Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-27

al
CASTLE soap furnished the new tenant
In boarding houses IN Brooklyn and Bath
Beach, drives away the flavor OF the cot
ton seed oil In the French dressing as one
nail drives out another II Is preceded
by a tipping Of the bottle to extract the
final drop OF pink ink and this drunk, the
desert eaten with unabated pangs Of
hunger the sorgonsola Is unleashed from
It's hiding place. the cigarettes are re-
trlved and cafe noir, fully as black as
painted, is generously supplied. Then the
patrons give themselves up to the uncon-
fined Joy Of the occasion, introductions
are in many places dispensed with, and
like a happy family, the pink ink people
aroused to extraordinary feats OF mental
agility make and break life long friend
ships with startling rapidity; quarrel,
argue sermonize and are brilliantly bro
indian to a degree that they do not realize
until the cold gray dawn OF the following
work day makes the remembered jokes
have a blush taste.
The Italian tables d'hote, which are espe-
cially popular with Pink Ink people have
certain slmiariues and dssimnarities to
the American variety. The italian table
d'hote is always preceded by the appetlzlng
piquancy Of the sC-calied hors doeuvres,
sardines, picked salmon, anchovies, etc,
and invariably the dish of "spaShet" forms
considerable part cf this menu, sometimes
inserted between chicken and roast, some
times taking the place Of the entrec. Many
Of the Italian establishments advertise
largely, by word OF mouth. special nights
when the spaghetti's sauce is more than
usually rich and varied. 1t, like the en-
trees of their rivals, is the result OF a
secret process. For these special occasions
spaghetti hunters from the furthermost
parts OF Manhattan willingly face wind
and weather.
The spaghetti contingent is known by
that peculiar accomplishment Of winding a
fork entanged In slippery inelsstic lengths
in the bowl Of a spoon and after a mo-
ment's preparation taken to the mouth
without any graceless sashes trailing be-
hind.
To name all the well known tables d'hote
Of one and another variety-many of them
hybrid products of French cooking, Italian
proprietorship and American demands
would require roster as long as that of
the colonels Of the south. Several of the
establishments which under the masquer-
aiding title of pensions" claim a strictly
Gallo table and service serve the soup in
big tureens which are placed before the
landlady, who calculates during the repast
Mon Dieu, Comment" "SIl sous plait,
TO give the right atmosphere. The fish too
comes on garnished. reposing in the unac-
customed glory Of head and tail, and each
diner is allowed to help himself, often
dropping the knife and spoon in his guilty |
embarrassment as the eagle eyes Of the
landlady open wide at the liberality he |
permits himself.
This generosity is pushed to its limit by |
the presence of a small cabaret usually /
situated in the basement where the well /
known patrons Of the house are allowed to |
go and mix their own cocktails. The regu- |
lars at these pensions always comes at the |
advertised hour. II that happens at Z +,
o'clock, a minute before finds him in his
chair. with napkin unfolded on his knee |
his cocktail absorbed and benignant feel |
ing toward all mankind which comes with |
the knowledge that he has secured the best |
seat at the long table, for small tables are
supposed here to destroy the necessary |
feeling Of good fellowship. Lucky he who
Is on time. Unlucky she who dallied over
the arrangement of her twirly turban too |
long for at 1880 o'clock the fish is de-
nuded monster, all eyes and bones, and
madam looks naughty and recites her
Bon Soir' as IL 1t were an Ave Maria Of
repentance.
Just how. when and why the tables
dhotes spring into popularity would re-
quire a volume of explanations. There is a |
shibboeth among the Pink Ink People and |
one meeting another says, IT have dined |
at So-and-So's; it's great'' Possibly that |
trivial password may be enough and the |
next night or the night after that the usual |
table d'hote is vacated, while the pro-
prietor Of another brushes the cobwebs
from his eyes, suspicious of the unexpected |
good fortune. Such a stampede oftentimes
means the bankruptcy Of the first estab-
lishment II the proprietor has not, by |
astute appeals to the love of novelty in |
herent in the Pink Ink People, kept them |
his patrons long nough to have laid aside |
money.
II your acquaintance numbers one OF
these prospectors be sure that sooner or
later he will lead you to a funny little !
place, usually in an upper room, which |
you reach by passing along noisome pas