Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-08-10
FOOD COOKED IN
FOUL QUARTERS
CHEAP RESTAURANTS YIELD
UGLY SIGHTS
RATS SWARM UNMoLEsTED BY
CARELESS PRoPRlEToRs
Chemically coIored Teas, coffees and
Jellles Served to Customers In
fragrant Violation Of the
Pure Food Law

Complaints that poor food is being
served regularly in some Of the Los
Angeles restaurants, despite the fact
that their kitchens and quality of food
are supposed to be constantly under the
inspection of the health and pure food
inspectors, have led to an investigation
of the charges by reporter of The
Herald, who found the complaints in
certain cases justified
Three of the restaurant kitchens on
Main street to which the reporter OBJ
| tanned admission were found to be UNI
clean and unsanitary to a surprising
degree.
Greasy walls and floors, smoke black
ened and mixed with whitewash and
cobwebs, were found to be breeding
places in several instances for swarms
of cockroaches.
| A number of the kitchens also were
found to be swarming with flies, al
| though generally these insects are kept
out of the dining rooms, as well as out
of the soup. If they happen to get into
| the latter or other edible they are
picked out before the stuff is served to
customer.
Rats, it was unguardedly admitted
| by several chefs who thought the re-
porter was a second cook looking for
job, are allowed to run about the
premises in droves, it being stated at
several places that no attempt was
made to trap or exterminate them be
cause" it was explained, they do not
venture into the dining rooms In the
| daytime and at night nobody sees
| them" which is the argument made
| by the Arkansaw settler who said his
roof didn't need repairing in clear
weather and when it rained he couldn't
repair it.
One chef in a cheap restaurant on
Main, near Third street, said the pro-
prietor was constantly poisoning the
rodents, but that he didn't know
whether or not he was killing any.
Il suppose they eat it and crawl
| fidently. Don't know, but sometimes
it sure does stink awful-specially in
| hot weather"
Investigations made by The Herald
reporter resulted in discoveries which
also confirmed in part some of the fol-
folwing charges embodied recently in
many complaints:
| 1. That "come- back scraps of meat
| frequently are used in the making of
soups and stews in some of the cheap
restaurants.
2. That comeback" pieces of bread
also are used frequently in the max
| ing of buildings, etc.
D. 11dI lllcO anu Idlo al . cO COiiiiilOii
| in some of the cheap restaurant
kitchens as positively to endanger pub
lie safety in the matter of infection and
insanitary conditions.
4. That old and unfit qualities of
beef, mutton and slaughter house
scraps" so-called, are served to GUS
toners in some of the Restaurants. and
in three especially.
Labels the Merest Farce
5. That the pure food law is violated
grossly in that several imitation or
cheap and acknowledgement and colored
| brands of tea and coffee are commonly
served in dozens of restaurants, and
that, although the original packages
may be labeled according to law the
customer does not know the nature of
the drink served to him.
g. That glucose and chemically COL
ored qualities of jelly of the cheapest
imitation also are served daily in scores
of restaurants where such combinations
as roast mutton and jelly are served
Z. That meat blocks and ranges, as
we'll as other much used articles in
some of the kitchens, are disgracefully
dirty and insanitary seldom cleaned
| and in such a condition as to be liable
to infection.
| s. That In some of the restaurants
| the refrigerators are provided with
| such a limited amount of ice that they
are not kept cold, and that therefore
they are frequently poor for food stor-
age, hence that meats which have
passed the inspection sometimes are
spoiled before made into hash, goulash
or other highly seasoned dishes.
| 8. That in some of the kitchens the
| barrels of swill are allowed to stand all
day and until late in the night right
| in the kitchen.
1t also has been urged by many res
| taurant patrons that the inspectors
should insist on the determination of
rats, cockroaches and other rodents and
| insects so far as it is possible, and that
screens and traps should be required
| by law; that restaurants should be re-
quired to keep their swill outside their
kitchens; that the use of tainted meats
should be guarded against by the pro-
hibition of high seasoning, especially in
| dishes containing meats, and that the
| law should be so remedied that the
restaurant men should be compelled to
keep a certain quantity of ice con-
| stantly in their refrigerators.
/