The Washington herald., 1913-04-16
BY Ida AMEs WILLIS.

BY Ida AMEs WILLIS.
Greek cookery does not appeal to per
sons not yersed in culinary lore, and,
therefore unaware that 1t was not from
the artistic gluttony of France, or from
the consumate culinary knowledge OF tne
Italian chef, emanated what is recognized
today SIS high art i'm catering. ne
Greeks, ever aesthetic in theory or phil
osophy of taste, masters of the science
of the beautiful, naturally recognized gas
tronomy as another medium for the ex-
preston of their love of beauty and art
The most aesthetcal of feeders, they
have never debauohed their taste, as
did the Romans or the French Voiup-
tuaries. Their art lies more in the re-
tanning and preserving of delicate ma
tural flavors and development OF most
delicate combinations, rather than ere
ating novelties and freakish dishes III
ever YOU have spjourned, on business
thoughts intent in Southern and South
western cities and towns, and were
forced to decide between two evils, the
impossible hotel cooking and the gener-
ally more So restaurant fare-you know
something perchance of Greek cookery
of the very plain and prlmatlSe style OF
Greek cookery to be sure, but so much
the better, after your experience with
the average native cooks messes. For
these flesh pots of Hellas do not reek
with grease and sameness, Hat, stale ana
Improbable TO the consumer. On the
other hand, wherever you hnd Greek
restaurant you find cleanliness, comfort,
wholesome fare and reasonapie rates
And needless to say these places sue
coed on their merit and are the saliva
ton of the digestion and the small change
of hundreds of commercial travellers. "A
class whose taste for cooking IKE nome
folks will be sure to discover good
place TO eat if there be such place IN
the town they tarry in.
If You should chance upon one OF these
pupils of the old masters and ask him Tor
his special PLAT you will delight his
soul and find something well worth the
eating Greek cookery is not eXtraVa-
gant-in fact ii is quite frugal IN COM
parison to American home cooking-and
vet they will serve bottle OF WINE TO
each customer in the real Orthodox
Greek restaurants. Always soup,
meats, vegetables, salad, dessert, with all
the &C., &C., for fifty cents. But at
this price do not expect fine china, cut
glass, silver and finest damask. Indeed.
no.
Delight of Bohemia.
'well we remember a place in large
Western city, much frequented by artists,
authors and others of high note, and the
delight of Bohemia faddists. place
known as the Hole in the Wall which
wasn't its name at all, but as near as
American tongues not familiar with Greek
could get to the pronunciation. 1t was
cellar in one of the old downtown resi-
dences, with the original outside slantlng
doors and steps leading to the street
The rough stone wall was white as pure
fresh whitewash could make it. Under
the stairway leading to the floor above,
but not used, were the casks of native
wine to be bottled and served with the
dinners-a good, generous pint to each
diner. And | assure you it was mild ana
harmless as the smiling Greek god who
waited upon us. Rows of long tables that
would seat dozen congenisl spirits COW
cred with the plainest of dishes and the
best of food, not even an apology for
tablecloth to hide the hard-fnished wood
secured as white as energy and sand
soap could make them. Tables, or at
least seats were engaged for special
evenings, for no one in town risked drop
ping in unannounced. 1t was understood,
though, that there was always table or
places reserved for parties "off the road,
and the unexpected guest was sure to be
some one widely known in the literary,
musical, art. or public profession. So 1t
was the custom for all assembled to well
come the coming as well as speed the
parting guest And, strange, that ever
after a chain of good fellowship seemed
TO link together these widely separated
individuals, so. meeting again like ships
that pass in the night, there was sure TO be
a smile of pleasant remembrance. with
why we met at the Hole in the Wall!'
CoIors Metal Atmosphere.
Possibly it was the food and the way
ii was cooked-a factor that has almost
everything to do with coloring our mental
atmosphere, causing us to see everything
in the bright sunlight, with birds sing
ing and the god of things as they should
be hugging himself for joy; or else, our
vision is clouded, the wind is in the East,
and we feel like the small boy who de-
clared nobody loved him. But this isn't
attending to our Greek cooking, though it
is intended as a sort of hors d'oeuvre,
which is quite contrary to Greek customs.
While they always begin dinner with
soups-and excellent soups at that-the
hors d oeuvres comes afterward, usually