The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-04-20

Fragments That Are Not Eaten, Though
Paid For, In Every Large City-How 1t
Is Distributed.
Persons who patronize restaurants Of
ten wonder what becomes of the food
left over from their meals Most of the
down town eating houses are prodigal in
their service, giving enough for two or
binary persons with each order. The re-
suit is that unless a man has voracious
appetite half his meats and vegetables
are still in the dishes when he gets up to
pay his check. What becomes of this
surplus food? ga great deal depends
restaurateur in answer to this query.
"Many houses have pensioners who snap
eagerly at the leavings men, women
and children who otherwise would not
know what a square meal is. A number
save the scraps for the stockpot and
rendering houses and others throw the
whole mess into the swilltubs or burn it
in their furnaces. This is not done in any
spirit of niggardliness or churMshness.
"The Chicago restaurant keepers are
as kindly and charitably disposed as any
other class. But the question Of econo-
my has to be considered. To preserve
the broken victuals for the poor would,
in many instances, render more help
necessary. The scraps would have to
be carefully removed from the dishes,
and one or two persons detailed to serve
them out to pensioners. The money cost
of this would be no small item in the
weekly expense bill. Besides, there is
certain annoyance attached to the free
distribution Of food. which business men
are anxious to avoid. Were it generally
known that the leavings were to be Civ
en- away, the restaurants would be over
run by a mob Of people, some. of course,
coming under the class Of deserving
poor, but the vast majority being of the
idle, shiftless class, who will do anything
rather than work for living. Despite
all these draw backs, however, it is safe
to say that there are not six of the better
kind of restaurants which do not feed a
dozen or more people daily with the
overplus food of their customers"
A little calculation shows the quantity
of broken victuals in the business sec
ton of the city to be enormous. Many
of the restaurants feed over 1000 be-
tween the hours Of 10 and 2. Old walters
declare that two-thirds of their patrons
are unable to eat half of what is set be-
fore them. It is estimated that if the
surplus were properly served 5000 or
5000 poor people could be fed daily.
But, as The Herald writer was informed,
there are difficulties connected with this
charitable disposition which the restau-
rateurs do not care to encounter. The
bakery lunch counters, which have be-
come so popular of late years, supply a
great many needy families with bread,
pies and other eatables. They do not
deal extensively in meats or hot dishes,
and consequently the surplus is easier
| managed.
Every Saturday night an interesting
scene may be witnessed on South Clark
street. just as Kohlsaat's bakery is
winding up it's affairs for the week a
crowd of children assemble at the doors.
Nearly every one has pinched cheeks
and eager eyes, and each carries good
sized market basket. They file through
the front door as soon as the last GUS
toner is served. The walters fill their
baskets with bread, pie, pork and beans
and other wholesome food. Many of the
children bring 5 or 10 cents to pay for
the broken victuals; others have no
money, but they are not turned away on
that account. The small charge is made
to preserve, in measure, the independ-
ence Of the deserving poor, who, as every
sociologist knows, are often proud and
retiring, and shrink from everything
savoring of naked charity. /
Along with the children at times are
thinly clad women, who tell sad tales of
hungry little ones at home. Then, too,
appear men who look half famished and
plead for victuals to carry them over
Sunday. AS a rule the crowd is well
hammered and orderly, but during the
very cold weather it became SO large
that an officer had to be detailed to pre-
vent blockade of the sidewalk. The
faces of the children were quite study.
Keen and anxious when they enter the
bakery, they emerge happy and smiling
and bear away their loads with light
| hearts. To many families the basketful
of food means the only store Of strength
for several days-it is the barrier which
stops the pangs of actual starvation.
The Little Sisters of the Poor collect
food from number of hotels and restau-
rants. II know of no more deserving
people," said Colonel Parker, of the
Grand Pacific; 'tthey are not permitted
to take any requests, but must beg their
living according to the regulations of
their order. They do vast amount of
good. They are always at the beck and
call Of the sick and suffering poor, all
being tenderly ministered to irrespective
of race OF religion. They send their
wagons here every day, and we give
them whatever food is left over. Then
| we distribute considerable among private
families, selecting those whom it will do
the most good. Perhaps 40 or so are fed
1aily in this way" Kinsley also gives the
| i++1a Cicta,,s ~ +ba poo, 1r1,o +ox,e,. FOOD