The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-11-05
JUICY BEEFSTEAKS.
A CLUB THAT EATS MEAT WITH
ITS FINGERS ONCE A MONTH.


Meeting for wealthy Bohemians--Con-
trsst with Another CIub.
Within hearing Of the continuous olatter
Of the east side elevated rosd, in the rear
room Of a shop crowded, from the stand Of
old books at the door to tho back windows,
with the dusty, rusty, musSy and curious
odds and ends that have won for 1t the
title Of the Old Curiosity Shop, q man sat
before sheet iron stove cooking beef
steafs. He was big, powerful man, with
large, strong hands, y largo and massive
head and determined face. Yet he
handled the sayory segments Of meat as
delicately as woman might have done
Sitting around the room on stools. chairs.
trunks, piles Of books auf tables loaded
with prints, playbili5 and autograph let
ters were toLen men or so, all of more or
isss local notoriety. There were a couple
of politicians among them, a prominent
up town builder, famous contractor and
house raiser and mover, composer whose
music Is played throughout the world, a
bronze founder, sculptor, several paint
ers, the art editor of greaS magazine, and
a sprinkling of literary men, brokers,
physicians and men of business-all Of
whom supervised the culinary preparations
In progress at the stove with grave interest
The rattle OF convessation was as inces-
SAINT as the Kissing and splitting Of the
steaks over the fire.
The method employed by the large man
In preparing the meat was peculiar. Tho
steaks, which were cut in thick slices, were
piled on a platter. A sharp faced, shrevd
eyed, small boy cut the slices into generous
pieces These were put in a pan, which,
filled with boiling fat, sizzled at red heat
on the top OF the stove. The surface Of the
meat was hardened in momont, aud then
1t was extracted from the psn with long
fork and broiled over the glowing Goals in
the body Of the stove. As each piece Of
steak was deposited upon = thick slice Of
bread in a monserous trenohor, part Of q set
OF priceless old English china from the
stock, the rich juices confined In n oom.
menced 70 Leak out OF ths perforations
made by the tines Of the tork, and 10 soak
Into the bread in q gravy, whose perfum
hlled the air. The process Of cookery was
rapid, for the meas was nos allowed to 70
main long enough on tho fro to lose its
tenderness and its juictness, The pile upon
the trencher grew quickly; buS when, at a
given signal, which cousisbed In rap of
the chiefs fork on the stow, the company
fell to, its diminuGon was oven moro rapid
Each man ats with his fingars for fork
and the gravy soaked slice of bread for a
dish.
The Old Curiosity club is an organiEa-
tion composed Of men who collect some
thing One Is a collector of old masters
and another q collector Of modern pictures
One gathers up bronLes, another fvoriss,
another books. There are in the club col
lectors OF pistols playbils, porcelains,
photographs, armor, aliases, autographs
and a great many other collectible things
1t was from their casual meetings In the
shop in the course Of their prowlings in
quest of the curious that the club took its
origin. II has a regular weekly meeting
on Saturdays from October until June,
when members drop in and drop out again
informally, and once month treats itself
and such guests as it may choose to invite
10 a feed on beefsteak cooked upon the
plan invented by mine host Fullerton
years ago when he was gold hunter in
the mines of eastern Venezuela.
On the other side of town to the Old
Curiosity Shop, and in n vastly more aris-
kocratic neighborhood, let US drop in at a
private dining room over the store of a
fashionable caterer. 1t is a spacious room,
down the center of which is laid table
shimmering and sparkling with crystal
and silver. Tall pillars of piled up plates
load the sideboards. Champagne cools in
silver tubs, buried TO the bottle necks in
cracked ice Walters in full dress glide
about with the noiseleSs movement of
ghosts. On every side magnificent groups
Of roses load the air with their sensuous
perfume. 1t is that hour of the evening
when the theaters disgorge their audiences
A rattle OF wheels halts short outside.
Steps, voices and the rustic Of silks sound
on the staircase The silent waiter at the
door opens it, and admits a lady and gen
tleman in full dress Others follow in
couples, quartets and little parties. Along
both curbstones of the dark side street
lines of carriages are drawn up The com
pany mako themselves at home. Nearly
everybody knows everybody else. Those
who do not are speedily introduced.
Some ous plays an air brilliantly and
boldly, like an expert, on tue grand plano
In the corner. A few couples whiri q turn
Or two OF a dance. The splendid costumes
Of the women and the wealth Of jeweiry
they display, the elegance of the men, the
opulent appointments of the room itself
combine to convey the impression OF pri
vate party in a private house. In fact,
however, we are looking in on a regular
supper OF the aristocratio Beefsteak club,
an organization composed Of the flower OF
fashion In Now York.
The musical chime of huge japanese
temple bell in the rear of tho room calls
the club TO table. The walters, headed
by the steward, bring in, IN procession,
charger after charger OF noble steaks. Of
the proper English rump cut, smotbered
In oyster sauce. There is none of the rude
and hearty enjoyment Of the Old Curiosity
club here. The finest English china re-
places tho gravy soaked chunk OF bread
Knives and forks OF silver take the place
Of fingers, and champagne that OF Spanish
wine and beer. But, Ii the truth must be
told, one may hear more bright and clever
things, more wit and originality In the
dusty back room of the east side shop in
one evening than during the whole season
at the caterers palace up town
And when It comes TO the business of the
meeting, no steak and oyster sauce ever
had the SAVIOR of thbse melting morsels
that the Old Curiosities eat in their natural
Juices, tender and fragrant from their
Journey through the red hot frying pan
and the bed OF fiercely glowing Goals.
Still, half loaf Is better than no bread.
and beefsteak prepared for service on ;
Royal Worcester platter is not to be given
the cold shoulder because it has not the
picturesque surroundings OF one broiled
at the end of an iron fork.
Professor Wilson held that the only fit
honor mankind could accord to beefsteaks
was to cook them properly and eat them
and his ideal of the culinary portion OF
this ceremony was that which Is adopted
by the Beefsteak club. Cobbett on tbf
other hand favored his steak without
sauce, favored with shalot or tarragon
and with horseradish for a condiment. II
both these old time steak experts could eat