The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-10

on each table and the wine glasses
come from Bohemia. The walters
speak English and French as well as
German, and everything seems to be
at the pinnacle of luxury and good
taste until you look at the schiebers.
Some seem to be at a loss in their
dress clothes. Here is one who has
tucked his napkin under his chin,
and another has trouble in keeping
the peas from rolling off his knife
on their way to his mouth.
The most of the crowd, however,
are as we'll behaved, if l may except
the loud talking, az those in similar
places of the world.
Good Food At Low Cost.
And then the food at these restau-
rants. 1t would tempt Lucullus.
and one cannot imagine that just
ever the way people are in rags and
half starved. We pick up a menu
and order dinner for two. We have
first clear turtle soup, then fish.
with pheasant cooked while we
wait, salad of lettuce and tomatoes,
and asparagus, with fruit and ice
cream for dessert, and coffee to close
We have wine with our meal and the
whole costs, for the two, just about
one American dollar. AS l look over
the bill | find that the pheasant is
put down at % cents. l have seen
the same item on an a la carte menu
in New York with the price at So.
The charge for the asparagus, trans
lated into American money. equals 10
cents. and the delicious clear turtle
soup is one cent and a half. These
prices seem cheap out of all reason
and they are an evidence to many
travellers of the good condition of
Germany in that it can buy food so
cheaply. When it is remembered
however, that out of these small
sums must be paid the farmers who
raised the vegetables, the hunters
who shot the game, the wholesale
and retail market men, the cooks who
prepared the meals and the walters
who served them, and the general
upkeep of this gorgeous restaurant,
one sees that the scale of wages must
be exceedingly low and the people
equally poor.
Cheap Restaurants In Berlin
But the Germans who are not rich
eat in restaurants, too. The old con-
servatives who have lost their for
tunes cannot dine at a score of such
establishments as l have described
Some of them patroniZe the middle
class wine restaurants, such as KEN
pinski's, where one gets good meal
with a glass of wine for about rs
beer restaurants where they can
have a glass of beer for Is cents,
or to restaurants of still lower
class which serve a quick lunch and
beer at from to cents. The peo
pie who frequent these places start
reading the bill of fare at the prices
and the meal is chosen to suit the
also small taxi driver Mounts where
a meal with a jigger OF whisky is
served for less than cents.
In the Charity Kitchens
In addition to the restaurants, of
which 1 have written, there are some
which the foreigner seldom finds
without seeking. These are the pub
lie kitchens and those of the middle
class. Public kitchens are to be
found in every part Of Berlin. They
are supported partly by the custC ON
ers who pay from one cent to one
third cent per meal, partly by = the
gifts of charitable people, and partly
by the municipality. The food is
good but 1t consists mostly Of vege-
tables, served in a bowl and eaten
with a spoon Bread seldom accom-
panies such meals.
The middle class kitchens are
maintained in cooperation with the
league. They serve din
ners at an exceedingly low price, and
so far have been self-supporting.
They are frequented by the, educated
middle class and to some extent by
the former nobility and rich. who are
too proud to accept charity. These
restaurants are plainly furnished.
They have clean wooden tables, upon
which often are flowers. The GUS
toners are quiet and well-behaved.
and the mattresses are often reduced
gentlewGmen who are glad to do
work of this kind for the warm meal
they receive free of charge. Only the
kitchen help get salary. and the
cooks are often pupils of the cooking
schools kept up by the Housewives
league.
1928, by Carpenters
World TravelS.)