white Of bis immaculate
taoie-clotls remains uusul]ied until at last lie is
driven, not to despair, bnt to the only remedy
A IA f1ul mar han1-
Ihc great trouble with such one is the fact
that after he las opened his place ho must stay
by it, like man BY bis wife, for better or worse,
until death or bankruptcy do them part He is
not Ike Mohammed, who, when the mountain
would not come to hin, concluded that he would
60 to the mountain, for when business fails to
darken his door he is unable, from the peculiar
nature OF his enterprise, 10 gather up lis effects
ard effect change Of base to more promising
locality.
THE pERnA1Er1c.
There is In fact throughout the whole length
and breadth Of this. lunch-loying city but one
catering establishment whose proprietor. when
be fluids business dull in one locality, can at a
mcment's notice move OF to another. This in
disiduAl who has, by the exercise Of his genius,
iltted himself above the trammels which retard !
the progress OF his brethren is the wafile-maker
whose fragrant establishment, drawn by couple !
OF horses meande1H through the business streets |
from 10 III the morning until late in the after
noon. dispensing. at cents a couple the geo
mestlcal, delicate}y-hayored and feather-lisht !
cakes, whose succalent virtues nra epitomized |
under the one appetizing word "waf1]es."
TUE WAFFLE DEFINED.
For tho benefit Of these of our readers who
I-e entirely ig1orant Of what waffle ia |
for among a few hundred Thousand !
people it is possible that to some the
full Significance of the word is unknown, |
the definition Of the word, as laid down by Web
Eler, is given. After due dclibcration tho great
American dlctionary-man has decided that the |
waffle is q thin cake baked hard nnd rolled, or
soft iIdented cake baked in an iron utensil on
coal" This is perhaps as good 3 description Of
the waffle as could be given in go few words, but
to one who las been intimate with waf1les,
especially the soft, indented Kind, from child
do fal justice 10 the delicate flavor, and delight
fl lghtness md digestibility Of the waffle, |
would be the work of q committee appointed for
the purpose at q convention Of consumers.
THE CHICAGO ARTICLE.
Tho waffle which is sold ny the peripatetic |
dealer il tue soft. indcuted kind, and, rs might
reasonably be expected his constant practice has
eliminated IN cake which ia pronounced to be
anywhere be found, And then the fact that the
proprietor mixes his batter and bakes his
cakes right before the oyes Of the pub
lie, is = matter OF assurance to that
part ct tue community who entertain suspicion |
as to the nature OF the ingredients OF any dish |
they Meet with away from home who fancy that
il pound Of sausage we're suddenly recalled to
I,lel EFT % would signify its joy by bar5ng, that
chlco.y, aud their milk weak solution Of chalk |
and water. It any one has doubts as to the nu-
tritlous qualities Of tho waffle, s glance at the
deftly handles the grddle would put them to
flight Ii this failed, however. description OF
the materials used in their manufacture would
be assuring, their sole componeuts being -four, ,
milk, aud eggs, a trinity Of ingredients that :.
never fails, II mixed with due calo, to result in
I'll agreeable cake Of one kind or another.
HIS pEoF7Ts.
Although tho wnhle-maler is able to take his n
movable kitchen to any part of tho city his :
fayorlte Elto ID Washington street opposite ! :
Tie Union National Bank. Under the shadow q
OF this institution he mixes his batter and fries
his wsftiea, some OF which he sells to passers-by,
but most OF which arc carried by boys, quite ! r
acolytish in appearance, with white caps and q
Jackets, into the Chamber OF Commerce and the =
adjacent resorts Of Board OF Trade men. The =
number Of waffles supplied daily from the I
movable kitchen is between seven and eight =
hundred. the receipts being about SIG or SIT, -
but II the business we're more energeticaliy ~
pushed these figures might be largely increased. .
Of food, and is worthy rival of the bnckuhont :,
,ake as oost-prandial tid-bit pleasing ya1i- II
sty Of tbs domestic article is what is known as a.
TEE 'F1ASSEL" WAFFLE, =,
dish which is occasionally served on the break ~
last table on the morning Of the 1st OF April ! =
The ingredients OF this cako are as already n1nn q
honed, With The addition, however. Of quanti- g
This adnixture does not alter in the slightest d.
gree the appsarance of the cake, but when an | at
attenp is made to cut it the unaya;lins crorts se
o. iis carver are amusing in tho extreme, and il h.
be docs persist in swallowing mouthful he ia bs
doomed to dose Of dyspepsia which SIX montbg' :,
eradicate. N~1~o '-'A A@1a-
Or the Pacific coast, and, in fact, all over the o
southwest, the waffle is fa7orita ar. II
acls Of diet. In San Frapcisco md 4n IL
sacIsmcnto, the movable waffle k;tcn-
'ns DO thriving business. Like the scissor- q
grinders Of these latitudcs they announce their e
coming AID going With the ringing OF bell, It +
doubtful whether the waffle will ever be as "a "a
great All institution here as it is in warzuor
,Anes, as the Northern MONDAY appetite Graves +,
something more solid and subHtantial than o
axe for it's appeaser but. gentle and sooth- 1s
rs steyer Of hunger, and an Insurer of ready e
lsestlon 1t ls worthy Of greater popularity here
han it has yet attained
Singular Fall OF a Bridge.
The 'iclshurg (Mlss.) Herald Of Nav q. eays. bs
1 i1e centre span Of kle Vicksburg MeTidiau Il,
Eailroad tr7dso across tho Big Black River fell O.