The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-11-28
ATE AND WAS SAD
Jet 1t Was a Dish For Which He
Had Yearned For Years.
A TRAGEDY IN GASTRONOMY.

Souhlspd'Shc as oun9 ny 'HoSNc'SJ
ard as Served In a Famous Mar
settles Resort Proved Very Different
Propositions to an English Epieure.
We all know that famous poem OF
lnackeray's which begins.
! street there Is In Paris famous
For which no rime our language Yields.
and goes on to tell of the tavern where
the genial Titmarsh in the days when
he was a Paris correspondent ate and
drank the houllabaisse'
As result of that delightful poem
tens of thousands or Englishmen have
yearued to eat boullabaisse Thacke-
ray puts it SO beautifully! The steam
lug dish or stewed fish that he con.
lures up In his !ines-how appetizing IL
seems! | know that II was quite early
In my teens when first read that
poem ana from that moment there
was formed In my mind tirln resolve
to eat some day OF bouIllabaisse.
Ny opportunity came not long ago
when | visited Marseilles. 1t was
nearly half past 0 when sat down in
the dining room Of the hotel
There is no bouilla baisse on the
menu" J said severely to the maitre
d'hOtel. 81 have come to Marseilles
specially to eat II" He replied that il
was not speciality of the house. but
that it could always be prepared. How
Tong would 1t take? twenty-five min.
utes, perhaps a little longer. "Bnt
think monsieur would lind 1t rather
heavy at such late hour"
lie was not encouraging. this maitre
d'hotel | did not accept for moment
his suggestion that bouillabaisse was
too heavy dish for half past at
oight Thackeray had not talked about
hcaviness. But twenty-five minutes!
! ordered an omelet.
At midnight. walking down the IA.
nous Cannebiere. back TO the hotel.
was hailed By familiar voice. 1t was
that OF friend whom I had not seen
for n long time. Gratefully / grasped
his hand and told him that intended
10 eat bouillabaisse as soon as possible.
And my respect for him was consider
ably enhanced when he told me that be
bad eaten some that very afternoon,
an hour after his arrival In Mar,
settles. Here was the true spirit. and
| related to him. with some bitterness.
my experience with the maitre d'hotel
We'll. 1t Is rnther heavy stuff" he
said. But brushed this aside, and we
arranged to meet at lunch on the NOR.
row. when should have the best that
Marselles could give me
There are. as everybody knows. two
places at Marseilles for boulllabaisse--
Pascars and Basso's. on the vieux
Port. We decided ON Basso's.
"Bouillabaisse," ] said laconlcally. I
paid no attention to what my friend
ordered. No other dish interested me-
But In a minute or so q curious look.
Ing mess was set down before him
What's that STUFF you're going to
eati" asked.
That's bouillabalsse." he said. but
it's not mine"
started. This bouillabalsse. this Gu
rlous looking stun. with indigestlble
looking humps OF iish floating in n bill.
ious and oily saffron liquid. | know
not what | had expected bouillahaisse
10 be. but 1t certainly was not this.
There was q piece OF 6sh which rec
osnizcd as eel. and loathe cells. The
broad tail OF another and unknown
fish stuck gp ont OF the Opaque liquid.
Hut II was the yellow liquid itself
which repealed. IL shouted biliousness,
and the smell OF saffron that arose with
the steam made me feel Ill. Oh. Thack-
cray!
! pccked mt the eel-or II may have
been amprey-explored the various
other hsh. tasted gingerly OF the thick
saffron liquid on one OF the pieces of
toast that Hoated in it But mine was
no palate for bouillabaisse. made
The waiter take the mess away and
bring lamb outlets.
But had tasted OF bouillabalsse and
was not 10 forget IT, All day long the
terrible taste OF saffron remained with
me. Nothing would shift It; not Mar
settles tea. nor many golden books, nor
dinner. In fact the bouillabaisse OF
lunch spoiled the dinner. And at mid
night. in cafe on the Canneblere. my
friend confded secret to me. when
we fell IN with each other Just twenty
four hours ago." he said, IL was suf'
fering Just as you are now. The bor'
rible taste OF saffron had remained OBJ
stinately with me ever since lunch and
has not quite gone even yet But yoI
told me YOU had come TO Marseilles TO
eat bou;llnbaisse. and ! knew nothing
] could say would dissuade you. But
no doubt the bitterness OF this moment
will fade away. and as time passes you
will tell your friends in England how
excellent Is the real bouillabaisse II
unly yOu have 1t In Marseilles-"
"Neverl | would die nrstF I er-
csalmed drnly.-LondOn Standard
n