Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-12-18
CAFE PATRIOTISM

By Frederic ]. HaSkin

VTTASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 14-PatriOtism in
wv the cafes and restaurants these days is
reaching prodigious proportions 1t does
not stop at meatless and wheatess days. Indeed,
no. American eating houses disdain such small
sacrifices for their country. If food must be con-
served they believe in doing it properly In time
or war, one oyster is enough for an oyster pie;
to be thoroughly patriotic, grape fruit should be
no larger than a lemon; an order of ice cream
should resemble snowflake and string beans
should be served by the piece.
1t is quite understood by everybody, of course,
that the cafes and restaurants of the nation must
take an active part in food conservation. Before
the war they represented the fourth largest in
dustry in American industry whose sole pur-
pose was to sell food. Incredible quantities of
food handled by the hotel cafes alone which
might easily lead to incredible waste if carelessly
used. Hence, when cafes and restaurants are
careful to waste none of the products needed by
American and Allied soldiers they are performing
a very necessary patriotic duty.
But there certain things the American and
allied soldiers do not need-things that could not
be shipped if they did need them. For ex-
ample, the food commission does not anticipate
the shipment of any great quantities of oysters,
nor fish, nor lettuce, oranges, nor turnips. So
far as can be ascertained there is no particular
reason why the cafes should be extremely
nomical in the of these products; maybe they
are so from force of habit But the fact remains
that diners-out are now sometimes finding it neces-
sary to order two dishes of everything in order to
get enough to eat. It used to be that two people
could order dish OF turkey potatoes
gratin and make it do, but they order four.
Furthermore, this extraordinary conservation
on the part of the restaurants and cafes has not
brought the prices down; on the contrary, they
have gone up. Conservation has it's rewards for
the household consumer for his saving food
products also his pocketbook. Rye bread is
cheaper than potatoes If he voluntarily cuts his
rations he also reduces his own COSTS Not so,
the diner-out. He pays just much for rye
bread as he does for the other-more than he did
two years ago-and the price of a few leaves of
lettuce is just little more than what he used to
pay for whole head
In the markets the prices of fresh vegetables
n
other commodities have. You still buy lettuce
at ten cents head, celery at ten cents bunch,
beets and carrots at five cents bunch. The cafes
and restaurants, buying from wholesale houses,
get them for much less. But you would never sus-
pect it from the prices on their menus
Also manv frstclass cafes that would never
have been guilty of such thing in the past
feel they have perfect right to be 'out Of things.
Not long ago, government clerk in Washington,
feeling the burden of enlarged pay envelope
dropped into of the better cafes of the city 1t
happened to be wheatless day, and the waiter in
formed him that they had nothing left but nut
bread. AS a matter of necessity, the government
clerk ordered nut-bread, and later was somewhat
irritated to find that it cost fifteen cents extra
Since then, he has let the better cafes alone
This particular cafe happened to be very fash
ionable little place with dainty Japanese trim
mings. vases of yellow chrysanthemums and neat
blue-ginghamed Mattresses to match the wall
paper-the blue bingham, not the Mattresses
Every afternoon the fashionable ladies of the cap
ital give parties here at which time the place
becomes filled with mass of rich furs plumes.
velvets perfume and epauleted officers. Naturally
the prices high. the tea good and the food in
different. But it is always crowded. for every
bodys ambition is to be seen where the 'best peo-
ple' go. On the other hand. cafe further down
the street which serves much better food but is
not quite pretentious can hardly secure enough
trade to keen 1t going.
This instance is typical of the whole country
Everywhere people willing to pay more for a
fashionable atmosphere than thew are for food
What does it matter if the flet mgnon in only the