El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-03-29

Perhaps the l 0 minutes isn't long enough
for a decent meal. but there is the re-
Election that idle men don't have 10
rush Perhaps the American quick lunch
room Will be improved in many ways, as
it already has been improved, but it will
never take it's needed lessons from Eu-
rope.
The EngIishman's Neal.
The EngIishman regales himself in
the morning with a good breakfast of
bacon and eggs and coffee At the
luncheon hour. supposing him to be pos
sessed of a fairly decent job. he repairs
to a chop house for his midday meal
If he is in a hurry and has only half
hour. he viii find a buffet bar where
he may have cut from the joint and
his pint of bitter ale
A picard tells him that the joint
from u to 1 is beef. from l to is
mutton. and he may regulate his lunch
con hour according to his taste With
the meat is served boiled potatoes and
boiled cabbage always boiled and al
ways potatoes and cabbage Any inter
ference with this arrangement OF vege-
tables probably would be regarded as
en- attack on the constitution.
If the Englishman can possibly afford
1t, he will take an hour. Then he will
go to a grill room and have chop.
thanked with boiled potatoes and cab
ter But in any event he viii take from
three 20 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.
At o'clock when the American is
thinking of home and dinner, the Eng
lishman repairs TO a tea room. The Lon
don tea room is not unlike a certain
type of American quick lunch room in
arran cement But there the likeness
ends A deliberate waitress condescend-
ing to take an order. the customer COM
poses himself to read or smoke. Tea
and cakes being served eventually. and
consumed in half hour or an hour. the
afternoon sacrament is over But there
is no hurry.
Leisurely Germans.
The continental Europeans take even
more time than the English at their
meals. and are even more greatly shock
ed Dy the American system of swallow
ing q "sinker" and a cup of coffee on
the run The F'renchman and the italian,
breakfastIess, make an orderly institu-
ton of midday and evening meals which
preeludes the possibility OF hurry
The German is different Upon arising
he takes coffee and rolls In the mid
die Of the forenoon he has his second
breakfast Of sandwiches and beer At
noon. or shortly after. he has his din
ner. and after dinner he has q nap
Then he has afternoon coffee and cakes
He returns to work and comes home TO
a late supper at or o'clock
The stern requirements OF business In
a prosperous nation are such that this
leisurely native German system is being
on overturned Many people cannot afford
TO go home in the daytime So it is that
the German cafes and restaurants are
always full. Many have found il i'm
possible to wait on the slow service or
the cafes and these have had rescourse
70 a certain form Of the American quick
lunch room
Automatic Servers
The stranger in a German Industrial
city in search of a quick meal may walk
down the street until he sees the Amer
lean coat of arms emblazoned on
window. Let him turn in there 1t is
sure TO be an -AutOnTat-" There one puts
a coin in the slot and is automatically
served with cold sandwiches, with hot
dishes, with sweets. with tea or coffee.
with beer OF wine. with almost any
thing
The automat was born in New York,
but IL never made a great success IN
America 1t was exported to Germany.
and there it has flourished like green
bay tree 1t appears that the Germans
have an idea that Americans never eat
except the food and drink be served by
a slot machine
But the browning glory of the quick
lunch room as an American institution Is
its democracy. The Wall street banker
ard the Wall street newsboy regularly
eat beef and" at the same place
cabinet minister in Washington does
not disdain the Maryland biscuits and
milk served over the same counter where
all his thousands of underlings take
their midday refreshment. With all its
faults. the quick lunch room is an
American institution of which we ought
not TO be ashamed
Observation-Disclosures Research.