The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-26
CAR NICHOLAS
 4 HEARTY EATER Royal Family Takes Meals in a Bomb Proof Room THE EXPENSES RUN HIGH More Than $5ooo a Day Needed to Run the Household in St. Peters
 burg PaIace-chef
 Big Man.

San Francisco has at her largest hos
 tlery a man who has served two years I in the royal kitchen of the royal palace
 of Nicholas at St Petersburg. He Is Vic I tor Hirtzler chef de cuisine of the St. 1 Francis hotel, and he tells an interesting 1 story of how cooks are educated to fill l the high places in the kitchens of royal l ty, says the San Francisco Bulletin.
 Mir. Hirtzler entered the Russian kitchen
 in the French department under the guid-
 ance of Eugene Kratz, that famous chef
 of the Russian palace, whose fame has become worldwide.
 l The head chef of the palace holds
 very important position in the Russian
 world He has control of every kitchen l in Russia. and every two months makes | his rounds of the different departments of his kingdom. His rank is that of general in the Russian army and he com
 mands every person serving in any ca
 pacity under him in the different cui-
 sines. His salary amounts to s50,0O0 per year-more than that of the President of
 the United States
 His duties are more of the head than of
 the hands. If his Highness. Nicholas. l becomes weary of the delights of the ta-
 ble constantly on hand and wishes some-
 thing new the head chef must bestir him. 1 self and create something never heard of by mortal ears before. This is the only 1 time in which he comes into intimate con | tact with the pots, kettles and pans. | though every one is an intimate Friend l of his watchful eye.
 l With his small quantities of materials | he closes himself in the private kitchen
 and sinners and stews, combining the
 most daring things until the compound | that comes forth Is as ambrosia Then
 he tastes 1t, and his under chefs taste | it, and the underunder chefs taste 1t. | A major of the army Is called in, and he l tastes it. too. Then they all walt and if
 a reasonable time expires, bringing no | fatal results to any one of the honored
 ones. Nicholas eats, and is delighted with
 a hash that was invented for him.
 Nicholas Eats Heartily. Nicholas Is a big, healthy and hearty
 eater. His appetite is by no means royal. | He eats and delights in conglomeration
 that would put John D. Rockefeller in
 his grave. Every meal in the palace is | a banquet, only when 1t is a dinner of
 state the addition of different entrees
 strings out indefinitely. Every morning l d major of the army, selected by the
 emperor himself, and always in the ktch-
 en, is called Into the royal presence and
 given the menu for the day by the czar l himself. The Czarina never orders a | meal.
 The major goes to the kitchen and
 gives the menu to the chef, who posts 1t | in a conspicuous place. Every under chef reads selects the dish that comes
 in his department and proceeds to cook.
 From to 12 and from F to 2 the kitchen
 Is scene of hustling activity. and the | three hundred men under the head chef
 are enveloped in delicious vapors.
 At in the morning the breakfast Is
 served. This meal is merely breakfast being simple repast of eggs, tea coffee, | chocolate and fruits. Caviar is never ab-
 sent from the table of the Czar nor is the
 pate de foie gras that he loves.
 Then comes the luncheon at II, with
 salads. soups and cold meats, ices and i desserts. This is but a forerunner of the
 3 o'clock meal. that takes a good days
 work to prepare. At quarter to every
 thing is dished up in the kitchen as it is | to be served in the Czars presence. The | major on duty comes and partakes of | every dish that is on the menu. Then the | head chef Is obliged to sample the dishes I and a small space of time elapses. suffi- | cient to insure against the possibility of l poisoning Then the food Is placed on an 1 elevator having a closed shaft. the major | enters the car with the food. is locked | in and the lift goes directly to the dining
 room into the presence of the Czar. l Here again the major eats under the l strictest surveillance of his royal master, | and, nothing happening to him. the fam | fly sits down to dinner. No dish that Is | served on the table of the Czar Is ever permitted to go to Tthe dining room ex- | cept through the elevator shaft It never enters a corridor. that the only possi- | bility of poison being mixed with the food l lies in the hand of the major. who would I die first after tasting, without harming l the cZar.
 Dining Room Remarkable. l The dining room in which the regular meals of the family are served is a re- markabe affair. It is built entirely of l cast iron and sealed between meals like l a great bank vault. It is not very large, l but is perfectly bomb-proof. It is plainly l seen that Nicholas is careful of his life. | But to go back to the dinner. The Czar 1 is an epicure and gourmet. After sev- eral appetizers he partakes of what Is called porch" or cold soup, a typically Russian dish. hot and cold meats. four or | five entrees of all nationalities, hot and | cold poultry hot and cold vegetables. hot and cold buildings, ices and cold cakes. l wine and hot tea or 'yodke.' the drink exclusively Russian. The Czar eats
 through the whole menu and never misses
 a trick He is fondest of the cold soups, | ,-t-