The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1914-06-26
ATE AND WAS SAD
Yet It Was a Dish For Which He
Had Yearned For Years.
A TRAGEDY IN GASTR0NOMY.
BouiIlabaisse as Sung by Thackeray
and as Served In a Famous Mar
seiles Resort Proved Very Different
Propositions to an English Epicure.

Propositions to an English Epicure.
We all know that famous poem Of
Thackeray's which begins,
A street there is in Paris famous
For which no rime our language yields.
and goes on 10 tell OF the tavern where
the genial Titmarsh In the days when
he was a Paris correspondent "ate and
drank the bouillabaisse.
AS a result OF that delightful poem
tens OF thousands OF Englishmen have
yearned to eat bouilabaisse Thacke
ray puts IL SO beautifully! The steam
ing dish OF stewed fish that he con
lures up I'm his lines-how appetizing II
seems! | know that ii was quite early
I'm my teens when first read that
poem, and from that moment there
was formed In my mind firm resolve
to eat some day OF bouillabaisse.
My opportunity came not long ago
when visited Marseiles. Ii was
nearly half past 8 when sat down In
the dining room of the hotel.
There is no bouillabaisse on the
menu" ! said severely TO the maitre
dhotel. 81 have come TO Marseilles
specially to eat 1t" He replied that 1t
was not a speciality of the house. but
that 1t could always be prepared. How
long would II take? Twenty-Five min
utes. perhaps a little longer. But
think monsieur would find 1t rather
heavy at such q late hour"
lie was not encouraging, this maitre
d'hotel | did not accept for moment
his suggestion that bouillabalsse was
too heavy dish for half past at
night. Thackeray had not talked about
heaviness. But twenty five minutes.
| ordered an omelet.
At midnight, walking down the ia.
nous Cannebiere, back 10 the hotel,
was hailed by familiar voice Ii was
that of friend whom had not seen
for long time Gratefully | grasped
his hand and told him that | Intended
TO eat bouillabaisSe as soon as possible
And my respect for him was consider
ably enhanced when he told me that he
had eaten some that very afternoon,
seilles. Here was the true spirit. and
| related to him, with some bitterness,
my experience with the maitre dhotel
"Well, II Is rather 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
Marseilles could give me-
There are, as everybody knows, two
places at Marselles for bouilabaisse-
Pascal's and BassO's. on the Vieux
Port. We decided on Bassos.
"Bouillabaisse," | said laconically. !
paid no attention TO what my friend
ordered No other dish interested me.
But in a minute or so a curious look
ing mess was set down before him.
whats that stuff you're going to
eat?" | asked
That's bouilabaisse," he said, but
it's not mine"
/ started This bouilabaisse. this Gu
rious looking stuff, with indgestibe
looking Jumps OF fish floating in a bill.
ious and oily saffron liquid! ! know
not what | had expected bouillahaisse
to be, but il certainly was not this.
There was piece of fish which ] rec
ognized as eel. and | loathe cells. The
broad tail of another and unknown
fish stuck up out of the Opaque liquid.
But II was the yellow liquid Itself
which repelled. IL shouted blliOusness,
md the smell of saffron that arose with
.t 1n Il.
erayl
pecked at the eel--or II may have
been a lamprey explored the various
other fish, tasted gingerly OF the thick
saffron liquid on one Of the pieces of
toast that foated I'm II. But mine was
no palate for bouillabaisse. ! made
the waiter take the mess away and
bring lamb outlets
But had tasted OF bouillabaisse and
was not to forget t. All day long the
terrible taste of saffron remained with
me. Nothing would shift It.; not Mar
seilles tea. nor many golden books nor
dinner In fact. the bouillahaisse OF
lunch spoiled the dinner. And at mid
night. In cafe on the Cannebiere, my
friend confded n secret To me-. When
we fell in with each other just twenty
four hours ago" he said, III was SUI
fering just as you are now. The hor
rible taste Of saffron had remained OBJ
stinately with me ever since lunch and
has not quite gone even yet. But yor
told me you had come to Marseilles to
eat bouillabaisse and knew nothing
l 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 I'm England how
excellent Is the real bouillabaisse II
only you have II in Marseilles.'
"Neverl | would die hrstW ! ex'
claimed firmly.-LOndOn standard.
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