Evening star., 1947-02-03

| the Paris newspapers, there is nj
meat, wine, butter and sugar avail
able in the city today, while there
are only very limited quantities oil
bread, poultry and tobacco.
/ The visitor has still to find these
shortages. In the first and second
class restaurants there is far greater
variety than in similar eating places
in the United States. No French
man would dream of sitting down to
lunch without consuming at least
five courses, consisting OF hors
doeuvres GIVE to eight varieties ac-
cording to price,, fish or eggs (gen-
orally fancy styled, meat or chicken
with at least one vegetable, a
choice of several cheeses and, finally,
a dessert, either pastry, the famous
crepe suzette or fruit.
The headwaiter or the patron
(owner) raises his eyebrows if a
customer does not order a bottle
of wine with his meal In some of
the more expensive places, such as
the famous old Maxine" bottle
of champagne with the evening
meal is imperative.
The innocent abroad who orders a
bottle of mineral water instead is
sure to have his food cold, unless
he is experienced enough to slip a
dollar to the headwaiter as he sits
down to- order. French walters have
lost none of their dignity, but they
are hungry for American currency
which represents real value to them
This type of restaurant is crowded
although It is impossible to have
the simplest of meals for less thar
1000 francs ($S.40 at the official
rate of exchange and about 1925
at black market rates.. The cheap.
est bottle of champagne in first
class restaurant averages 1,50C
francs, while a bottle CT wine sells
for $50 to 400 frances t$3 to $685.
official rate).
Dinner Cost 1900 Francs.
Most diners at this time of year
are French. The other night, ]
watched a plainly dressed couple
eating a meal from smoked SAL
mon (400 francs a slice) to mocha
cake, with soup, sole, steak, salad
and cheese sanGwiched in between
The headwaiter, who caught in
midair the dollar bill I tossed him
was patronizingly friendly. He in
formed me that the total bill of this
French bourgeois couple amounted
including the bottle of champagne
and two fines de Llaison" (vint-
age brandy, to $500 francs, to
which was added Is per cent serv-
ice charge, an extra tip to the head
waiter, and some odds and ends tc
the wine waiter, the cloak room at
tendant and the porter.
OF course, it would be mistake
to imagine that this is the life OF
most Parisians. 1t is The life of 9
class of newly rich spectators or
the stock exchange, black market.
ers who deal in dollars and Swiss
francs, and brokers of vital com.
modities. who split their profits witt
high and low government official.
but keep the lions share for them.
selves.
The rest Of Paris is not so wei
fed. although every one INDUCES il
some kind of black market in orde
to provide ordinary living for them
selves and their families. The younI
man in Paris who is fortunat
b. enough to own bicycle starts hi
: week end Saturday morning an
pedals some 80 miles to the country
There he buys from friends or rela
tives 10 pounds Of butter. for whicl
he pays 1000 francs. On his re
turn to Paris he sells eight pound
to eager and always available Gus
toners for 1000 francs and keep
two pounds for himself and hi
family.
The taxi driver is even luckiel
, for he can buy black market ga
and 60 much farther into the coun
try, where he can buy larger quaint
ties of butter. eggs, pork, chicken
or turkeys-and sometimes evel
meat. OF course, in addition to pape
francs, he must have things from
4 town" such as stockings or sock: