Evening star., 1915-01-22

mistake, in London 1t is luxury. and
| in New York commonplace. In Lon
don and New York 1t is good. In Ser-
lin it is muddy and bitter. The waiter
in Berlin does not expect you to order
coffee. When you take your seat AZ
his table he puts a couple OF paper
mache mats in front of you. Then he
asks:
The fact that the Berlin coffee Is only
5 cents a cup does not reconcile you
to it. The cigar that in New YORK
costs a dime brings sixpence In Lon
as my experience goes, when one pays
more than cents for a cigar in .--r-
lin one is throwing away money ABOVE
that price they all taste alike Incl
den ally it is said there is growing
shortage of cigars in Germany. 1t is
very certain that there are few GUS
toners in the cigar stores.
There is probably a freight and tarl1
reason why the seidel of Munich peer
which costs 90 cents in New York is
retailed at nickel in Berlin. In peace
times one can get it for slxpence IN
London. Just now it is not for sale at
any price. The Londoners have ab)ureo
the German and all his beers. Ihe
Gambrinus restaurant-one of the Ia
nous after-dark resorts of London
is now known as Oddendino's Imperial.
There are cruel rumors that its cellars
still hold barrels of German beer, but
one can ma no COnnrmatlon on lie
walls Placards offer only Holland
beer-light and dark.
Some Things Germans Lack.
III spite of the--to New York eyes
unreasonable cheapness of the Berlin
bill of fare certain economies are prac-
ticed. You may have white bread if
you demand it. but it is not served un-
til then. If you will put up with war
bread"-which is whole wheat bread or
a rye and wheat bread or a potato and
flour bread, according to the restaurant
you will be given the chance to do
so. 1t is conceded that the pedigree of
the average cup of coffee Is uncertain.
There is an abundance of butter, which
is well charged for in London. 1t is
sometimes difficult to get morning
egg. Germany has been importing some
millions of eggs annually from Russia.
That SOURCE of supply is now closed,
of course.
Hotel prices are about on Il parity
in the three cities. So are the prices
in the hotel restaurants. Berlin has
managed to get something of a supply
of the famous French cheese in spite
of the war. But in the matter of fruit
she has failed completely. She has
always relied on France, and although
she has been able to get a little fruit
through, it is very little indeed. Ameri-
cans who nave always been acCuStOm-
ed to fruit at breakfast find them
selves easily cured of the habit, con-
fronted by fifty-cent pears and forty
cent apples.
London lacks fruit, for that matter.
Not that there is not enough fruit, but
the quality is rather poor and the
prices are high. There were constant
reports of apples rotting on the ground
in English orchards, and berries going
to waste, and other fruits offered in
the public markets for prices which dld
not pay for the gathering: But these
facts-if they are facts. did not affect
either street stand or restaurant
prices.
In the restaurants one pays from
or apple. Only the small and acid
Jamaica orange could be had at the
time this was written. Thanks to the
war. almost no American fruit was in
the market. 1t was not that the steam
ers were interfered with, but that the
importers did not feel themselves
justified in loading up with costly
perishables A small pineapple costs .
shillings on the street stands. 1t is
rarely to be found on a restaurant
menu.
A raw apple costs dime in the New
York restaurant on whose prices com
parison has been made. Baked, IL
comes to Is cents. with cream.
For the consolation of New workers.
this may be added:
There are 22s items listed on the
New York bill. On the London bill
there were 10, and on the Berlin Dill