Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-01-09
MEALS IN TABLOIDS
RESTAURANT OF THAT KIND IN
BROOKLYN.
Compressed Foods, in Many Cases Pre-
digeste6, Are on the Bill of Fare
Life-Patronized Largely by the
Menus Contain Plenty to Sustain
Dyspeptic Glass.

Brooklyn Eagle-BrOOklyn now rev.
els in the distinction Of possessing the
second tabloid restaurant ever estab-
lished. The first begain its career in
Manhattan a few weeks ago. A tab
loid restaurant, it should be under
stood, is a restaurant where food is
served in condensed form-where the
patron may take square meal in
lozenge that may be swallowed at a
single gulp. Or he can have his din
ner in a capsule, if he prefers it that
way. But it must be said that most
people, even those who are sufficiently
up-to-date to patronize a tabloid res
taurant, become soaddicted to eating
in early life that they find it hard to
abandon the practice. Thus it hap
pens at the tabloid restaurant most
patrons prefer their food lozenges di-
luted with water-so it will last longer,
perhaps.
The tabloid restaurant was made
possible by the recent invention of
compressed foods a few years ago.
Compressed foods were supposed to
be desirable only as an emergency ra-
ton, but some enterprising individual
found that the compressed foods
would appeal to a certain portion Of
the public even where there was an
abundance of restaurants of the or
binary type. Hence, the tabloid res
taurant. The place is on Fulton
street almost directly opposite the
bridge entrance, and it is already pat
ronized by large and growing class
of well-dressed and Intelligent people,
apparently of the better class, who
seem to have been attracted at first
by the novel menu and who remain
patrons afterwards because they like
the food.
The patrons do not seem to like to
have a large dish served to them with
only small portion of it's surface COW
cred with the edible he is expected to
consume, and in consequence the "beef
steak" fish balls ''fricassee,"
roast and mock turtle supplied at
the restaurant in question are only
about third smaller than the real
article would be. 1t is all solid nutri-
ment, however. and the patrons of the
place order the dishes as though they
really were enamored Of them.
The restaurant is small and unpre-
tentious, but it is kept exquisitely neat
and clean. Curtains screen the in
terror from the gze of the curious on
the street, and they are really needed
for there is always q. fringe of small
boys trying to peer in and learn just
what kind of human beings they are
who prefer quality to quantity when
it comes to such vital question as
food. On one side of the restaurants
interior is the usual array of tables,
the linen almost sparkling in it's
starchy wilderness, while on the other
side is counter extending down the
whole length of the place, on which
are ranged bottles, cans and packages
of the compressed foods. For these a
ready sale is found over the counter.
"Who like compressed foods best,
men or women?' the proprietor was
| asked.
Il think women really prefer them"
; he said. you will find that women,
as rule, require little food, and conse-
quently they are quite satisfied to in
! dulge in only moderate amount, il
/ they know that it is Of the best Our
| patronage, of course, comes largely
| from men now, but those who are
steady customers continually talk tc
| their friends of the value of the dishes,
especially to dyspeptics, and the time
| is not far distant when women will be
our most regular attendants. Just
now they buy largely over the counter
serving up the compressed foods at
their own homes.
Compressed foods are the most di
gestible," continued the restaurant
man, "and the result is that the cry
for tabloid food comes mostly from the
| dyspeptic class. They find it aids
them, and they come regularly The
professional man Of sedentary habits
| Whose exercise consists in an occas
ional walk, is glad to find place
where he does not have to gorge him
self to satisfy his appetite or sustain
life.
Most of our tabloid foods are pre-
digested. For instance, 'bromose,
which comes in small boxes, or in tab
let's, is composed of nuts and cereals
sterilized, in which the fat exists in {
state Unnatural emulsion. The tab
lets closely resemble caramels, are
pleasant to the taste, can be served
plain or not, as preferred, and yol
may make a pleasant beverage out o.
it by dissolving in water.
81 f1atter myself now that the men,
of tabloid FOODS which l have ar
ranged includes everything necessary
to create and sustain health, strength
and normal amount of flesh, without
disarranging the digestive apparatus
in any way. If properly and intelli
gently eaten, compressed foods are al
sufficient, and the success Of this lit
tie establishment goes to show thai
people are beginning to understand
that fact.