Evening star., 1926-05-02
Fish Fried in Paris Streets for Lunches
Under Encouragement of Government
by STERLING HEILIG.

PARIS, April %, 1925.
THREE weeks ago the secretary
of state for the French mer-
chant marine, NJ. Mario Rou-
stan. took high officials to In
augurate, in the name OF the
government, hot hand-out lunches in
the streets of Paris.
Along with his own wife he had
Delaroche- -Vernet (member Of Parlta-
ment) with his wife from Philadel-
phia and NJ Adolphe Vincent, repre-
senting the channel port of Boulogne.
They were tremendously accom-
panied by the two heads of the Paris
police--two men equal to government
ministers-to start OF this astonish-
ing new feature Of the Paris lunch
hour.
1t is a platform on wheels. with a
motor to propel it and 1t takes an IL
o'clock stand in various open street
spaces where people are thickest. 1t
is protected by an awning. bearing
the sign: "Friterie Moderne," or Mod
ern Fry Shop"
1t fries fish-fresh sea fish.
On the platform is the cooking
fire. cook, fish. raw and frying-like-
wise French fried" potatoes and bat
ter fritters. such as the French eat
with fried fish.
At the side is a narrow counter,
where a tidy salesgirl hands out the
sizzling food as fast as ordered-and
takes in the money for 1t.
The money needed is not much.
For l franc 0esS than 3H cents In
present money exchange) you get a
respectable piece Of sole. which is a
dear fish in Paris restaurants, or OF
whiting, the most delicate Of the com
moner fish and used to be fed to the
French kings daughters for their
stomach's sake.
For - franc (at present TX cents)
you get q big spoonful of fried pota-
toes and for another n fame piping
hot batter fritters.
At noon and at Z o'clock In the eve
ming, when people are glad to get
something like a full meal, you can
have a sort of table d'hote platter
large paper tray loaded with fish, po-
tatoes, bread and six fritters-for 2
francs & cents at present exchange).
These eats, as ordered, are plunged
into the boiling ground nut oil of the
cooks big pan and stirred and turned
until his eye tells him they are well
done. Then he ladies them out on a
big platter-from which the salesgirl
spoons them into little paper trays,
all ready to eat genteelly.
If you do not want to eat on the
spot. they will give you white paper
to cover tray. fish. potatoes and frit-
ters, so that you can carry the whole
business away, to eat at home or any
where you wish-in a coffee or wine
shop.
The cook is dressed like a chef
and he is real one. He wears white
coat and white cap. The salesgirl
wears q long, high white apron, but
can change the color of her hair rib.
bon.
The whole ambulatory fry shop is
not as large as a common motor truck
and can be stationed at any city cor
ner without encumbering traffic. Such
is one reason why police countenance
is important-and it is given whole
heartedly.
All this is new, interesting and i'm
portant to America-the cook and his
paraphernalia, the Paris people who
eat in passing and the French fish
cries and colonies that furnish such
good, cheap food.
Will you believe it? On March 20
tIlS ALldIIAC IAoilCi4Oo ASSOCld-
ton began a $4,000 advertising cam
paign ito get the American public to
eat fish on more than one day per
week and to popularize f1sh-within
the means of those of moderate in
come"
Such is what the French govern
ment Is trying to do for Paris to be-
gin with. and for other French cities
and towns later.
The cook is a red-faced, blond man
from the north, who has had expert
ence in the big manufacturing towns
of Creil. He has seven children, and
in busy hours three of them tbig boy
and two girls) stand on the motor
frying car and help him.
Why does he use ground nut" oil
c'arachides," something like our pea
nuts) instead Of frying in lard in the
old French style? 1t is cheaper and
more tidy, if the cook knows how.
Such ground nuts" come from the
French colonies in darkest Africa, in
quantities so considerable that there
is a plan to distill them into a motor
fluid to replace petroleum, bought in
foreign countries.
The use of such oil in cooking is
merely a question OF cheapness and
neatness. 1t is handy, and If kept
bubbling in the pan and not allowed
TO scorch, 1t turns out clean-tasting
fried Ash. It would be the same with
good lard
Yealk ago America sent france