The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-01-08
GOOD BREAKFASTS.
European CustomsS Spreading Among
Cultured Americans.

1t was eleven o'clock in the morning,
and the sunlight was falling pleas
antiy through an eastern bay window
in one of the honses of entertainment
in Central Park. In the recess made
by the bay window stood a table for
two, and the screen, promptly wheeled
up by the waiter, hid from the curious
eyes of the few loungers in the restau-
rant a young man and a young woman
who had just taken their seats. No,
the screen was not in good taste, but
it accomplished the object-a tete-a-
tete breakfast in privacy. Fruit,
coffee, an olnelette and a few TRIES OF
cookery disappeared behind the screen
and for the next hour those who chose
to hear could catch an occasional
harmless word, followed by light
laughter and the swish of a fluffy ian.
Don't be scandalized.
1t was only q happy young mar
ried couple who knew no better.
New Workers have hardly yet learned
the art of breakfasting, but they +
learning. A very early breakfast is
still the rule, save with morning
newspaper men and the few profess
sional idlers. Nearly every club in
town has it's breakfast room open by
seven o'clock in summer and eight in
winter. Even the French early break
fast of coffee and rolls, to be followed
by a substantial luncheon or dejeuner
at noon, has not yet obtained wide
popularity. However, this practice is
growing, the dozens of b~reakfasters at
Delmonico's and the clubs never vary,
except on Sunday, from the formula
of two boiled eggs, coffee and rolls"
Down in the French quarter, to
which the mind of every good liver
turns when cookery is the subject of
| discussion, the early breakfast is
cafe au lait and sue la plait,n which
means simply eggs deliciously shirred
and a great bowl of coffee boiled with
milk. Indeed nothing car be better
than this.
| Workers cling to the prevalent custom
| of taking a hearty breakfast at some
| hour between seven and ten o'clock,
and a light luncheon four or five
hours later. Now and then one is
found who affects the English custom
of a little jam or marmalade or other
sweet at breakfast. Homeless bache-
| lors who have noted the discrepancy
| between the price of fruit in restau-
ant and its price in downtown mar
| kets make a practice of buying a bas-
ket of grapes twice a week for
little or nothing and eating two
or three punches before breakfast.
There are signs downtown that the
hasty luncheon is destined in time to
be heightened out to the European
deieuner. Already there are several
luncheon clubs in the Wall street
region, whose object is to promote a
long incoming with a social meal. One
| of these, made up chiefly from mem
bers of the Coffee Exchange, for a
long time had the use of a large din
ing hall. Here the twelve members of
the club and what guests they chose
| to bring met at 0 o to while away an
hour or more in an elaborate dejeun9r,
washed down with plenty of good
wine.
Often the feast was extended by
some of the members to nearly two
hours. The club has a system of fines
for compliments, and every event
that gives the excuse is celebrated by
| something special in the way of food
and wine.
One OF the most famous breakfast
ers of the world is Portuguese Jo;''
not a greasy and illiterate rufiian as
the name might suggest, but a
wealthy bon vivant OF Buenos Ayres,
known to the naval officers of every
power. His business is that of a ship
| chandler, and he supplies al
most anything, from toothpicks
and neckties up to marlinspikes
and cables. Portuguese Jon at
| tends to an immense business
and leaves no important details to
su~bordinates. He is at his office early
and late, but at noon there comes a
pause. For two hours he is invisible
| him to interrupt this meal for the dis
cussion of business. The meal itself
is a marvel of completeness and excel
lence. 1t begins with radishes, may
hap, and works up through omelets,
| birds, fish and lighter articles to the
fruit. There is an abundance of ex-
| ceilent wine, delicious coffee and
! cigars. The great breakfaster dallies
with each fresh article as it is brought
| on. and takes his meal as if the navies
of the world were not i~mpatiently
| awaiting his return to business.
The dejeuner is getting more and
more to be the meal to which a man
invites his male friends on Sunday,
though the half-past one o'clock Sun
| day dinner, prevalent save among the
wealthy and fashionable, presents a
| serious obstacle to late breakfasts in
ordinary domestic circles. Breakfast
in the ward room of an American
man-of-war is ordinarily served at
half-past eleven o'clock in the morn
ing, though everybody aboard ship
| has had coffee and rolls three or four
hours earlier. This second breakfast
is a substantial meal served in courses
and accompanied with wine. It is the
meal to which a naval officer invites
his male friends, and wen ladies some
times invade the ward room at this
hour. The meal often last two hours,
and after that may be continued in
definitely with pipes and cigars on
deck.
Geraniums in the House.
Geraniums kept by the housekeeper
for window culture are liable to be-
come stalkv and unsightly if left to
themselves because of the excessive
growth of stem. The plants are set
in the ground in summer, where they
grow vigorously until frost. Repot-
ting suddenly checks the growth, the
leaves drop Off, and often non are
| laft eycant a. small tIlft aft the ton.