Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1910-03-29


strong coffee is bad for our nerves,
but 1t Is better than adulterated
whisky. Perhaps the ten minutes isn't
long enough for a decent meal, but
there is the reflection that idle men
don't have to rush. Perhaps the Amer
lean quick lunch room will be improved
in many ways, as 1t already has been
improved, but it will never take lite
needed lessons from Europe.
The Englishman regales himself in
the morning with a good breakfast of
bacon and eggs and coffee. At the
luncheon hour. supposing him to be
possessed of a fairly decent job, he
repairs to chop house for his midday
meal If he is in a hurry and has only
a half hour, he will find buffet bar
where he can have cut from the
joint and his pint of bitter ale. A pla-
card tells him that the joint from 10
to Is beef, from 1 to is mutton, and
he may regulate his luncheon according
to his taste. With the meat is served
boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage, ale
ways boiled and always potatoes and
cabbage. Any interference with this
arrangement of vegetables probably
would be regarded as an attack on
the constitution.
II the Englishman can possibly af-
ford it he will take an hour. Then he
will go to grill room and have a chop,
thanked with boiled potatoes and cab
bage. washed down with pint of
bitter" But in any event he viii
take from three to six times as long
at his lunch a. 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 din
he f.l,,
room. The London tea room IS not I'M
like a certain type of American quick
lunch room in arrangement. But there
the likeness ends. A deliberate walt
ress condescending to take an order.
the customer composes himself to read
or smoke. Tea and cakes being served
eventually and consumed in a half
hour or an hour, the afternoon saera-
ment is over. But there is no hurry.
The Continental Europeans take
even more time than the English at
their meals, and are even more greatly
shocked by the American system of
swallowing a "sinker' and q cup of
coffee on the run. The Frenchman and
the Italian. breakfastless. make an or
derby institution of midday and even
ing meals which precudes the possi-
bility of hurry. The German is diff
ferent Upon arising he takes coffee
and rolls. In the middle of the fore
noon he has his second breakfast of
sandwiches and beer. At noon, or
shortly after, he has his dinner, and
after dinner he has a nap. Then he
returns to work and comes home to a
late supper at or 0 o'clock
The stern requirements of business
in prosperous nation are such that
this leisurely native c arman system is
being overturned. Many people can
not afford to go home in the daytime
SO 1t is that the German cafes and
restaurants are always full. MANY
have found it impossible to walt on
the slow service of the cafes. and
these have had recourse to a certain
form of the American quick lunch
room.
The stranger in German Industrial
city in search of a quick meal may
walk down the street until he sees the
American coat of arms emblazoned on
window. Let him turn in there
1t is sure to be an "Automat" There
one puts a coin in the slot and is auto
matically served with cold sandwiches
with hot dishes with sweets, with tea
or coffee. with beer or wine, with al
most anything. The aGtomat was born
in New York, but it never made a
great success i'm America. 1t was ex-
ported to Germany. and there It has
fiourished like a green bay tree.
But the browning glory Of the quick
lunch room as an American institution
is it's democracy. The Wall street
banker and the Wall street newsboy
regularly eat "beef and" at the same
place. A cabinet minister in washing
ton does not disdain the Maryland bis
cults and milk served over the same
counter where all his thousands of un-
derlings take their midday refresh
ments. With all its faults. the quick
lunch room is an American institution
of which we ought not to be ashamed.