, 1888-06-23
coNsoMME AND cusrARo.
A Caterers That Concerning His Custom
ers-The Dishes Called For.

n Caterers Chat Concerning His Custom
ers-The Dishes Called For.
1.-THE ordinary woman must have q d.
gestive apparatus similar to that sup
posed to be enjoyed by tho ostrich" was
the suggestive comment made the other
day by the proprietor of a fashionable
restaurant in the shopping district up
town.
he was checking off the days orders as
he spoke, and a reporter hearing the re-
mark naturally followed 1t up.
"Why?" repeated the caterer. ""Well,
IN just show you. All orders here are
written, you know; consequently the
ladies nave put their testimony in black
and white. Here are some of their
lunches: 'Bouillon and pistache ice
cream Fancy a man putting that COM
bination in his stomach to nourish him
for a days tramp. Here's another
Strawberry short cake and a cup OF
chocolate; : hat was the first course, fol-
lowed by cream meringue and q lemon
ice I'd like to bet that woman will be
visited by both her ancestral grand
mothers tonight"
'tHere's an order IN swell English
handwriting for n goblet of iced milk and
an extra porterhouse steak. Nothing
else. Enough to kill her2 I should say
so. This extraordinary female relished
a chicken salad and a cup Of tea; this
one reveled in fried Little Necks and
pineapple ice cream, and a third went
from shad roe to charlotte russo without
stopping at any intermediate stations"
whats the trouble with the ladies9-
asked the reporter; Ignorance or econ
omy?"
Both" WA the emphatic reply.
''They come in here and puzzle over the
carte for fifteen minutes and then order
consomme and frozen custard. Dessert
every woman must have. and the con-
somme, or chop, or bit Of fish is a deli
cate attempt to lead up to the sweets.
They have no conception of seasonable
food either. They ask for mince pie in
June, and iced tea in December. In
August, when l have exhausted every
resource at hand to reduce the tempera-
ture of the place, they rush in flushed
and gasping, and call for a fan and q
cup of hot chocolate.
Very few men eat here during the
day, but when one does accompany a
lady the order shows at once his pres
ence. / ian tell, too, nine times out of
ten, if the man is a husband or only the
fance. If the latter, the young woman
orders in a lavish, generous way that Is
most agreeable to my professional taste;
but when mademoiselle becomes madame
she contents herself with a very modest
luncheon. That is the time the husband
is reckless, and spring lamb, early straw
berries, and other expensive delicaoies
just about fill the bill for him.
"As a rule, however, my patrons dur
ing the day are ladies'. 1 had to get used
A. Nha-n Ia fNNlr 49, Ito k,,k TfrA
learned the ropes, end / let them run the
thing pretty much his they want to now.
From before 12 to 8 o'clock every day
my place is filled with women, and, by
Georgel they AVE a good time if I don't.
''They sit forty minutes sometimes
over a twenty-five cent order. They
meet people whom they know and block
the aisles and delay the walters while
they interchange small talk and gossip.
They stop on the way out to ask me
where l buy my bread (which Is my
speciality, you know or II the cook would
be willing for compensation, of course
to disclose the receipt OF q delicious souf-
Ge they have just eaten.
II blandly reply that every loaf of
bread ismade upon the premises, and that
my cook, who is q chef, creates those
souffles without other receipt han his
own high art. No ordinary cook, ma
dame,'I will conclude sympathetically,
could produce the same results from the
same Ingredients" :
(Which is a lie, of course" put in the
reporter.
Partially, oply partially" said the
restaurateur with a de~precating gesture;
''you know l could not give away my
kitchen secrets, and, besides, that woman
will come again aad again to eat that
souffie and tell her friends about 1t and
get them to come, all because of the little
mystery / throw about 1t. Curious lot,
these women" finished the caterer, gen.
eralizing, broadly.
Rather a paying lot, too" suggested
the reporter, CHANGING at the prosperous
aspect Of the place.
The proprietor laughed as he leaned
over the desk.
~ have just leased the place for
another ten years" he ssid.-New York
Times.
An Engiishman's Tour of the World
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