St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-21
WHERE PRIESTS DINE.
And the Waiter says That They
DO Not Talk, but Know How to

Do Not Talk, but Know How to
Eat.
/ was at my dinner in queer reStaur-
ant in an odd corner of upper New York
| the other day. says letter to the PrOyi-
| dehce Journal, and my attention was
distracted from my food by the frequent
passage through the room of walters
| laden with plates and viandS. Each
kicked the swinging door to let himself
through, but when the door was aiar
could see nothing beyond it except a
screen. Over the door was the word
Private" Now and then a sound as
of one person speaking to another es-
caped from the room. How is it pos
sible,'' | asked myself. ''that two men
can keep all those walters flying to and
| fro, or that two men can eat all that is
going in there?"
"Dinner party in there?" L ventured.
to my waiter.
Yes, big one; feefty persons" said
the waiter.
''Fifty?'' exclaimed. FIFTY what?
Fifty deaf muteS, or is it q dinner of
some queer club VIII sc members have a
rule not to speak? I'have heard of such
oddities among the rules of the clubs of
town."
mo, sare; feefty priests are eating
in there. The priest he never talk
when he eats the big dinner
'sNo?"
mo, sare; the priest he never talk
whiie-a he eat. Oh, Sare, but the priest
he is the one man in the world which
know how to eat. First the oysters, and
there sit the feetty or the seventy or
the hundred priest, and he speak not
word. Then the soup and his spoon go
fast, but nOt-a the priest S tongue. Then
the fish and still not any talk. Then
the roast and then the tins and the that,
and all the time the different kind of
wine and the spoons and the knife and
the fork they go like sixty, but from the
priest not a word. have wait on 100
priests, and all the time not word, eX-
cept perhaps one says: 'GoOd, eh?
and Ills neighbor say: Finer All.
that is what call knowing how to eat.
''In your country" he went on, for L
had started the waiter upon topic dear
to his Italian soul, lin your country the
people talk-a entirely too much. Who
can taste the soup in the middle of the
fine Joke? Who can tell-a the difference
between the yeniSon and the partridge
if he must scratch-a his head to make up
the comcal story? How can you drink
the good wine as you should if you think
what you shall say to your neighbor and
make-a the grand laugh. All, not so
the priest. There is feeftv of him in
that-a room, and you do not hear them
crack-a the joke or tell-a the comic story,
or fence with the smart word. No, they are
eating and drinking and 'jOying their
selves like men Of the common sense that
know what good dinner is and how it
shall be eaten. But wait, my friend. 1t
is now o'clock. Wait till it has been 9
o'clock. Then you shall not ask is it
two men IN there?' You shall think-a
the whole town is there, such laughter
aud good fun will come from that room.
That will be over the cordial and coffee
with the good cigar. You shall think
the circus of BarEum is broken loose in
there. Then the stomach is Ill and the
dinner is out the way and it is time to
nal1e-a the laugh. Wait till you hear if
the priest he does not know how to eat-a
the good dinner"
[ heard from this garrulous waiter
that there are priests restaurants in
town, that is, eating places that the
PRIESTS favor. One of them is famous
Spanish place far down town. l judged
that their custom is not particularly
profitable. since they mainly eat at
their parSonageS or whatever their
homes are called, and only appear else
where on peculiar occasions when they
descend III great bodies upon their
favorites restaurants and demand that
everything shall be deliciously cooked
and of the best.