The Washington herald., 1912-10-04
American Tea
Rooms in Paris

~ should be gratihed t.
1 = know that even in Pari
American cooking is becoming
popular, says the Public Ledger
The lure of the Boston bakec
bean and the Southern waffle i!
gradually being felt. Chocolat.
layer cakes and baking powder
biscuits are beginning to dispute
the absolute supremacy of the
decorated Partisan cakes and the
hard rolls. Managers of hotel:
and restaurants are awakening
to the fact that the average
American tourist is glad of ar
occasional taste of home food
and more than one establishment
with an American following has
thought it good policy to add a
disciple of American cookery to
its staff of French chefs.
But the high priestesses OF Ameri-
can cookery in Paris are the enter
prising young women who have
opened a couple of tea rooms side
by side with popular French estab-
lishments. Items from the menu OF
these tea houses are significant OF
what a hungry American is most
glad to find in a foreign land. The
daily supply of corned beef hash
has. SO far, never equaled the de-
mand. The Paris edition of this
American dish is no carelessly pre-
pared mixture. Not only does the
proprietress personally select the
right cut Of beef. but the process OF
which she presides. Men patrons
are the real sustainers OF this trans
planted New England favorite. and
most of them call for Il tiny jar OF
chilli sauce as an accompaniment
This is another remembrance of
home, as this particular sauce is
made from an old New England
Even in July and August buck
wheat cakes and maple strip are IA
vorite orders The most critical
American griddle cake eater could
not fail 20 be satisfied with the
evenly piled, delicately Drowned
tanned a stones throw from the Rue
de Rivoli. When well moistened
with butter and drenched with strip
from the pure sugar OF Vermont. the
Paris gr!ddle cakes need apologize to
no American critic.
II you get a chance to talk with
one OF the managers of an American
in Paris she will tell
a lot OF surprising things that the
French don't know about cooking. II
you praise her baking powder biscuit
she will explain that the French
have not yet acquired the baking
powder habit, but still cling to yeast
and eggs as leavening agents. Baking
powder is carried only at a couple of
American groceries in Paris and the
Gordon bleu" French pastry cook
will have none of 1t.
Possibly this is one reason why
American cake, as sold and served in
The upply table, with its display OF
cake. would make the bosom of
New England housewife swell with
pride. Early III the day, before
sales have revastated the supply,
one sees layer cakes of chocolate,
maple, and cocoanut- Chocolate cake
with marshnallow filling is good
serbread. Then there are bowls of
golden brown crullers and platters of
cookies. Americans gloat over these,
and not )nly eat what they want
then and there, but take boxes of
cakes and cookies with them on au-
tomobile trips.
THE plainness of our cakes seems
10 be their charm" said the man
ager of one OF these tea rooms. II
suppose II is because of the contrast
TO the deliberately ornamented cakes
Df the French pastry shops. We try
to have our things look as honey
and American as We can, and, even
when cakes are ordered for a birth
day or a reception, it is always I'M
ierstood that they shall be plain and
as different as possible from the
decorated Partisan cakes. We never
decorate with candied fruits or even
icing. as we find that
cur patrons get enough of that sort
Of thing from their French cooks"
The Sunday morning orders for
cornbread and Goldfish balls and the
night orders for baked
beans make the weekend at these
American establishments a busy
line. The holiday season brings
many orders for American pies Of
and mince, and in the win
ter there are many afternoon teas
where American cakes" are a fea-
.ure Of the catering.