The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-03-29

picks ad iibitum. 1t may be ii huge
room in which u thousand people SIT
at handicapped tables piled high
with paper napkins, served quickly
and smartly by uniformed girl wait
ers 1t may be an artiAeialty lighted
basement where each customer
gathers plate, knife and fork aud then
passes In procession before the roast
to be served. later computing his own
bill and paying II as he passes the
mountain OF toothpicks, OR ii may
be IA tiled hall filled with big chairs,
tone arm of which is expanded into
! an elbow table. from which coffee and
pie. biscuits and milk, may he taken
in comfort and comparative leisure.
But whatever the system. whatever
the menu. whatever the service, ten
minutes Is long time 10 eat ana
twenty-five cents is not at all small
check.
Perhaps the factory made pies are
/ bad tor our digestion, but DRY Wiley
! is doing much to cure that. Perhaps
! the strong coffee Is bad for our
nerves, but it is better than adui-
terated whisky. Perhaps the ten min
! utes isn't hong enemgh fer q steesssi
meal, but there is the reflection that
idle men don't have To rush. Perhaps
| the American Quick Lunch Room wii
1 be improved in many ways, as II al
ready has been improved. but II Will
never take its needed lessons from
Europe,
! The Euglishman regales himself ia
the morning with a good breakfast of
! bacon and eggs and coffee Al tho
! luncheon hour. supposing him TO he
/ possessed of fairly decent job, he re-
I pairs to chop house for his midday
meal. II he Is In a hurry and has only
I a half hour, he will ind buffet bar
/ where he may have "A cut from the
| Joint and his pint of bitter ale A
/ placard tells him that the Joint from
| IL TO / Is beef. from l to is mutton,
! and he may regulate his luncheon
| hour according to his taste. With
| the meat is served boiled potatoes and
boiled cabbage Any Interference with
| this arrangement of vegetables prob
! ably would Ice regarded as an attack
on the constitution
If the Engiishmau can possibly af-
ford it, he will take an hour. Then
he will go to grin room and have a
chop. fianked with boiled potatoes and
cabbage. washed down with pint 81
'tbitter" But in any event he viii
take from three 10 six times as long
at his lunch as does the American,
he will eat three or four times as
much and he will drink alcohol in the
middle of the day when the American
will drink coffee. Al 4 O'Clock. when
the American Is thinking Of home and
dinner the Englishman repairs TO a.
tea room The London tea-room Is
not Unlike a certain type of American
quick lunch room in arrangement
But there the likeness ends. A de-
liberate waitress understanding TO
take an order. the customer Composes
himself TO read or smoke. Tea and
cakes being served eventually and
consumed In Il half-hour or an hour,
the Afternoon sacrament Is over, but
The Continental Europeans take
even more time than the English at
their meals, and are even more great
ly shocked by the American system
of swallowing a "slnker' md a cup
of coffee on the run. The French
man and the Italian AreAl&LA&tless.
make an orderly institution of mid
day and evening meals which pre-
Guides the possibility OF hurry. The
German Is different. tpon arising
he takes coffee and roit4 In the
middle OF the forenoon ne mas ms
second breakfast ot sandwiches and
beer. AT noon. or shortly after, he
has his dinner. and after dinner he
has nap Then he has afternoon
coffee and cakes He returns 60 work
and comes home 20 late supper al
s or O'clock
The stern requirements of busi~
ness in a prosperous nation are sneh
that this Ieisureiy native German
sysieY4a Is being overturned. Man!
peoptr cannot afford to go home IN
the daytime. So il is that the Ger
man cafes and restaurants are al
WAYS full Many have found II i'm
nosstrte 10 wait on the glow service
or ms cafes. ana thssa rEvc i7F1ri re-
course. to Il certain form of the Amer
lean quick lunch room.
The stranger in a German indus
trial cly in search of u quick meal
may walk down the street until ne
gees the American coat OF arms en-
t,fazuned on II window. I.et him turn
in these 1t is sure 20 be an auto
mat" There one puts coin IN the
slot and is automatically served with
sAld sandwiches, with hot dishes,
d Z . =