Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1915-03-11
ATE And WAS SAD
Yet 1t Was a Dish For Which He
Had Yearned For Years.
A TRAGEDY IN GASTRoNOMY.

/. 6oullabaisse as Sung by Thackera
a and as Served In a Famous Mar
g settles Resort Proved Very Differer
8 Propositions to an English Epicure
We all know that famous poem @
, Thackeray's which begins,
A street there is In Paris famous
For which no rime our language yields.
and goes on to tell of the tavern wher
the genial Titmarsh in the days whel
he was a Paris correspondent late ant
drank the bouilabaisse."
AS result of that delightful poem
tens OF thousands of Englishmen have
yearned to eat bouillabaisse Thacke
ray puts 1t so beautifully! The steam
ing dish of stewed fish that he con
Jures up In his lines-how appetizing 1,
seems! l know that 1t was quite early
In 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 1t was
nearly half past 8 when sat down in
the dining room of the hotel
There is no bouillabaisse on the
menu I said severely to the matre
d'hotel II have come to Marseilles
specially to eat it." He replied that 1t
was not speciality of the house. but
that it could always be prepared How
long would it take? twenty-five min
utes, perhaps little longer but |
think monsieur would find 1t rather
heavy at such late hour"
He was not encouraging, this maitre
d'hotel. | did not accept for a moment
his suggestion that bouillabaisse was
too heavy dish for half past 9 AT
night Thackeray had not talked abont
heaviness. But twenty-five minutes.
l ordered an omelet.
At midnight, walking down the ia
nous Cannebiere, back to the hotel,
was hailed by a familiar voice. 1t 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,
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 /
well, 1t 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 every body knows, tive
places at Marseilles for bouillabaisse-
PascaPs and Basso's. on the Vieux
Port. We decided on Bassos.
"Bouillabaisse," | said lacorically. !
paid no attention to what my friend
ordered. No other dish interested me.
But in minute or so a curious look
ng mess was set down before him.
Whats that stuff you're going to
.at" | asked.
That's bouillabaisse," he said, "bnt
is not mine"
| started. This bouillabaisse. this Gu
fous looking stuff. with indigestihla 1
boxing Jumps of fish floating in a bl- ,
BUS and oily saffron liquid! | know !,
ot what | had expected bouillabaisse
D be, but it certainly was not this
here was a piece of fish which rec
gnized as eel, and | loathe cells. The
road tail of another and unknown !
sh stuck up out of the Opaque liquid. .
Tut it was the yellow liquid itself +
'hich repealed. 1t shouted biliousness,
nd the smell of saffron that arose with :,
lie steam made me feel i'll. Oh, Thack- :,
'ay. ;,
| pecked at the eel--or it may have
zen amprey-explored the various
her fish. tasted gingerly of the thick
ffron liquid on one of the pieces of
asst that fioated In it. But mine was .
, palate for bouillabaisse. l made Il
e waiter take the mess away and y
ing lamb outlets. u
But had tasted of bouillabaisse and
as not to forget 1t. All day long the
rrible taste of saffron remained with
e. Nothing would shift it; not Mar &c
lilies tea, nor many golden books. nor
nner In fact. the bouiIabaisse of u
ilCu olOleu tuc olliDCl. anu at
yht, in a cafe on the Cannebiere, my -
end confided secret to me. When ~
, fell in with each other just twenty l
nr hours ago" he said, ~ was suf- "
ring just as you are now. The hor
lie taste of saffron had remained OBJ
nately with me ever since lunch and
s not quite gone even yet But yon
d me you had come to Marseilles to
/ bouillabaisse. and | knew nothing
.ould say would dissuade you But M
doubt the bitterness of this moment =
Il fade away, and as time passes you \
i tell your friends in England how an
,ellent Is the real bouillapaisse Il
y you have 1t in Marseillesi ga
Never. would die 6rstEG ! ex- Hi
lined firmly.-London STANDARD.