Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-08-16
The cafe in Turkey.

Theophile Gautier wrote Of Turkish
cafe:
Imagine a saloon, dozen feet square,
arched and whitewashed, encircled by 3
wainscot about six feet high, and a spe.
cies Of divan covered with straw mating.
In the middle-and this is the most ele-
CANT point Of detail-a fountain Of white
marble throws up a stream of water
which falls again in various streams and
clouds of spray. In corner burns a
furnace, over which the coffee is made,
cup by cup, as required, little brass
coffee-pot, capable Of holding but sin
gle cup each. To the walls are attached
shelves laden with razors, near which
hang several elegant little pearl-mounted
mirrors in which the customers can
see whether their boards are ar
ranged to their taste, for in Turkey
every cafe is also a barbers shop, and
while | smoke my chibouque and sip my
coffee, in comes fat Turk, with par
rot's nose, and a lean Persian, with an
eagles beak, to have their boards
dressed; while a young Greek, in front
of me, is pomadIng his mustache and
painting his eyebrows, which he had
equalized by means Of a small pair of
pincers. The idea is prevalent that, ac-
cording to the rule of the Koran, the
Turks absolutely prescribe all " images"
and regard the products OF the plastic
arts as works of idolatry; but, although
this sistruein principle, it is not vigorously
sustained, and the cafes are decorated
with all sorts Of prints of the oldest
choice and taste, without at all appearing
to scandalize the orthodox Mussulman.
Turkish taste takes French prints and
forms grotesque combinations. Sirens
swim at the side of steamboats,, and the
heroes of Schah Nameh brandsh their
battle-axes above the old soldiers of the
empire. 1t is delightful to take in these
cafes, after a fatiguing walk through
the streets, a tiny cup of their dark and
tuIbid coffee, brought to you by black
eyed youngster on the tips Of his fingers,
in salver of silver filigree; and it
proves more truly refreshing than any
iced drink which you could obtain. To
the cup of coffee is usually added glass
Of pure water, which the Turks drink be-
fore and the Franks after; and there is a
characteristic anecdote current on
this very subject. A Euro
pean who spoke the Eastern
language perfectly, wore the Mussulman
costume like a native, and had acquired
the bronze complexion Of the climate,
was, nevertheless, recognized as a Frank
in a little obscure Syrian cafe by a
ragged Bedouin, incapable certainly Of
discovering a fault in the pure Arabic
dialect of the detective foreigner. by
what have you discovered me to be a
Frsnk2" said the European, as much
annoyed as Theophrastus, when called
stranger" by green grocer in the mar
ket at Athens, because he had misplaced
an accent. "You drank your water after
your coffee" replied the Bedouin. Every
one carries his own tobacco box, the
cafe supplying only the chibouque, the
amber moutbpiece Of which is incapable
of retaining any impurity from use,
and the nargile, a complicated sppsr-
atus which it would be rather diff
cult to lug about with you. The
price of the cup of coffee is twenty
paras, or one penny farthing; and if you
give a plaster or two-pence half-penny,
you are quite magnificent person. The
money is dropped into a box pierced
with a hole Ia regular child's money
box), which is placed near the door.
Although in Turkey the beggar in rags
who comes in seats himself on the diyan
besides the most sumptuously dressed
Turk without eliciting any sign of aver
sion or displeasure, for the latter certain
classes have, nevertheless, their habitual
places of resort, and the "Cafe Of the
Marble Fountain" situated between
Serai Bournon and the Mosque Of Yeni.
Djsmi is one Of the most frequented in
all the town.