New-York tribune., 1912-04-21
THE LUNCHEON" HABIT
Eng|IshWoman a Bit Confused by
Loss of Three Letters.
SAMPLING AMERICAN LUNCH
Sees More to Praise in New
York's Blue Skies than in
Her Restaurants.

metlculous pedantries by which you recog-
nize the man OF breeding such as exist with
US, and where It Is as gentlemanlike to call
II lunch" instead OF luncheon" as II is
to say "ungentlemanly." To bother about
such examinations would be voted "high
browed," an amusing word Just now in use,
meaning "pretentiously cultured" 1t was. +,
l think, first applied to a problem play or
a poetic drama. But to return TO my
luncheon.
The word lunch meets you at every +,
step. 1t seems to be a city OF lunch, for ,
in every thoroughfare, with the exception
perhaps Of Fifth avenue, every fourth or ?
fifth shop is labelled lunch room," dis
playing a great many red checked apples
and yellow faced grapefruit in the win
dow and long marble counter beyond. :
Next in numbers come the candy stores.
where ice cream drinks are the staple COM
modify, and then last. but not least. are
the drug stores. The close proximity Of the
latter TO the former gives furiousy 10
think, as the French idiom has it.
Lunch (to be accurately locaD, therefore,
is habit and may not be lightly over
looked. l have during my short stay here
variegated my acquaintance with that meal
by many experiences, from the luncheon
Il cannot get out OF my insuar habit after
alD In the house Of the multi-milllonaire.
served on gold plate and point de Venise
tablecloth by English buffers and powdered
footman, down 10 luncheon with art stu
dents at bare tables, in which apple sauce.
cheese sandwiches. yellow ochre and
laughter seem inextricably mixed UP In my
mind-well, perhaps not only in my mindl
1 had inst heen liatpninD n q nt nd
morous criticism by one OF the judges of q.
| subject composition class before luncheon
Il beg its pardon, before lunch-and he
loudly. silently, had marvelled at the per-
vading element Of yellow ochre in the pict-
ures that all represented Tabor In its va
rious aspects It stood in some places for
sunlight in darker places for lamplight, IN
the darkest places even for furnace fires;
no wonder then that It finally found its way
on to my plate OF sandwiches. All the same.
now come to think Of II. I begin to believe
1t was mustard. Yet enjoyed that meal
keenly. 1t brought back 70 my mind the
days when was an art student, too, when
life and hope were before me and Frans
Halls was my rival AS I have never been
millionaire, the lunch off point de Venlse
awoke no similar echoes.
II the stranger, or transient" as he is
named here, wants to see the luncheon
habit developed to It's highest grade of per-
fectlon In point Of numbers and Of beauty
think he cannot do better than visit
Sherry's, where girls and women Of all
ages and sizes can be found eating their
midday meal quite happily and without male
escort. At luncheon time the presence Of
a man as chaperon does not at that house
seem TO be indispensable, for certainly no" "
where else did I see such a paradise OF
feathers, and plumes, and flowers, without
even the suspicion Of top hat Girls-they
may have been married women, but their
fresh compilations and happy chatter did not
suggest them to be slaves Of the wedding
ring-girls were 10 be found at the little
round tables quite oblivious OF the alb
sence OF partners; while other women,
whose ultra-rich clothing proclaimed them
to be women OF fashion and passion, were
engrossed in each others conversation ana
appeared TO be quite resigned to the lack
OF male society.
1t is from this, perhaps, that we receive
our impression that women's luncheons
are feature OF New York life. but it
would be absurd to generalize, for such
different cllques or crowds" On the
whole, 1 should say that owing TO the
greater distances in London, both geo.
graphically and socially. We see less Of our
men during the luncheon hour than do the
women of New York; and in spite OF the
American tradition OF hustling and rush.
ing. the day OF prominent man or woman ,
In London is fully arduOus as any in
the American city, though you Will hear
everywhere from the women rather than
from the men that life is a breathess
round Of engagements and fixtures-most-
ly II should be added, sef-mposed.
Certainly during my short stay here and
the many times | have lunched and dined
out ] have only once been invited 70 an
Adamless Eden. On that occasion | was
presented to every guest individually by
name and every one Of these referred 10
my work I'm London. The conversation at
the luncheon table was very apt to be gem
eral, partly. | daresay, owing TO my own
presence for the American has not that un-
happy custom of talking personal gossip To
the exclusion OF the stranger which Is the
very height of good manners in England.
There was perhaps a tendency 10 oNeruo
this and to break off TO listen TO one person
who held the floor. as 1t were-but that IS
mart and parcel OF the lecture habit so per-
sistent I'm New York. More often than not
when one is the guest of professional men
ord women one is pressed to say lew
words ION ones own particular SUBJECT
and Il IS considered, imagine, rather al
fected and self-consclous TO refuse.
The idea, universal in Europe, OF the
,,,orvellous luxury of the American table IS
axaogerated. 1t seems to be fashionable
os with us. TO dine at a polished table with
,ooa or embroidered doilies. but the menu
roreIv seemed TO vary. Indeed, the monot-
ory ~ the food, though excellent In It's way.
"a very noticeable, and 1t is difficut 10
differentiate between luncheon and dlh-
nor menu. as both invariably begin with
ucocktair' and continue with oysters, soup.
chicken or turkey, and rather complicated
and highly diversified salad, and end with
an ice cream.
yiewed all round, II seems TO me that
people eat much less and talk much more
than in London, and indeed the air with
its stimulating and electrical quality, Is
food and drink to the highly strung ana
forhids any great indulgence In either, al
though the restaurants and eating houses
in New York are to be counted In their
thousands.
oh. marvellous climate, with its clear blue
atmosphere and brilliant, sun-lit sky! Is II
any wonder that the architect here builds
his human avlares touching the heavens
Gertrude Kingston in The London Daily
Mail.
TO KEEP FROM LOSING BREATH.