The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-11
VEGETARIAN RESTAURANTS.
HEAVILY PATRONIZED AND EARN
A HANDSOME PROFIT.

and Plenty of 1t, for 30 Cents Per
Day, and English Vegetarians Are
working vigorously Among the
London Poor to Persuade Them to
Abandon n Meat Diet-FOOd Served
Table d'HOte or La Carte.
London, Nov. -, 1s98,-During the past
month I have visited nearly all the one
dozen vegetarian restaurants that flourish
ed in London, and have made the interest
ing discovery that by living at these places
a man can get weI-cooked food, and plen-
ty of it. for about l shilling pence go
cents a day.
Though owned by different people, these
restaurants are all run on one general
plan, and are earning handsome incomes.
There are three floors. on the first is the
main dining room, or coffee room, as it is
called, where meals are served a la carte
at all hours of the day; on the second floor
is the smoking and reading room, where
patrons can play chess If they wish, and
on the third floor is the 6-penny table
dhote dinner which is served every day
from p to 3 O'clock
At the lunch hour the coffee room on
the first floor of the restaurant in Queen
street, which is down in the city" is
filed with a tidy and well-dressed crowd
Of men and women, though In proportion
to the men the women are only about as
one to ten. On this floor one often sees
silk hats and frock coats, though (and
this always seems strange to an Ameri-
can) most of the men retain their hats
at table. even when there are women in
the room. The prices on this floor are
| somewhat higher than on the floors above
and the service is slightly better. There
is white sugar on the table instead Of
brown, and the spoons and forks-there
are no knives-are of German silver in
stead of pewter, which is used on the up
uer floor. Rolls are served in this room
instead of chunks of bread. but I could
not see that the soups and savory dishes,
sweets, etc, were any better than those
| upstairs.
The Bill of Fare.
plate of very good soup, either pea,
macaroni, or Scotch broth, is served for
| threepence (six cents), though the wait
| ress assured me there was no meat stock
in It; but when asked what took the place
of the stock, she was unable to say. For
| hYepence one could get a lentl outlet,
which was very appetizing, and looked
| like a meat croquette. The potato stew
| was even better than the outlet, and was
served with butter beans for ivepence.
| There were various other ''savory dishes, -
! which is the vegetarian's name for what
meat-eaters would call an entree, at from
| two to fivepence each. Plain vegetables
were twopence and threepence a plate
! though the savory dishes We're so very
| filling that plain vegetables to accompany
| them were not much in demand The
sweets We're of course, like those served
| In ordinary restaurants.
! To see the sixpenny table d'hote din
ner in full swing, one should 60 to the
restaurant in Poultney, which is at the
beginning of Cheapside. between / and Z
O'Clock, on any day except Saturday.
Plain, but Hearty.
In the large, bare-looking room on the
top floor are about a dozen long narrow
tables. At these tables sit perhaps 1OC
men, and it is doubtful if In any other
dining room in the city of London can
be found more diverse types of hui
manity eating together. The majority
of course, are rather seedy but here
and there one sees a well-dressed anC
prosperous-looking man, and fine in.
| tellectual faces are not uncommon. The
man with frayed cuffs and dirty finger.
nails and vest minus a button or two
sis beside the dapper-looking law clerk
and neither pays any attention TO the
other. The chances are that they have
both come here for the same purpose
economy; for a plentiful and well-cooked
dinner for siXpence Is a consideration
to many who would be quite Indifferent
to the ethical side of vegetarlanism
The cashier assured me, however, thai
many of the customers were strict vege
tarians, who wished to encourage the
movement in every possible way.
On each table is a large bowl of brown
sugar and another of salt, from which
the customers help themselves at dis
cretion A fork and two pewter spoons
are laid beside each plate, but as vege
tables do moi require TO be cut. there are
no knives on any of the tables. The table
cloths are, of course, brown linen anC
scrupulously clean; but II one is so fastld
ious as to require napkin 1t is necessary
to hand over penny for its use. Though
looked carefully, 1 saw only two mer
in the whole room who had evidentl!
thought il necessary to indulge them
selves in this luxury. On leaving, l of
fered the waitress sixpence, as she haC
courteously answered all my questions; bu
she declined the tip, saying they were no
allowed 10 accept gratuHies under any cir
cumstances.
Between 4 and o'clock tea Is servet
on the first floor, or, II desired, 1t can b.
had in the smoking room on the seconC
floor. One can get a pot of excellent tea
made fresh. for threepence, or a singh
cup for twopence. There is bread anC
butter for penny, cake at the sam'
price honey for twopence, and biscuits
buns or pastry for a penny. One car
set a welsh rarebit for fourpence (eigh
cents). but it is not a very large one. anC
it is made with milk instead of ale.
Work vegetnrIans Are Doing.
Though these are strictly Temperance
places they serve what Is called "lage
hop ale' for twopence a small bottle an'
anti burton ale" at the same price
These beverages are said to contain N
alcohol, and they certainly taste rattle
fiat
These restaurants are doing much q
make vegetarianism popular In London
The Vegetarian Society as behind them
ana the cashiers desk at each place
well stocked with literature on the sub
Ject, which can be had for the asking
and cook books for a penny. giving re