The times., 1900-03-18

This aphorism was born the other day
from a passing wonder At the possible
number of the dairy luneh" rooms there
are between Fifth and Fifteenth streets
and north Of The Avenue. Every day. along
about the noon hour. one sees a string Of
hungry people branching into their doors
D. later issuing from them. NothiHg
strikes the stranger within the gates Of
Washington as more characteristics Of tne
city than these distinctive places. Hc may
escape some Of the sights along inc rsgu-
lar roads Of the city but nature forbids
his passing one Of these.
when The visiting foreigner reaches New
York he is met al the very threshold ~ the
New World by some vehicle Of the Amcri-
can quick luncheon. lt imrressss hint
could hardly fail 10 do jhat-and from that
moment be sees everything in America
through the medium Of pie and hot coffee
served in a hurry. He returns TO his
home and reports. So. in the world the
American passes for an eager. anxious.
nervous contraption of steel springs and
leather straps which does its work. the
pursuit Of the elusive dollar. quite wen
while il lasts and then in an instant. the
breaking strain having been reached it
collapses forever Certainly The quick
lunch is a feature of American life, parjie-
ularly Of business life. Perhaps il is the
very essence as weu as the creation Of the
Cet-thore and Eet-there- quick character ot
the nation. But the foreigner is in error
So hen be imagines that having found this
feature OF America h. has ccmprehended II
In all Of it's branches. In every city Of size
En- the country the luUcnroCm OF its e4liva-
lent has its place but in no two cities OF
The continent are they precisely the same.
As Washington is a cify Of clerks with
ouJ a proportionatC amount Of business
there is less OF the tear and rush in ita
life than in that Of New York OF Chicago.
The eye Of the stranger detects this atse-ce
az the first glance down the Avenue.
When he enters the lunehrCom he Gnds
81 again. There is no ticing oneself down
20 a certain progra mme 20 DE rushed
through in a given number Of minutes The
waiter says. Coffee. sir" and serves ID. .
The stranger after some time finds THE 4
"6xings" and. having helped himself /.
somewhat bewiidered looks about him 10
see what the others DO He finds that .
they help themselves TO whatever ,hey re- I
uUire in be way of saudwiche, OF pie OF .
cake and then pick out the chair IN The
Toom which best suits them. Often they
pick up a paper a The same time and pro- .
cced leigurely tu devour the lunch hsaDcd
up before them on the arm Of the chair
There is no racing against time aL1 when
the meal if ID can be so called, Is finished.
the paving and The exit are as lelsurely.
Walking up and down in the district
mentioned one finds hundreds Of these
places until he wonders whether each
has its own clientele. or whether the vic
Tins OF the lunch habit like the Nos
lem kneeliuE unceremuniCusly at the ar
rival Of the hour cf PRAYER. turns at he
hour Of noon 10 the nearest refectorl-
After a few DAYS the stranger finds tlat
in Washington, as elsewhere the luncher
has his particular habitat though it is
more than probable that he could not eX-
plain just why be has made that choice.
Luncheon in New York WHrts.
They &c IL differently in New York
DIRTY. grubbing New York the ouy town
on the face OF the globe possible lo a New
Yorker. and the ouiy town whe-e Cd New
Yorker is possible. The programme there
is something like this The citizen pulls
out his watch hurriedly. or In wha, he be-
lieyes to be hurried manner for he must
keep up his boast of being hustler ''l2.07
O'Clock Must lunch one minute 10 so
one minute 10 return, three minutes 10
lunch. T. T.. Good. And he tears
through the schedule, throwing the food
into himself. like a fireman on the extra
list throwing coal into the dro5ON q a
hog engine on a Rock Moutua.n grade.
A iunchroCm proprietor Of wide expert
elce was talking about this phase Of The .
lunch the other day. said he. YES. sir.
there is as much difference between he
lunchroOms Of this city and thoa. OF
any other as there is in the people VINO eat
iu EN-. Now. YOU take II up across the
line. up in Canada. You go in 10 lunch |
and little roly-poly ooclney comes
dancing up TO YOU. not with the swift rush \
of an American waiter. but making good I
time. nevertheless.
What viii you ave sir2 Pork and |
beans sir In one minute, sir. Won't 1
sou ave the morning payper while you
wait. SIR And that waiter does SO many
little things for you that you never before
thought you wished done that if you are
in the business as am you get an insane
idea that you would like TO buy him and
keep him around an the time and let him
run your place.
y notice that up in New England.
W here the morning paper is still an 'uno-
walton. and where the old-fashionel tav-
cn. with IT'S heavy meals and DO bar.
was the best d traveller could do is brac- I
ing up a little in the lunch line They
have uight-owls' there now-hig covered /
vans. with lunchroom inside. where they
serve short-order meals piping NOT. It's
a good thing for that country but 60
would hardly do down this way just The
old reason-it isn't the peoples style here
that Is all.
Did you ever hit Chicago on a im-
lied expense account II YOU have sou
won't forget il in q hurry. Those places
where they have horsesh0a-shdped
counter with Tot OF little revolving
stools nailed around il. And the
waiter when he comes up you don't
know whether he is going 10 dish YOU mp
a scrap or hand you a napkin. h looks
like a combination Of broken-d down pugil-
ist race-trark tout. and Coney Island /
spieler And when he gives an order it
is something like this.
" A gent from Bostiug. draw one iu the
dark. slaughter iu the pan. white wings /
across the sea. sunny side up. and d stack
~ blues with o seaside tan
II you can eat much in "a place like
hat YOU could get hungry on greasy soup |
aud leather steaks. when he comes back
with your chuck be stands about ten feet
Town the counter and 'chiyyies' the plates
ar you as if he was playing ninepins That's
Chicago.
oDt Among the Rockies.
And I've seen q little OF the lunch
room business cut on the Great Divide too.
! spent q winter out there once and 7 got
most Of my meals at a little hole in the
wall whore you sat on a high stool al a
counter. The place was run by a half |
breed Mexican. There was husband. be-
lieve. but he did nothing except stand be