Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-09-11
FRENCH FOOD.
FRENUH FUUD.
WHAT THE FRENCH PEOPLE LIVE ON.
Their Favorite Articles Of Food and Drink
Tea Unknown - Coffee and
Bread - Economy Of the
Working Classes.

Ircnutt MuliuIu III the san Il L''i'''''" NN'"'-'
Gle.
Tea is quite unknown among the
French masses. Tea with them is "med-
icine, good for Indigestion Il give
YOU tisane," said French gen tleman
to me one evening on producing cup
of tea. "Tisane, tiSane,' | thought
what i'm the world does he mean? Al
forwards found that this obsolete world
had crrpt into the French and English
dictionary he used. TiSane is an almost
obsolete term for medicine. Out of re-
gard for our supposed English taste,
Monsieur Charles would have tea
brought in whenever We called. IL was
very light tea, but they brought the
strength on in the brandy bottle, and
milk was never thought Of BY the
manner i'm which the French ladies' trl-
flel with il. bv almost imPerceptible
fittings of their noses AMI the corners oil
their mouths they betrayed exactly how
well they didn't like tea. But thus they
would martyr themselves every time We
called, and make and take their 'medl-
cine with true French pOlltenesS. Once
| asked for a cup of tea in cheap res
taurdnt. Ii was an innovation on es-
tabliShcd custom and created some dis
order and excitement. | noted them
sending 10 the grOcer'S over the way Tor
the tea. He kept IL in glass jar along
with his drugs AMI chemicals, and II
NAV have been in his shop for one year
or ten. They were nearly twenty mIn-
utes making tea. The proPrletreSS
blushed painfully on bringing 1t To Us,
for she felt herself on unknown ground.
But she, poor woman, wanted To obugc
lis. SD She had done her best. The tea
came on in two large, wide bowls, two
tablespoons accompanying. These
bOTlS and tablespoons are the usual Ia
wont for cufS Ui tGH. This tea was IN
its srarand yellow leaf when drawn, and
the very small quantity drawn had not
increased its strength. But the bowl
WAS too large 10 drink from comfortably
and the size Of the spoons precludcd
the possibility Of conveying n COnven-
ientIv into the mouth through tpeir
agency. As warm milk and water 1t
was a success; Is tea 70 WAS failure. II
is cxaspcrdting 10 good tea-drinker TO
see the "ilunlky, plcavunlSh' manner
in which the French handle amt sell tea.
They will put up q mixture Ot black ami
grcrn. a couple of ounces in weight, in Il
little box pruiuSclv Ornumented with
pictures Of mandarins and tea-boXeS,
and this Is OStenslbly labeled Prepared
Tea. as though the process OF putting
the two brands together involved some
profound
SECRET or THE LABORATORY.
Then they charge about twelve cents
an ounce for il, or nearly two dollars Il
pound. Ask tor coffee at the ordinary
French peoples restaurant and they
pour a dark liquid cold from Il bottle,
heat il and bring it To you Tor clts Ho'r.
don't know what il Is. Ii has the
color of coffee, but neither the taste nor
smell. 4 spoonful of brandy DISCUSSES
il still further, and thousands on
thousands of Frcnchmen sip 1t daily
with great satisfaction. Combined with
a large proportion Of warm milk II serves
As their mornings cuty GU idH. But II Is
not coffee at al, Real coffee in France
Is an expensive luxury. Your coffee
and roll al a tirst-clasS Partisan rcStau-
rant cost aS much a. an entire breakfast
al tine average san Francisco restaurant.
The ordinary bread OF the French pco-
pie is cloudy in hue, lcJthcry IN texture,
hard a. "a crust and brown apart 10y
Yeast. II Is cheap. and az the restaurant
they give YOU all YOU can eat, which Is a
virtue worthy OF imitation IN New lOrk,
where a twO-mOuthtul slice Is the ac-
Commandment of the cheap dinner. In
France bread Is regarded u the staff OF
life. I'm the average American rcstau-
rant IL seems. jujsiG. from the mcagre
display on the table, 10 be considered
rather ~ one of the trimmings. But
really good bread Is i'm Paris more cN-
rru,Iyc than i'm New York. rs Tor pies
and cakes. the average New York baker
keeps greater variety, auj that fresh
or and cheaper than IN Paris. Buy the
workiu.meu'> tart or take IN Paris, and
tine chances are that it Is a fortnight old
and COATED with dust. Their working
people lo Not indulge in dclicacicS -
DO ours. Tie American mechanic
wife would turn up her nose at the
bakers lrlicacicS OF the EaubOUrS y.
Antoine. and she might have good
cause for 50 doing. The street ginger
bread of Paris, such Is Is sold az the
"tomhIld>. or street lotteries, would
n America, after It's second or third
appearance ON the table, be- privately
aud quietly consigned 10 the piE-pen.
II loOSs Ike gingerbread, but the taste
is foreign. 10 Is baked % keep Tor ages.
In l. stale. bitter, suudried, tough Is IN
dla rubber and almost Is elastic. \ GIN
srrbrrad man eighteen inches long, such
as YOU NAV see French women purchaS-
ius az the gingerbread fairs and carrying
home % their children, will bend when
held by the loot like bamboo tish-pole
with founder at the end Of 1t. Ii Is
carried from iair % fair. and cndurcS
many suns, and Is finally permcated
with the dust Of haltthe French prOyin-
ccs. am writing now Of the
POOP OF THE FRENCH WORKING PEOPLE.
His bullion at eight cents per quart is
half water. lie never wastes any, and
the making OF Yesterday goes IN with
that ui % day, which Is adding 20 guam
tftv but not 10 quality. His ordinary
wine Is sour. half water, and 4 glaSSiul
is good Tor a iii of indigestion. He wa
tiers even his cider. Here we strike the
rotten spot in his boaStcd So-called econ
ouv. lie is ever trying To make some
thing out of nothing. lie Is ingenious
i'm manufacturing tastes and tiavorS out
of scraps. His potted-meat or sausage
shops, which abound IN every block,
contain forty different preparations OF
meat and barely one is nj to eat. There
are dozen mixtures rammed into cases.
They look nice, smell nice and may taste
nice for a few minutes, but examine