Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-02
WORLDS FAIR LUNCHES,
independence Exhibited by Many of the
Visitors.
They Carry Their Lunches With
Cafes or Restaurants.

Correspondents Of The Evening Star.
CHICAGO, august 30, 1898.
He was sitting on the grass in the shadow
of the Illinois building surrounded by his
family, and they were opening the baskets
and boxes in which they carried their
lunch. He appeared to be a man about
forty-five years of age and not particularly
poor, for he was well dressed and so were
his wife and two children. He had, more
over, spent some money on that lunch. Out
of the first box he took a small spirit lamp,
then he took q little bottle of alcohol and
he filled the lamp and set it going. His
wife produced a tin kettle and bottle of
tea. They proceeded to make tea just as
though they were on Robinson Crusoe's
Island, 1000 miles from cafes or restau-
rants. The rest of the lunch consisted of
half a chicken, a pot Of pickles. naf a
dozen boiled potatoes, an entire mince pie,
a Jar Of preserves some cake and small
loaf of bread. There were few sundri-s
beside. On one side OF the party was res
taurant. where clans are the CHIEF Things
sold; on another side a place famous for ITS
room. and still further a general eating
place. Yet these places were all despised
by this independent party. who preferred TO
bring its lunch from home.
Gathering mp the DEBRIS.
There are hundreds Of men employed at
the worlds fair whose sole duty 1t Is to
gather up the debris Of these family lunch
parties. They 60 about picking up the
papers and boxes and various scraps and
put them all in little push carts and carry
them away. II they were all to be dumped
in one place there would be such noun
tain of paper and pasteboard by the end OF
the fair that any one Of the peaks Of the
Rockies would be dwarfed II compared Win
1t. OF course this refuse is all DESTROYED or
goes to the junk dealers, who are able 10
make profitable use Of II.
These worlds fair lunches are really re-
msrkable things. In the city OF Chisaso
they are regularly advertised under that
name as though they were entirely differ
ent from any other lunches. And so they
are, for they are usually OF larger proper
lions and are made up Of greater variety
Of articles. They include sardines ard
doughnuts, sausages and pie-anything, IN
short, that can be got into a basket or
box. They are eaten anywhere ana every
where. 1t Is common sight going INTO me
manufactures building at noon TO see long
rows of people sitting on the wooden chairs
that stretch down the center OF the main
aisle eating their lunch. The scraps aud
are ready at hand to gather them up. The
consequence Is that the pace is always ticy.
| In the same way the line Of benches on the
| lake front are largely occupied at certain
on the beach up to the very waters OF the
lake itself. sitting upon the stones when
no softer resting place is available. Ii is a
regular picnic for these people, except tEat
| the men cannot build fire of logs. but
must be content TO do without cooking. I'M
| less they resort to the spirit lamp, as the
man did who is described above.
Are Mostly Americans.
strange thing about the family lunch
| parties Is that they usually consist Of
| Americans. The Germans. who come to the
fair in large numbers. generally resort TO
the cafes. and so do the other foreigners,
but the Americans are thrifty and carry
| their lunch. A strange looking assortment
| OF boxes and bags and baskets is being car
ried about all day. There is 10 reason for
| supposing that bundle You see marked
| Zine shoes contains shoes, for IL you will
wait you will see sandwiches and cold meat
| extracted from Ii when the proper hour
| comes, but II is somewhat surprising to see
a man open the leather grip sack he carries
slung over his shoulders and take there
| from the drumstick OF a chicken. Yet This
| is what You may expect to find in many OF
| the gripsacks.
Worlds fair lunches put W here" The
| cry being waited to e visitor when he was
within a block OF the grounds he stopped
and asked the vendor what a worlds fail
| lunch might be.
| Anything you want" said the fakir
| where are you FROM"
| The visitor answered Virginia"
| Here you are, SIR" said the other. filling
| box at the same time, know well What
you want SIR and he handed over n lunch
OF fried chicken and corn cake. When tn,
next purchaser came by he pursued tho
same course except that this man being
from Massachusetts was given brown breat
and pie. You can very often tell by a man,
lunch what part of the country he come.
from. but 1t is not always that a visitor car
obtain the food he has been accustomed e
at home. so that the rule cannot be said t
always hold good.
Eaten at All Hours.
These worlds fair lunches are eaten fo
the most part at noon. when the who'll
world generally feels the necessity of salts
flying the pangs of hunger, but they begil
long before that hour and last long after u
These columns have before alluded to tn
fact that visitors may be seen eating On tn
way out to the fair, that they ,at lunch O
breakfast frequently before O'Clock in tn
morning and that they continue the ousi
ness far into the night but the fact tina
the lunch basket and the worlds fair hot
| book usually go together Is fact that ha
thus far escaped notice. Yet it is true. Tn
thrifty nature that prompts a man or wo
man TO carry lunch prompts him or her I
note down what has been seen.
| There are others, too. who carry the not
; book, and no school ma'am Is ever see
| without one. An assortment of these mem
oranda would be strange reading. One wa
picked up in the machinery hall not Ion
since. This Is what 1t contained: '.Ss
spouting engines also band of music r.cin
on a travelling crane: also candy made b
machinery; drank orange cider; eat ic
cream; got type for nothing; saw a :nach;n
, making Grover Cleveland in .silk.' The res
of the book was of the same tenor Few @
the note books contain comments. The oh
2 ject sought appears to be simply TO 10
down the things seen, so that upon return
. ing home the visitor may be able TO say h
r saw something. Another way that accom-
plishes the same end il to check OF on
! catalogue what you see, but this method
: too apt to impress upon you what you Ecy
: not seen.
CURE EAR aINRIrRN