San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-07-03
RMS is how the dinner IS served:

and | would advise you to do SO without any
murmuring When you have taken your
soup, the said duchess" brings you plate,
around which she places dozen little oval
dishes in symmetrical fashion that one can
but admire.
The frs: little dish contains fish and tea
spoonful of sauce of some kind. 1t is need
less to inquire the name of this sauce. All
the fish sauces are the same; only the name
little lump of raw beef; the third slice of
roast turkey; the fourth mashed potatoes;
the fifth a stewed tomato; the sixth cram
berry sauce; the seventh chicken salad; the
eighth some rice pudding, and the last con-
tains horrible dictuD slice of apple tart,
with large helping Of cheese in the middle
of it. These two things are eaten together
and are Consequently served on the same
dish
You begin at the left. The first presents
no obstacles but its bones and is soon disposed
of. You turn your attention to the next
dish on the right and attack the beef It is
impregnable, you can make no impression
upon it. You pass. The turkey is not obdu-
rate and you fall to on that. making little
raids on the potatoes, tomatoes and cranberry
sauce between each mouthful Thanks to
the many climates of America Cthe thermom-
eter varies in winter from rs above zero in
the south to As below in the north, you hav
turkey and cranberry sauce all the winter,
strawberries six months of the year and to-
matoes all the year round
Oh, the turkey and cranberry saucel
ate enough of that dish to satisfy me for the
rest of my days No more turkey and cram
berry sauce for me. though should live to
be hundred
OF course all the meats. placed around
your plate, soon begin to COOL and you have
no choice but to bolt your food, diving with
knife and fork into the little dishes right and
left as dexterously as you can.
Finally you come to the apple tart on the
extreme right You carefully lift the cheese
and, placing it aside, prepare to eat your
sweets without this strange seasoning. I'm
happily the pastry has become impregnated
with an odor of roquefort, and again you
pass. vanilla cream terminates your re-
past.
Having disposed of this, you ask yourself
why, in free country, you may not have
your various courses served one after the
other; why you must bolt your food and
bring on indigestion; and above all why the
manager of the hotel, in his own interest as a
man of business, does not before all else study
the comfort of his customers The answer is
not difficult to find. 1t is the well being
of the duchess" and not that of the travel
ers, that he devotes his attention to study
ing The traveller is obliged to come to his
house, and he can treat him anyhow His
helps" will only consent to stay with him,
on condition he gives them heavy wages and
light duties He has no choice but to submit
to his servants or to close his hotel The
Americans, free though they may be polite
ally, are at the mercy of their servants,
whether in public or private life This kind
of tyranny is hateful To throw off the yoke
of the superior classes is very well; but l am
not aware that the yoke Of the common peo-
pie is at all preferable. John Bull commands
all his paid servants. Jonathan obeys his.
Thus, in the hotels of America outside of
the large cities with the rarest exceptions,
the dinner is served from o'clock to 3, the
tea-supper from 6 to s. You happen to az
rive at half past 8, tired out and furnishing.
You hope to be able to obtain good meal
without delay. nlusionl You must wait
until the dining room door is opened, and
pass two hours and a half in wretchedness.
How often have l entreated, implored!
"Could you not get chop cooked for me, or
an omelet, or something's If that is impos-
sible, for mercy's sake give me slice of cold
meat" Prayers and applications were IN
availing. Occasionally a landlord would
express his regrets and make excuses for his
inability to oblige me- but far oftener got
no kind of response at all Once or twice
tried making a tempest, without any more
success. Another time | tried politeness.
Excuse me-" said, IF am intruding l
hope that by putting up at your hotel | shall
not be too much in your way. have not
the honor to be citizen of the greatest re-
public in the world, but am only a poor
European who does not know your ways. In
future | will take careful precautions. But
this time, and Just for once, should be so
much obliged for something to eat. should
be distressed to occasion any arrangement in
your household, but just for once, only
once"
Sheer waste of breath. The hotel is as it is;
you may use it or stay away.
The Americans are quite right to study the
comfort Of their servants, but the well being
of one class should not exist at the cost of the