The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-08-10
PARIS LETTER.
tFrom our Regular Correspondent
PARIS Inlu 9th 1S-

I Mat tdU from rich mems MJ'es.--7hose echo
c0liect tie crumbs dnd Mose rhO eat Mem-
| THE Ualles Ceatyults AMI ch1t caH be seen
| Mere.-SOO0O re2,dressed peOpb rh0 lire on
| 9dr6age.
Among the curiosties of Paris life are the
small carts that call at the back gates Of the
embassies, palaces, restaurants, hotels, and
great houses in general, to receive the remains
of the dinners left not by the upper ten thous-
and only, but likewise by their servants; and
sold every morning by the cooks to the ennis
sarics of a race of costcrmongers whose stalls
at the great markets are furnished by these
stale victuals, which have made their debW on
the tables of the wealthy These carts are
closed in, but recognizable by a sort of chm
ney in the top which admits of free ventilation.
The secondhand viands are thrown pell nell
into the carts and are paid for by weight. I'M
agne the appearance of this pot pourri called
"Arlequins" when it reaches the stalls of the
market. The first process is the trioge, or
sorting, work of no small difficulty when
portions Of lobster besmearcd with soup must
tNlIuClCi lIOlll lllc vi IL WI
in which they are imbedded The most pre-
sentable morsels are pared, cleaned and laid on
a dish; this process takes place in some re.
mote corner out Of sight but the selection is
soon completed, and, strange TO say, by twelve
o'clock these scraps from the plates of the
rich are eagerly bought up by certain class
Of the poor who prefer their savOry flavor to
more wholesome, simpler and cleaner food.
Whatever cannot be sufficiently pared and ar,
ranged for human food is disposed of for pet
house dogs, Italian greyhounds and such like
aristocratic quadrupcds. The bones, however,
found III these deposits are laid aside and sold
90 the manufacturers of concentrated meat
lo2enges; and by them, after having been boil
ed down, are yet got rid Of to the compoundcrs
of animal black, so much IN demand by house
painters. But to return 10 the Arlequins tins
trade Of buying the remains of dinners is by
no means a bad one. Many Of those who pur-
sue 1t retire at the expiration Of few years on
comfortable little incomes of four or five hun
drcd Il year
To witness the preparation Of food dcscrib-
ed, as well as similar mampulations no less
curious and interesting, it will be necessary to
90 to the great markets or Halles Ccntrales
between the hours of four and five in the
morning. This great market place is opposite
the celebrated church of Eustachc. The Gel
lars are well worth seeing; they are the rccep
taclcs of incatculablc quantities of fish, fowl.
meat, game, cheese, butter, etc, and may easily
be visited upon application at the ovcrseer's
lodge.
The next branch of this trade is the bakers
en- rienr. 1t is also quite remunerative. To
collect the crusts thrown away by school boys,
or dropped by these careless youngsters IN
their play grounds, tramped on, and afterwards
bcdaubed with ink OF uud has proved to he a
lucrative occupation The least filthy of these
soiled and uninviting fragments are bought
by second rate bakers who after having had
them dried in an oven, sell them for the cyOute
an pot, with which soup all familiar with
French cookery are well acquainted. Further
into thrcecorncred moIsels which, fried in
butter, adorn some of the vegetable dishes we
enjoy at the grand restaurants But there vet
remains a mass Of mud.stained, dustsolled
scraps, which once were bread. These, worked
up IN Il mortar and pulverlzed, are sold as the
chapelure bLanche with which outlets are dress
ed, There still, however, remains dust which
it has been impossible to work up; this is
blackcned in the oven, reduced to an impalpa-
BILE powder mixed with honey, to which are adj
dcd Il few drops Of peppermint. and sold as an
iniallibe cure for toothache, for which agony
it is said TO be quite as cificacious as anything
recommended by the faculty"
Many of the most delicate dishes found at
tie innumerable restaurants are concocted Of
things which we would reject as garbage, The
soups especially, of which there are as many
varieties as there are departments in France,
are compounded Of materials which we would
part of an animal, horse, cat, rat, goat or crow
from which certain restaurants in Paris will
not serve you savory dish, assuring you, of
course, that your horse steak is the best cut of
beef that the cat is hare, and that the crow is
pigeon.
About $4,000 of the inhabitants of the gay
capital rise in the morning without knowing
where or how they are going to get a dinner.
These poor wretches, who, for the greater part,
have no regular employment manage TO dress
decently nevertheless, to keep up appearances,
ana between six and seven O'Clock you will
lind them seated at some of the cheaper rcstau-
rants enjoying the luxury OF twenty-five
sOue dinner. CAS-.
The queen Of borrowers, we are informed lives
on the west side. She had visitors the other day
and in order to give herself motheyly appear
anee borrowed a neighbours baby, cradle and
wagon. She also borrowed for the occasion q
piano. three sets of chairs a parlOr Garnet two