, 1885-06-30
The FOOD Of PARIS, POOR
The Niand's Dealt out at tho ''Isestau'
nnt-"-"HAriequins"-Lower Places

rnnts"-"Hnriequins"-Lowe Places
Paris Cor. Chicago Trrbune
Over in the Moufetard suburb, in q
dark and filthy street. Just renamed in
honor OF one of the so called heroes of
the Reign OF Terror. arc three hotels
kept by three brothers, in partnership, ]
suppose, as each landlord ~sorupulously
conducts TO his neighbours place those
customers whom he cannot himself nc
commodate. On the ground floors Of
all are grog shops, of the kind which
Emile ola has portrayed in ''I'Assom-
moir, and where for 1 sou, n cent Of
our money, you can get a big glassful of
something which passes for spirits,
which is sold under the name OF brandy,
and which its consumers call yitrol; no
rifle whisky evor distilled ever came
within n rod of it. And in rear of the
grog shops are the restaurants, in
which the landlords lady" stands,
ready TO minister to the wants Of those
who wish for a supper. 1 wish you
could see the yiands kept on hand in
those Restaurants lust once, you know,
out Of curiosity. for you would not care
any moro than ! do to repeat their in
speotion.
Every morning bright and early these
ladies make the rounds of the mar
kets ami the pork butchers, picking up
the refuse OF stale vegetables and OF
meat on the eve Of being spoiled, notin-
frequently which has begun TO be
spoiled. and with this offal they confec-
ton dishes, horrible sa'anagundis,
which they sell at 3 cents a portion. "
making . cents profit out Of every 3.
Aud to these repasts people flock from
all quarters. for their trade is not con
fined to their WI tenants. and | know
a political illustration of the e tire ne
radical party who might have become
really illustrious if IN n moment of do
spair he had not committed suicide, who
for two months kept himself alive on
this pittance. Mr.. X. was naturally of
a robust temperament, yet he very
nearly died Of IL; he assured me that
many there had eaten nothing else for
more than a twelyemonth, and, he
added, probably never will for a
twelvemonth to come"
At other places the specially is ''har-
lequins, by which is meant n hodge.
podge Of sleeps trotters, half-picked-
clean spareribs, salad, sometimes
washed, oftener not washed free Of the
rice and currant Jelly with which it has
cone into contact in the slop bucket,
mutton bones and ham-rinds, with po-
tato Feelings, turnip-tops, etc. etc. 1t
is, as you will perceive, not a costly con
c%oction, andApays well at 3 cents a por-
ton, although this portion is copious.
for which reason it Is greatly in favor
with the oil polloi, who eat it greedily in
the bureau, only regular residents en-
loying the privilege OF a table-their
own beds in the dormitories.
one landlord, being the proprietor of
only five small ohambrees, with four
beds in each, imagined a special way by
which to exc out his earnings. He fur
nished his dodgers with breakfast in
their rooms, and carried them up
himself, giving them to choose be-
tween tho "harlequins' as aforesaid,
and boiled rice. This was a happy
thought and much appreciated by those
who were tainted with sybaritism, all
the more that they had plates-old
newspapers supplied g%ratuitously, but
which were to be folded and put away
with care under the bolster when done
with. 81 warn you, " he said, that my
means will not permit me to provide an
old newspaper every day to everybody. "
One thing, however, seriously embar-
rasscd this worthy at the beginning;
how was he to carry the rice and the
'harlequins' up stairs But he was of
an inventive mind, and so turned this
difficulty by carrying the things up
stairs in his pockets. OF course / mean
in the pockets Of his apron, a bit of sail
cloth, with two huge sacks, out Of
which lie would extract a handful of the
particular mess demanded. He was
very particular about this his left hand
only was plunged into the rice pocket
the right hand was reserved exclusively
for the %harloquins.
That mar sold a great deal, and has
retired from business TO n farm near
the Puy de Doner, selling out his good
Will and fixtures to a relative for
$4,000. And we regret the change, "
said one OF his oldest customers whom |
interviewed. He was n philanthropist
in his way, and improved on the apron
pocket and newspaper-plate arrange
ment. lie let us eat at a real table and
on q real tablecloth, and we began to
feel like civilized beings. My informant
did not explain TO me, though a vet
eran policeman did, that the tablecloth
in question was n sheet from one of the
beds, which each lodger was obliged to
contribute in his turn. Certainly this
combination of economy with innoya-
ton was a stroke Of genius and merited
success.
in some of tho ''garnis a la mutt"
the bill Of fare is more simple than in
the above mentioned establishment,
which may be ,lassed as the aristocratic
and high toned. Elsewhere soupe
maigre, with occasionally a little salt,
never either fat or butter, is made from
vegetable remains, picked up on the
payements near the halles, and old
bread crusts bought from the baskets of
the chi oniers, all Of which cost >
cents a bowl and was well p~atronized
until, owing 10 the projects cdict con
corning the monopoly Of slops and onal
to a Joint stock company, the ragpick-
ers occupation like that Of Othello, be-.
came gone, and so closed tho sources
of supply of the poor man 5 caterers