Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-13
RUNNING A BUFFET.
There is More Profit In 1t Than In
Dining Cars.

Dining Cars.
The room was not more than six feet by
three but the colored servitor in neat white
apron and cooks cap seemed to get along
as comfortably as if he had had the
kitchen of an hotel to operate in. Plates
and Dishes as well as tin pans and other
utensils, were hung upon the walls, and
gas stove that was the ultimate expression
of the "multum in parvo" occupied only
small part of the available space. There
were convenient lockers for various sorts
of edibles in cans, and behind the glass of
a cupboard were attractively displayed
oranges, banar as and grapes. The presiding
genius was performing his culinary duties
as ccmposedly as if the train were not
rocking with a speed of sixty miles an
hour.
Yes, indeedyv' he said. in response to a
question from a Star writer. Oar
is me- money in runnin' a buffet
than in a dinin' car. In de fus'
place, when de passenger pays dollar in a
dinin' car he's a-goin' to git his dollars
wuf of grub afo' he's t'roo. But after he's
paid a dollar fer grub from de buffet he's
still hongry OATS cause de buffet is
la carty an de dinin is tabie-ue-hOty.
Yes, sir; OATS jus about it. Anudder
| pint is dat de buffet only cooks wot you
|
| looks kinder cramped in here, but there's
| lots of room. l kin cook as fine meal
| right here as you kin git in any dinin car.
You'll notice I've got IN de top OF dis gas
| stove four receptuckles. Dey is lined wild
| porcelain Dis one is fer coffee, an dis
| udder one fer tea The udder two Is fer
hot Water-to do eggs an SIGH like. Under
| meath am ovens fer heatln.
| You don't see how we git up Slcn a
| Elaborate bill of fare? Well, sir, there ain
| no myst'ry about dat. It's cause so many
| t'ings comes in cans. Mos folks don't
| imagine how many sorts of vittles kin be
got canned. You'd nebber s'posed, p'raps,
oat de breezy beef you he'd fer lunch was
| out of a tin. Here's de bill OF fare, now.
| Breezy beef, chicken soty, veal soty, VI
| emma sassage an calf's tongue Wild sauce
pickanty.
"Au of dem things comes in cans. Here s
tcmatter soup, veg'tubble soup, bullion an
clam chowder. They are all canned so
dat YOU see we don't hab to cook so very
much. Eberyt'ing is in tins nowadays,
from Boston baked beans to milk. Fresh
fruits, eggs, cheese, an even charlotte
rushes we git in Washington. Oysters,
too, JUS de same way. l open EN- right
here. an serve 'em on de half-shell, or In
any udder way dat may be wanted. De
shrimps fer today's salad comes canned.
There amt hardly any fus'-rate hotel
dat has longer bill of fare dan dis buffet.
Here's cold meats-roast spring chicken.
roast beef ham or tongue, sardines an
wild boar's head. Hows dat? We buy 'em
in Washington. 1 90 all ue cateTln Ter diS
car,dat is, fer fresh, fruits. veg'tubbles,
an SO 10th. 1 buy de bread an butter in
washington cherry day. De canned things
am purchased by de company.
"As fer liquors, there amt nothin' we
haven't got. Here's five kinds of cham
ragne, two kinds of white wine, two clar-
cts. one Burgundy, one hook, an whisky
rum, gin, brandy. cream am de m aeat ale
Cocktails am put up in little bottles
Drinks amt cheap on de buffet car: You
pay sl.25 a pint fer American champagne
an twenty-five cents fer cocktail.
dessay de seegars amt wuf de prices
charged. But when a gen'rman wants 6
drink on a train, he wants it bad, an /:
' usually willin' to pay fer it, OF co'se WI
have real impo'ted champagne, too. i
.. only costs two dollars pint. We keep d.
: wines in an ice box. On Sundays we aim
supposed to sell drinks. but we do it jus
, de same. De company has rule agin 1t
but it's only fake. II anybody complains
de buffet man is laid off fer a week or two
He gifts a holiday fer punishment. Yes
{ SIR de buffet has license, an it is good IL
any state In de Union"