San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-10-13
MEXICO CITY LETTER.
GENERAL BATCH OF ITEMS FROM
MEXIC0s CAPITAL.
Mexican Restaurants, and What They
Give to Eat-Why Prices Are so
High in That City.
Special Correspondence. |

Mexican restaurants, anu some OF
these are good, clean and cheap.
Recently decided to go to one and
try a thirteen-cent meal that
equals about seven cents Ameri-
can money. The menu consisted
OF a small loaf of bread about two
good slices of San Antonio loaf,
one plate OF good soup with a plate
OF rice, vermacelli, maccaroni or
such things made Of paste, one
plate of boiled beef and vegetables,
one plate OF steak stewed in toma-
toes, one plate chilli con carne, and
one plate frijoles. There was salt,
pepper and vinegar, oil, lines,
chilli petine and sauce boat of
calZs, that is green or red pepper
mashed to pulp. These are for
seasoning and il you know how to
use them they add zest to the
meal. II you want extra plates
they are supplied at 6 cents each
and pulque is supplied at 3 cents
for small bottle, or 6 cents fer a
large one. This meal is fresh, hot,
well cooked and substantial. OF
course it has not that delicacy Of
flavor that you find in our good
restaurants, but it is far better
than the average American work
ing man gets in his own home in
daily living. In some places they
add a small plate OF pie or fruit
and coffee but the solids are not so
liberal. My bill for dinner cost
l3 cents and to this was 3 cents
for a pint bottle Of pulque, which
after you are used to it, is as good
as beer and even more healthy.
You talk Of high prices in Mexico.
l don't believe that you can touch
this, even in San Antonio. On the
other hand 1 will be fair and say
that you can get a better 25-cent
meal In San Antonio than you can
for so cents here. Some things are
frightfully dear and other things
awfully cheap. You want to know
how and where to buy. And it
takes time to learn it.. You can't
come here, as some DO, and write
up the country accurately in
few days, / have been here over a
year and'am still learning. l guess
/ will be learning for sometime yet,
as new features are constantly de-.
veloping.
L said some things are awfuily
dear. That Is the fault Of greedy
people. l passed the Cafe de Paris
the other day and saw large dish
of gumbo, uncooked, in the window
and it was marked at rs cents per
pound, and l am told it finds
ready sale a. that price. Now this
gombo is simply the common
ochra that you buy in San Antonio
at from 5 to 10 cents pound. This
can be grown well here, but I'M
derstand it is imported from Texas.
The duty, freights and expressage
is nothing, so to speak, and Tex
ans shipping gumbo, If they did
not overdo it, would make a good
profit.
Much of the high prices here are
not necessary, but arise from COM
binstion and desire for big profit.
For instance the LIGHT could be
landed here for six cents, but no
news agent would sell it under 10
cents. A bottle of Bixby's black
ing that is imported for 20 cents
costs you 30 cents here, in other
words, the merchant makes Is
cents profit on a 20-eent purchase.
This is the rule in big stores, but
in the smaller or progressive stores
they cut prices, yet all are high.
The other morning / had an head
ache and went to drugstore for
small bottle of "Bromo SeltZer."
The druggists make a profit in San
Antonio at its retail price, 10 cents,
but here he coolly demanded 80
cents, and wouldn't take less,
though it cost him, at the utmost,
90 cents in this city. This is espe-
cially true of American goods.
The merchant knows you want
them and thinking he has got a
sucker will bump your head. 1t is
a noticeable fact that English,
French and German goods are far
cheaper than those of America and
find a reader sale. / bought the
other day a bottle of imported
French three.star brandy for ST. a
litre. II that had been distilled in
America it - uld have cost from
S. to 81 pc at here. The result
is French Y, German wines, out
side Of thos 40 prefer domestic
drinks, are mainly used here. In
most OF the ca1tinas (ssloons) you
get a small glass Ordinary drink
Of wine or brandy for 6 cents,
though the swell saloons will
cha -ge you II and even Is cents for
l anne article.
NJ Harry j. Neale, the genial
secre, airy of the American club
and son.in-law Of Judge Sepulveda,
secretary of the American lega-
ton, is well-known to leading
Americans who visit the city and
resort to the club. He has just lost
his infant son-Charles Clarence