The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-24
THEDEoADENoE OF BOSTON.
Baked Beans Slowly Giving Way to
Oysters and "Bucks."
From the Boston Herald


To be sure, one dislikes to see Boston los
ing an old tradition, as one dislikes to see
the sacredness ofsthe holy Common invaded
or fun poked at Faneui hall or the old state
house. but candor compels the true Boston
ian, who has studied the subject in all its
phases, to admit that the succulent bean is
losing its hold in the Hub.
1t is mournful admission
To think that the bean, which New Eng
landers, at least, have always believed to be
food for rich and poor, for the half and the
''other half" is gradually being relegated
TO an inevitable place in the list Of uncalled
fors, leads the patriotic citizen to believe
that new epoch is marked for the city of
culture.
1t has always been the custom forsfami-
lies on the hill or i'll the comfortable sub
urbs to pay tribute to the bean by having
it served in a delicious manner on Saturday
nights at the home table, or with brown
bread on sunday morning, but the oyster is
taking its place.
The change is a slow one. All great
changes must be, necessarily.
Yet the people in easy circumstances are
not the ones to dictate what shall be the
popular dish. 1t is the "other half" which
usually comprises the greater part Of tue
whole.
If you stroll into the cheaper restaurants
or the all-night restaurants, you will soon
see that these statements are true. Baked
beans ere always down ION the bill" They
are usually priced at 10 cents. That's one
thing that makes them so popular.
Yet they aren't called for. Once week,
perhaps, everybody In Boston must eat his
dish of beans, just as he must go to church,
or be will not feel well during the entire
week following.
The yielding buckwheat cake, however,
with the curious compound called maple
syrup, which accompanies it, is fast en-
crosching on the hallowed territory of the
Boston bean.
All about the town in many a restaurant
window men are seen every day cooking
buckwheats in full view of the passing pop
ulace. 1t makes an attractive exhibition.
Men stop in their hurry for business, gaze
awhile and run in to try them. Herdic men
pause in a mad man-killing rush to eat the
bucks" and messenger boys, newsboys
and laborers in general are taking up the
fashion, and the habit grows worse than
opium smoking.
Once it gets grip you can never break ID.
Some years ago college men, who used to
stay over in town very late, so late that all
hotel restaurants were closed, would wander
down 80 Bowdoin square to get the late car
out to Cambridge, aud with the few coins
left after playing roulette would grapple
waitress, generally a self-confdent, saucy
maid, would take the orders for the cakes
and the coffee which always accompanies
them, and cry out to the man WHO was
welding the fap-jack turner at the other
end Of the room: Brown the bucks for
two. and draw two." The browning of
the bucks" meant to make buckwheats for
two, and "Draw twon meant to pour out
two cups Of coffee.
The phrase caught the college men. Then
they became the saucy ones, and after ward
would entelsthe restaurant sit down and
roar cut themselves the original order.
1t is changed now. The waitress takes
the order, and in O most demure manner
walks part way down the DINING room,
and tells the baker to make some cakes and
then she goes to draw out the coffee herself.
In a restaurant, which is open all night,
there were no less than twenty-seven people
out Of thirty, at O'Clock the other morn
ing, who we're evident slaves of q tradition
crushing habit.
And next to the "bucks" comes the egg.
Eggs, eggs, eggs; they are served in every
style. They come alone, they come served
on toast, or they are borne In on fish balls,
but they come just the same, often in am
swer to the order: lone Coney Island with
the sunny side up which translated means
fried eggs, brown side up; or, if the order
must be changed to scrambled eggs, the
waiter yells out, "Shipwreck those eggs"
Then the frankfurter sausage is joining
with the enemies Of the bean. The frank
furter man on the corner of Cornhill and
Washington streets had crowd Of fifteen
men around him the other night, and he
laughed ghoulishly TO think what havoc the
minced meat compound was making on
Boston pride.
There's league formed against the bean.
Unless fearful effort is made to check IL 1t
will grow in weight and force.
O Temporal, o mOresi
Don't fool with indigestion. Take BEECH