The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-10-02
FRENCH FRUGALlTY,
Another Side Showing Its Effects On
the Food Of the People.
[San Francisco Chronicle

[San Francisco Chronicle.
I am writing now of the food of the
French working people. His bouillon
at eight cents per quart is half water.
He never wastes any, and the making of
Yesterday goes in with that Of to-day,
which is adding to quantity but not to
quality. His ordinary wine is sour, half
water, and glassful is good for fit of
indigestion. He waters even his cider.
Here we strike the rotten spot in his
boasted so-called economy. He is ever
trying to make something out of moth
ing. He is ingenious in manufacturing
tastes and favors out Of scraps.
His potted meat or sausage shops,
which abound in every block, contain
forty different preparations Of meat, and
barely is one fit to eat. There are dozen
mixtures, crammed into cases. They
look nice, smell nice and taste nice for a
few minutes, but examine closely the
contents and you find chopped gristle,
hide, cartilage and sinews. 1t is highly
seasoned, fills up the stomach and makes
pure blood. You are charmed with the
fried fish and potato shops so common
and SO convenient for the worker to pur-
chase a dinner for few cents, but you
can not make many meals Of those fish
and potatoes. The grease they are cooked
in is too rancid.
Travellers tell what an admirable and
economical arrangement in the French
family is the pot au feu, the pot is al
ways on the fire, always stewing and
simmering, into which go all the rem
nants of yesterdays dinner, the bones,
the broth, the scraps, and all this ever
turning out fresh food for the family.
But this is old food, stale food, second
hand food, and no matter how disguised
as to taste, it has lost its prime element OF
strength and nutrition. 1t is true that a
French cook can make several meals out
of an Englishman's beefsteak breakfast
but he doesn't always in all these combi.
nations and contrivances add anything to
the strength-producing qualities of the
original beefsteak.
/ am disposed to believe that in Paris
there is much greater distinction be
| tween the rich and the poor mans table
as regards quality, than in New Yori
and San Francisco. You may often sci
the French workman making his II
o'clock breakfast of piece Of bread ant
glass Of sour wine, and he does no
appear to regard this as an indication O
hard times either. Bread and wine il
the staple food of thousands in Paris
The poor mans child sits contentedly a
the back door, on its lap plate, and OIL
that plate a piece Of bread, and tina
/ bread constitutes all Of its morning O
noon meal. The working girl breaks he
morning fast with bread, makes he
lunch Of it at noon, and at night come
home with few sticks of macaroni, ane
very seldom scrap Of meat, wherewitl
she prepares plate Of soup, and this j
] her dinner day In and day out.
Those who would establish anythin.
approaching free trade with Franc
should go among the French people, OBJ
serve how meagerly they live comparee
with the average american faborer, ant
perhaps then they may debate within
! themselves on the propriety Of compel
| ing with labor run on serni-starvation
| Yes, / assert that the workers Of Franc
lido not get suficiency or variety o