The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-01-16
SHORT MENUS, LONG BILLS.
That Is What One Finds i'm II the Restau.
rants of Europe.

From the San Francisco Chronicle.
What a nation eats is quite as charac-
teristic OF its taste as its costumes, dia-
lects. and flags. A platitude? Well. be il
so; ii is nevertheless a great fact, and one
that carries in it's kernel the main OBJ
stsele in the way of universal peace for
this difference in taste is unreconcilable
with the idea of an ecumenic fraternity
and away beyond the reach of diplomacy.
The chef is a greater man than the En-
peror. He controls the royal humor
through his majesty's digestion. Spiers &c
Pond and the Gattis WELD a greater inhu-
ence in London than Lord Salisbury, AMI
who doesn't know that Delmonico Is the
dictator of New York?
France has hit upon a plan that pre-
sents the most practicable and the short
est road to an international regime Diet
clique, and that is through the medium OF
mysticism. The chef is professor CT
esoteric feeding, and from his scientific
brain is evolved those miracles Of sumptu-
airy nomenclature that commend plebeian
dishes, like sugar-coated pills, to the most
fastidiously epicurean palates Go where
you within the United Kingdom, on the
continent, in Asia, Africa, or America;
take the wings of the morning and dwell
in the uttermost parts of the sea-and
wherever you find a restaurant, that evan
gel of universal brotherhood the modern
menu bristles with Gallo refinements. 1t
has consigned VOlapuk TO the tomb of the
Capulets. The Frenchman who would in
cignantly reject sauer kraut may greet a
dish of choucrOute la Allemand as a
gastronomic beatitude without comprom-
lslng his patriotism; and no intelligent
POlXnASian cn1lld mi nd 70 n
hlet de missionaire a la long cochon.
Tastes, as a rule, are merely mental
operation. Reform these by common
standard and you have already converted
the sword into a plowshare and the spear
INTO pruninghOok. But the millennium
is still long way off.
You are in London. Are you hungry ami
Well equipped In the matter of shillings?
II so, go to the Cafe Royal. near Regent
Street Circus and Picadilly, or to Hol-
born restaurant at Southampton row.
Take a~able in the grill room; 1t is better
form. Besides. II denotes that you do not
exist on plane with the herd and that
you are an extreme epicure, regardless of
cost Everything is en- reggie At high
class restaurants in London you find good
cooking. because foreign cooks are en-
ployed. In this respect they differ from
the boarding houses. where the charwom-
an takes charge of the range when the
COOK Is suffering from a temporary indis-
having g,ln
something for her influenza.
Crossing the channel to France ma
finds the menu somewhat varied biIf the
system of charging Is identically the
same, except that there is a little more
suotlety IN practice. British coins are
counts only for franc, while it is worth
4 cents more. so the caterer combines
money shaving with mis- legitimate vo-
cation: But that is small matter.
against by providing himself with Francb
money beforehand. Two and a half francs
go cents) will pay for a good dinner al a
restaurant which one need not be ashamed
to patrOniZe.
"Huitres -et escargots' (oysters and
snails) are coupled together on the menu
Oysters may be omitted. but snails never
Al many or the la carte refectories a
small tray of the "escargot'' yernin is
brought in and placed alongside of your
plate. 1t may suit a Frenchman. The
French are a brave people / am NOT
French. '
Garlic? Yes, in the common eating
houses. but never Obtrusively present In
the better-class restaurants
Ireland alone can claim dish 1hat
carries and blazons its nationality All
over Europe. Irish stew Is ALWAYS q
possibility. though not always rec0gniz-
able or the bin of fare al first glance.
An instance Illustrating this. and Iso
showing the charming ingenuousnesS Of
the Italian VINO presents his bill 10 a c;ls
toner, occurred in Venice / usually took
my meals a la carte. and had learned
enough TO require my bill itemfzed before
! LETT the table at each meal The first
Item on the menu under the head OF ZEN
trees was ''Irisch Stieu-50 confines -
could read il but one way-Trish stew
and Il was ordered. together with other
things. Having finished my meal. / re
Quested the garcOn 10 bring my bill The
first item was "Irisch stieu-1 franc and "a
centimes." / called HIS attention IN. tba
discrepancy between the charge on The
menu and that In my bill
See here cameriere, how is thfs2 The
bill or fare has Irish stew. 30 Confines
and you have charged 80 for il in nv
bill" '
ION, that's all right. I'll show Won"
he said; and taking the menu. he hunted
around and found a list under the head Of
'Piats Garni,' in which meat and pota-
toes were included inter ALA
You set" he said. 1.-THE Irish stew is
50 centimes and the extra franc 1100
centimes) is for the meat and vegetables
in IT."
mo pour-bolre to-day" said; put that
'plats garni'' in your pocket: that's where
you intended IL should 90"