The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-01-21
UNIQUE DINING-PLACE
A Slice or Bohemian Life in
the Metropolis.
Many Languages Spoken, and an Enor-
nous Onion for Dessert

'J HeA'S u'So' SPoh0ni "nu az AA-oi
nous Onion for Dessert
Much as has been written about the
places where New Workers eat, the writ
ers have shown an almost uniform dispo-
sition to go to extremes. Either pal
ace or ''dive" was the selected subject.
The reader was expected to be either
dazzled or disgusted, as far as it was pos
sible to affect him either way. The gen.
era! assumption has been that the mid
way establishments are know and un-
derstood of all men, and that they have
nothing in them worthy of remark. That
is far from being true. have in mind
just now dining place that would be
genuine astonisher to ninety-seven per
cent. of my readers at least yet there is
absolutely nothing in it to either over
whelm or revolt. 1t is simply slice out
of Bohemian life with European garnish-
ing. l had heard of the place as a re-
sort of artists mainly, and with some
difficulty found it. 1t is basement in
an old-fashioned house on University
Place. A small, weather-b beaten, dingy
tin sign outside may accidentally convey
to the passcr-by hint that somebody
with an italian name feeds people down
there. The intimidation is so modestly
conveyed, however, that one is apt to re-
gard the fact in the light of a betrayed
secret. When / went in found twenty
five or thirty men seated at long table
eating soup. The instant that l took my
scat soup was placed before me. Three
or four more late-comcrs followed me, and
before each dish of soup appeared with
almost marvellous celerity. There was
no question as to whether one wanted
soup. 1t seemed to be viewed in the
light of a social duty that one should
take soup. At the right hand of each
newcomer a bottle was pumped down,
with a napkin fantastically knotted on its
neck. There were all sorts of bottles
long white ones holding Rhine wines;
stout dark ones containing claret; TASKS
filled with Chianti; bulbous-nccked ones
that held absinthe; squat ones bearing
liquor brands; square ones that spoke to
the practised eye of gin. But with all
this array of bottles there was little drink
ing, except of light wines. Only very
small plasses of the llinnaro ylAra taLA.--"H-
About the table Babel of converSa-
ton was going on in French, German,
Italian, Spanish, and English-all at
once. Everybody seemed to be acquaint-
ed with everybody else. Groups of volu-
Bile takers were established along and
across the table, but between the groups
flashed constantly salutation, question,
reply, comment, repartee, jest, denial,
and affirmation, quick and sharp, with
polyglot interchangcability of tongues
that might well confuse stranger to the
scene. After the soups we had smel.s;
then two kinds of meat, served in slices,
covered with a rich gravy, upon large
platters, from which every one helped
himself as they went along the table, to
as much as he wanted.
For a finale to the meal an enormous
Spanish onion was put upon the cloth at
one end of the table with dish of salt
beside it. The nearest man grasped the
huge bulb, sliced off a big piece of it and
passed it to his left hand neighbor; took
spoonful of the salt, and passed that
along also. Nearly every one took a
chunk of the onion and ate it. When
one big onion disappeared another like it
was brought on. Toward the end of the
dinner all were smoking cigars or cigar
cites, and all took coffee. Each man as he
finished dining made cravat of his
napkin on the neck of his bottle, and
each cravat was made differently from
any of the others, the knotting being the
owners private mark, which the walters
were supposed to remember. Some were
square-notted, others with bows, or hoods
that capped the bottles and gave them a
funny feminine look, or with ends that
hung down like clerical bands, or points
that stood up like Toodles' necktie, and
so on in surprising variety. The conver-
sation never ceased, but only waned as
the number of takers diminished, unit
the last one went out, talking back al
the landlord as he went-Cook.