Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-18


| giving dinner during my twelve years in
Paris this being due to the fact, I supp ose,
| that these distinguished gentlemen pre-
| ferred to observe the day in their ZONES,
| and the club respected this wholly hat
| ural desire. At the other banquets they
| have always been great favorites, especially
James B. Eustis, who seemingly forgot that
| he was a responsible representative of his
| government as soon as he stepped inside
| the clubhouse, where he became as 'ene of
| the boys
Let it be set down to the sound patriot
| ism OF the club that the Thanksgiving DIM
| ner has always been American in its make
| up. Only once or twice has French dish
| been permitted to get in the menu, ald
| then only when it was more than ord .naf!iy
| difficulty to obtain the traditional Thar ks
/ giving day dishes.
AT times this task has been harder than
| most persons would imagine to be the case
| with many steamship lines plying be-
| tween the two countries. 1t has always
| been easy to secure the necessary number
| of turkeys, but until recent years the
| French markets were still stepped in deep
| ignorance Of the cranberrys existence. The
| constant demand for 1t on the part of stu
| dents and other Americans has led several
| stores that cater to American trade TO ham
| die the cranberry, which is sold by the
found at exorbitant prices. Once or twice
| storekeeper has overstepped himself in this
| particular. Several years ago d dealer I'M
| ported a barrel of the berries, expecting TO
realize a handsome profit on them, but he
! boosted up the price high that even
| the money-thoughtless students refused to
| buy, and the berries rotted the little
| fellows hands, to his undying disgust.
Menu for the Dinner.
| 1t has been possible to serve sweet po-
| tatoes but very few times. Pumpkin and
mince pies be secured with ease
| in the various restaurants in the quarter
catering to Americans, and so can deli
|
soups 80
The Thanksgiving dinner menu of the
| Students Club, and also of the American
| Women's Art Association, usually consists
of soup, roast turkey, stuffed; giblet
| gravy, cranberry sauce, celery, squash,
mashed potatoes (sweet potatoes when for
| tune favers}, pumpkin, and. perhaps, mince
| pie, fruits, cheese and coffee.
It is not unusual for over a hundred per-
| sons to sit down to the dinner of the Stu
/ dents Club, from three to five francs be-
| ing the charge for cover. And 1t is al
| most q safe guess to make that the par
Elephants in, this years dinner. following
| the example of previous diners, will have
! attended services during the morning in
| the American church. Even the Bohemian
| existence that the majority of art students
| lead can not divorce them from the habit
| of seeking church at least once a year to
| give thanks. Here they mingle with rep
| resentatives of the American colony, the
| bankers, brokers, jewelers. and others COM
PEELED by stress of business to live far from
| their native shores. Here, too, come many
| travellers, and in the evening those who
are college or university men generally
| eat their Thanksgiving dinner with the
American University Club. Some, however,
| like many students, are guests of mem
bers of the colony
Dinners in the Studio
| In addition to the students formal din
| ners-if the adjective can rightly be applied
| to anything that the art students do or
| think or say-many small dinners of
| Thanksgiving are given in the studios.
| Needless to say, these are thoroughly Bo-
| hemian. Some certainly rank among the
queerest Thanksgiving meals ever spread;
and 1t Is my belief, founded on twelve years
| residence in the quarter, that the studio
| dinner most prescribed by tradition would
| cause one of the customs stern origina-
| tors to fall dead of sheer horror were 1t
| possible for him to be seated at the OPEN
| ing course even.
| The studio dinner that Long Snider'
| gave to select party of cronies half
| dozen years ago is still laughed over in
the quarter, and bids fair to become a
| Thanksgiving tradition among these ap-
| parently care-free self-exiles.
Two or three days before the festival
was due to roll round Long Snider" de-
| cided that he would give a dinner He
! investigated the state of his pocketbook
finding only his monthly allowance, suf-
| hclent to meet running expenses. Never
| theless, there must be dinner and when
| his guests appeared at the appointed hour
on Thanksgiving evening they We're seated
at table temptingly loaded with a great
turkey, done to a golden brown. and all the
| old-ttme trimmings. That which had been
| thoughtfully provided by the hilarious host
| to prevent a consuming thirst from over
whelmingly attacking his guests was con-
School Punch" Long snfder" called IL
| and 1t had been solicitously mixed by his
own hands.
That punch most deceptive drink
n Ia oct will -, TO-
| was in constant demand. AS result, when,
the feast barely half through, there came
| a knocking at the door, the punch had got
| in Its work nearly every one present
and the effect produced by the note handed
to the host by his concierge was Just the
| opposite of what 1t would have been on an
| ordinary occasion.
Fellows" shouted Long Snider," way
| ing the bit Of paper madly, proprietor
says got to pay rent next day or have
things confecated. Can't pay rent Spent
| money dinner and punch. Three cheers
for Thanksgivingi"
Guests to the Rescue.
This little speech seemed but to add zest
to the dinner At last, the punch con-
| sumed. some one, more ingenious than the
rest-perhaps he had got more than his
share of the brew-proposed the plot that
| the whole assemblage put into execution.
| The belongings that had been threatened
| with confiscation were not numerous in a
few minutes they were In the hands of
| the students, and then there began a weird
procession of easels, palettes, long rolls OF
| canvas and the hosts big bass viol down
the long and dark stairway from the sixth
floor, with the glimmer from an occasional
| match to light the uncertain way
| Long Snider' was thankful that the
| col cierge was sound sleeper and some
| what deaf. to boot. The street was safely
| reached. a hand-cart was hastily secured
into it the trappings were dumped and
/ with exultant yell that aroused the
concierge too late for his frantic calls for
| thu police to be of any use host, guests and
cart were off UP the street. Way over to
| Montmarte went the rascals. Up the long
hill they climbed to the large studio of an
accommodating and truly sympathetic
friend and there. in the early morning
| hours Long Sniders" Thanksgiving dinner
celebration ended in riotous housewarm-
ing.
Studio dinners made possible by both
| the caterer and the charcuterie (roast meat
shops. The caterers of the quarter al
| ways now make point of being fully
| equipped to serve Thanksgiving dinners In