The Vinita weekly chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1902-1905, 1904-08-04
ITALIANS LOAF OF BREAD,
Baked by a Public Baker While the
Housewives Wait for 1t
to Be Done.


II you stroll through any OF the ltal.
ian quarters OF the city en- certain after.
moons Of the week your attention will
be caught by a large number Of women
each balancing on her head a tin dish
pan covered by gaudy-colored cloth
threading their way through the tanglt
OF street lie II you watch, says tbs
New York sun, you viii discover that
on each block The paths of the women
converge to a flight OF steps leading
down into the cellar Of one of the big
plain-faced tenements that line the
streets Of the quarter one by one ihe
women turn down these steps and dis
appear
II you are curious and follow behind
you will fnd 20 or 80 women and girls in
the back OF the cellar each bearing the
familiar cloth-covered dishpau, You
will also see one lone. apfoued man. lie
is full OF Importance, stern-faced aud
silent
. AT last he opens q small iron door IN
The wall puts his hand tentatively into
a dark cavity which is revealed beyond
and then calls ont something which
sounds like a command to the jabberlne
women about him.
Immediately one OF them steps up.
uncovtrs her dishpan and takes from
Il nat circular piece 81 dough abort
two feet In diameter This Is followed
By three other pieces The man iabes
them one hy one and puts them on what
yuu recoenize as q ioug-haudled baker 3
shovel and pushes them back into flt
cavity that you now discover TO be- an
oven
But II this man in the apron Is simply
baker why this gathering oi the wom-
en- with the dough
Wait till the oven door has beer
closed on ,he la piece ol dough and
the women have ,ted themselves Oh
barrels and hoxes ant tables 90 have q
good social chat while che leaves are
baking theu approach The auroued mas
ter Of ceremonies and ass Tor luiurma-
tion.
out Of rho medley q broken Enclish
and Italian. wlth rs running accom-
pauimeut of pes'leulatien. that grgets
you sou finally manage to sit these
facts
It's a custom that the Italians have
imported from their native land There
the modern stove with iis oven Is en-
tirely unknown and the baker does the
baking for The village
When the Italians come 10 this conn
fry many OF them live in rooms too small
10 accommodate a stove with an oven.
OF they cannot afford the fuel required
SO they have imported their old world
custom The charge for baking @ loaf
varies from four 10 six cents
why dent they let The baker mix the
dough as wei as bake ~ Well be-
cause 4 Is not as cheap Ia uihenrst place
From four to six cents seems a lot q
pay for merely baking a loaf until yor
have seer ihe lcaf-an immense cir
cular affair. two fee. 10 diameter and
almost hall 4 foot thick
And then the Italian women Ike the
dough mixed after their own recipes
They kno# what's lu Il then
And when you learn bow big a par
bread plays in the Italians diet Bher
Won see a man nui lr nine or ter hour
at hard labor WITH only a few thick slices
Of rye bread and a few thin slices o'
bologna and a little garlic ia his dlnner
pail you begin 20 realize why they ar'
so careful that thslr bread shall b
wholesome and sustaining