Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1884-03-28
AN OYSTER PATTY MAN.
Brilliant Triumph Sr a Culinary
Artist In New York Restaurant.

New York Times.
l have watched that handsome Young
lrishmau who dispenses these oyster
pattles fer very long time, AMI / be.
lIeve | am martyr to the calls.. of I'M.
man knowledge How many time.
have | not partaken of these patie5.
when really lolthed them? 1t i, the
fascinating manner of making them IN
which leads me irresistiblv to
his counter. Often and often
my appetite would have inclined
me toward the l0-cent sandu ;ch
but have passed by this economic food
and gone to that particular part of the
restaurant sacred to the patty. Isu
ally it is thronged. Long success ,ions
OF oyster-patty eaters wait patiently
here for their delectable morsels. Tc
the extreme left of the counter stands
the oyster-pattv man, and to the right
his rival, the chicken-patty man. Bu,
for one chicken-patty eaten there are
fifty oyster-patties eaten.
Far be it from me to ignore the
merit of the chicken artist. He is quite
perfect in his way. Still there are
wide differences between the two, and
these arise from divergence of material
Chicken has not the plastic qualities of
the oyster. Chicken refuses to Weld to
the dab Of spoon because of its in.
herent resistance. 1t is not homo.
geneous. No skill of cook can make
uniform fragments Of chicken breast
whereas with oysters nature molds
them one like another, and they have
sliding qualities peculiar to themselves.
If the chichen patty man had oysters
to serve he might in time be the rival
of the young lrishman. Fate however,
has decided it otherwise.
There are eight movements. I.)
The artist seizes hot plate with his
right hand ca and with his left whiskS
off the dish cover. In the dish warmer
are two compartments; in one are the
oysters, in the other the shells of light
est crust. g. With fork he de tor
Ously spears shell and slide, it ON a
plate. think after few years of do.
termined practice a man of fair ability
might accomplish this much This is
only the first part, however. tho rongh
outline, as it were, but the art now
comes in the filling up. a. The spoon
is seized. g and6D Two dips are taken
OF the oysters, which are 1adled into
the crust. a. The spoon is replaced.
(S.) The cover is put on. This is the
bare, brief analysis of the manipula.
tions.
But how delicate and complex are the
oil nv4 -
how perfect the rhythm! The cover is
taken off no.selessly, though it weighs
ten pounds fully. When it is put on a
little clang is heard. l have often
wondered why this finale is audible.
know that in the studied cadence of true
poetry the conclusion of the sonnet must
be accentuated. This young Irishman,
as true artist, feels unconsciously the
necessity of a sonorOus ending. But
what chiefly delights me is the singing
back Of the spoon into the dish. Now
how can powerfully-built young man
throw big, clumsy looking spoon into
slab mixture of oysters and sauce and
make no splash Look at his clean, white
apron. Examine the counter around
him, and never, never does an atom OF
anything fly from that dish. He abso.
lutely hurls that spoon back. and there
is no bespattering of his surroundings.
There never is any hesitation in his
play, and still it should be remembered
that acute mental action follows every
physical movement. He is obliged to
count the oysters. Think of thou.
sand oyster patties to be distributed
every day, and heedlessness on his part
in the giving of only one single oyster
too much in each portion! Then would
come ruin and bankruptcy to the res
taurant proprietOrs.