The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1884-11-05
now LONDON DIMES.
Specimens OF High and Low Living in
the Great Metropolis


A correspondent of the Brooklyn
/ Times writes as follows: Being bidder
! TO one OF London's civic dinners. / par
took inter ala Of lark pudding. d.
think It is a shame to put the larl
which Eat heavens gate sings into I
pudding. but being in q pudding th'
/ lark Is exceedingly nice. I am tolC
that lark pudding Is quite as expensive
and doubly as rare IS bird s-nest soup
and certainly the unanimity with which
| the guests, on the occasion ] refer to
called for it bears out the suggestion
| Perhaps Delmonieo himself could no
have suggested rarer mems than tina
which the Shipwrights laid before rs
! The lord mayor-as fine and yeoman
like a specimen Of Englishman as on'
would wish 10 see-occupied the guest!
place Of honor. and ct such times as
dared furtively to raise my eyes in tht
direction Of that dignitary, thought
saw that he enjoyed the repast exceed
ingly. Certainly it was gorgeous af
fair. from the soup to the iced pudding,
and afterward 10 the cigars (great fat
fellows OF that deliciously loose anC
crumb bling make about the end thai
domestic workmen cannot imitate).
The wines, too; the fragrant hooks and
mellow clarets, the dry champagnes.
the rare old ports, the nuttY sherries,
the thimbleful of oily brandy, and the
accompanying gulp OF coffee! That is
the way Londoners-theg great corpora.
tons and city guilds-dine.
a+ tho hninrbk NJ fh11
banquet it must have been o'clock.
From the majestic Mansion house.
which sees literally hundreds of such
dinners during every lord Mayor Is
term, to the New cut, is but short
distance. Here, as indeed in all parts
of London, there are served up at
o'clock precisely, in the ham and beef
shops, hugo dishes Of boiled beef. bak-
ed pork, and peas pudding. 1t is not
too much to say that 100000 families
in London take their evening (and
heartiest) meal from these shops. car
rying homo the steaming viands in hot
basins, at q cost of from one penny to.
say, ninepence each family! (Two to
18 cents The meat of course, cannot
be obtained for this smaller sum, but a
huge platter Of pease pudding may,
and there is no dish moro wholesome
and sustaining. To the very poor
not to the poorest. poor creatures. for
they are unable to obtain even this
cheap food frequently-the hot joints
and hot pudding served from 8 O'Clock
until midnight, and the saVory save.
lows that are taken steaming from the
boiler, are great boon. Many of the
establishments in which they are serv-
ed have also midday hot lunch (none
being allowed to consume their food
on the premises). but for the most part
the morning is occupied by their pro-
prietors in cutting and preparing the
meat for the great rush of the evening,
in clearing up generally, and in cutting
cold meats for such as want them.
have often gazed with mute admiration
upon the deft manner in which these
gentlemen ply their long knives. They
seem to be able to cut off a pound of
meat without diminishing the joint.
and TO do it and do it again. am pos
1--we that l have seen them shave off a
= piece of ham that was no thicker
than the paper on which these lines
w2l be printed.
Such as cannot muster enough mon
ey to indulge in steak-and-kid-
nev pudding, which costs anywhere
from 1 to 10 pence, according TO how
much steak and kidney there is in it,
and of what variety they are, can at
all events find healthy and cheap re-
past in the fried fish shop. There is a
Great plenty in England, and at all
seasons Of the year, of fish called
paige 1t is something like founder
ana something like n sole, but it is
neither and has distinct flavor. The
fried-fish shopkceper cuts this plaice
in two, peppers, salts, and flours him,
and pops him into n gigantic vat Of
boiling grease. In ten minutes he is
done. Scores of thousands, especially
III the winter time. are nightly custom
ers of the fried-fish shop. have tried
plaice so cooked and have liked him
very much. The great consideration
about him, however, is his cheapness.
A satisfying portion of fried plaice, for
one. can be obtained for single PEN
ny, while if the purchaser desires to
spend more he can get at the same q
paper full of Clipped
for another penny-four cents
IF our money in all. Is it not terrible
% think that in this vast town, this in
caravan, there are thou
sands who cannot often approach even
ibis poor luxury? The poor, however,
rave certainly more opportunities of
cheap and nourishing food in
london than in any other of the large
,ities-certainly far more than in New
York or Brooklyn. We will suppose,
or example. that man were landed
n New York with but % cents in the
yorld-and hungry. How long could
le support life on itP Certainly not
more than two days-that is to say be-
ore-hc began to starve. twenty-five
.ents are shilling and a half-penny of
english money. and think you will
,ather from what have written that
would 60 much further here than
here. For a penny here man may
ave dish of wheiks Ga toothsome
heH-iish) with pepper and vinegar, or
wo very repulsiye-looking oysters, or
4 the winter time cup of hot eel |
CUP. or meat or fruit pie, or a plato |
f mussels.