The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-03-18
DEADLY CAKE.|S
FOOD OF GREEKS
Oriental Dishes, Excellent Cof-
fee and Peculiar Viands
Are Enjoyed.

From the New York Sun:
Greek cooking in New York is some
! thing between French and Turkish. In
| the matter Of solids and sauces French
| influence seems predominant; in the
matter of sweets and coffee oriental
influence is stronger.
Time was when nobody who could
dine elsewhere dined at Greek res
taurant but the Greek restaurants
have greatly improved within ten
years. and they flourish nightly. This
prosperity is largely due to the fact
that, of the thirteen or fifteen thous-
and Greeks resident in the city, 1t Is
estimated that hardly five thousand
are members Of families. One Greek
resident says that there are hardly
fifty Greek families in the city.
dinner in a Greek restaurant or
the better sort begins with a white.
slightly aromatic, sweet liquor served
In a pony glass. An excellent soup
follows, and then comes the meat,
which is often in effect rich ragout,
with spinach or okra as part of the
dish.
One or more vegetables may accom-
pany the meat Fish also is served
when the meal is at all elaborate, and
In Its usual place after the soup.
Before the coffee, and often with it.
ocme the sweets They are Of many
kinds. Some of them suggest the old
fashioned Washington pie with the ad-
dition OF chopped nuts.
Another dessert suggests a hot
moist sweet breakfast food sparsely
sown with q kind Of oblong seed.
Americans seldom like this particular
dish. Dried currants form part of sew
eral other characteristic Greek des-
serts.
Coffee is the serious business OF the
Greek meal. It is in effect Turkish
coffee plus sugar, though 1t Is not pre-
pared in the approved Turkish fashion.
The first essential Of Greek coffee,
ordinarily served in demitasse, Is
that It shall show on the surface the
lily understood. but the essential oil of
the coffee berry floating like light
yellowish brown foam upon the sur
face Of the beverage.
A cup Of coffee in which this IS
achieved is excellent to the palate of
most Americans who like black coffee.
The Greeks do not drink or eat the
thick pudding Of coffee powder that
remains at the bottom Of the cup.
So fond are the resident Greeks of
their special coffee that many men
drink ten or twelve cups during the
day. In nearly all the restaurants you
may see mon sitting about the tiny
tables reading. talking, playing DOM
inoes or cards and slipping cup after
cup Of their pudding coffee.
Sometimes the coffee Is accompanied
by an odd triangular cake thickly var
nished with sticky molasseslike
sauce. Within the cake has the in
evitable chopped nuts, and the whole,
in taste and smell, suggests something
between a drug store and bargain
shop. -
This particular cake is probably the
deadliest form of food served for
human consumption anywhere In New
York, outside tho cheap restaurants.
the speciality Of which is ptaomaine
poison. Tho Greeks, however, seem to
eat it with impunity:aE Perhaps tho
cognac that often accompanies the cof-
fee acts as an antidote.
You may dine abundantly a la
Grequs for so or IS cents, and sump-
tuously for a little over 81, for tho
dishes cost from only s to 30 cents.
Half dollar more will give you tho
opening liquer, cognac with coffee, and
q glass or two Of potable wine. Even
the remnants Of your college Greek
will not take you far into Interpreting
the bill of fare.