The San Francisco call. [volume], September 01, 1907, Page 5, Image 5

About The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913

Image provided by: University of California, Riverside; Riverside, CA

                
Xbe San Franclfico Suadaj CWk
PREPARING
A BANQUET
IN A
BOX
Ida L. Brooks
YOUHtrela goes rushing on, ieav
lajr znfl* upon ralle of rail behind
It: th* land, as you fly past, hardly
fssls your presence, knows ; only
Tovr approach and your flight You,
«* •• tr«Tele!\ and the ' system that
Dp aretes yocr migrations have become
tb* eoeimoaplaoes of the day, although
tfe* tystetn is unrtx-aled in its number
less «ocapi«xities. Tou push on from
StftCoa to-. station breathlessly, yet you
cajey th* utmost leisure. That is the
slm of th* system.
K«»ei has there been so much travel-
Icy *s today, never such speed, never
moth' oeznfort. All you do is to pay the
prto* sit b&ek, and enjoy. . It : would not
b* easy to estimate how many minds
, hs.r* been, ere still, intent upon . your
walfar*, how many hands actually en
gxred ta your eervlce. While you
Cream or. read, play, cards, eat, emoke
or wtK* letter*, you are being dUi
t^nxtly, cnceasingly taken care of.
It is th* enforced leisure of the rail
wsiy coach; perhaps you chafe at it;
nsvcrthsless. It Is yours. Tour ease,
then, makes you critical. And your
criticism, however unreasonable, is, the
Impetus of improvement
L This has been nowhere more evident
pkaa in the dining car service. It has
(&*en consummating: its evolution ever
•tec* it first arrived to forestall the
fcask*t lunch or the quick, anxious meal
at a station restaurant. When the diner
was a debutante the public was lenient
VThr not? The public wisely refrained
from commenting on deficiencies - In
those days.
That was long ago. Nowadays, for
•ooth. the public demands that the serv.
to* of a diner ehall rival that of the
beit hotels. The demand has been met
.Ton order feverishly. Tou twirl your
fork In Impatience as: you wait for the
\u25bclends to be set before you. ' Does it
»ot occur to you that the menu card
presents in very truth a banquet and
that it all proceeds from a box? That
th* floor space of the kitchen in a buf
fet car measures. about 2 feet in width
by 12 in length? That the time of
Is miraculously short rather
thaa tediously long?
Th* why ejid how of dining car
•srr'c* is a. long story; chapter I Is laid
is 'the commissary storehouse of the
railway yards. All the delicacies of
th* season you will find there, the pick
of the arnrket everything at Its fresh
est. It makes you feel as if you were
back on th* -ranch. Grape fruit,
aelcnt, berries, tomatoes, lettuce, as
ptrs«rcs. peppare. *gg plant— til, with
th* prtd*. of the perfect product In
en* r*f rigsrator will be found s squab, •
pocapanos, Spanish mackerel, quail, teal,
trout, chicken, mallard, turkey, soft
shell crab, lying, there with all thine*
accomplished but the final processes;
la another, blocks of butter, crates t>f
err*, e&llons of cream" and milk; in
cc otter, choice cuts ef beef. Teal, lamb,
pork and kindred meats. Tour hungry
sja** detects no lack of things th-t'.ar*
j-obd to eat. superbly untouched by ' the '
rarlshes of time or of neglectful culti
vation. \u25a0;
Two other equally Important depart
nsentt of the storehouse are the room
la which . trb kept groceries <tnd , 'gen
eral kitchen supplies and the .linen
room. Th« former, looks like a " retail
store- Y^a will find everything In the
category from a toothpick* up V and
scores of *yerything. Bins, whose^ca
pacity is hundreds of. pounds, house
coffee, tea. rice, xneal, flour, tapioca, \u25a0
spaghetti, etc. Loss from breakage is
cr*at. and glass and chlnawar* are
bought, in large quaniities^ A brand '
new bride,: versed Ja" all the modern
Improvements, oould > not name a^ oull
narr utensil that > could : not • be : found r
on the ehelvesV. And"; every thing seems J:
to be a' time saver.
Most snrprislnV^ of all is ; the> linen
room, with Its t great* stacks :of I towels,
table cloths,' napklna, : table".' mats., and .
waiters' coats and apron*, v All ;day:
long electric and foot machines are run
to the tune of making and mending
the aforesaid, articles. Laundering is
one of the biggest items of expense in
the service. ,\ For ' *xample,;;from :^th*
West Oakland yards 0} the Southern'
Pacifier company alone between • 4.000
and 6,000 pieces of soiled linen are sent
away dally to.be laundered.
In fact, cleanliness seems- to. be th*
keynote of the yards, it becomes fair
ly oppressive. : A car is hardly allowed
to get .fully settled down after..* a trip,
beforo the washing process :„ begins.
Hoses and ~ mops assault its exterior
and interior impartially.^ and- -.wooden,
troughs for carrying off the water: are
as numerous as the railsrr 'lt's always
' a wet day In the j-ards. .
Immediately upon the arrival of a
diner for a few hours* rast^t home
follows Inspection by v the\head of the
commissar>- department or. his- assist- 1
-ant. -It. ls. the dining car conductor who
trembles If th* lockers and their cbn-i
tents are .not absolutely ? immaculate ;
' and if he cannot in every respect give a ,
perfect account of his stewardship. Evl- :
denee of negligence coats him generally
" 10. days' suspension without- pay. If
you have taken a napkin or: a piece of
silver from the car fora souvenir h*
has to pay for it; It Is not charged to
profit andloss.- \u25a0 „•,; [\u25a0{ - :: • .
Every square Inch of space In s, diner
is utilized. Behind every locked door
on either side as you pass'through . the
«ar and . behind others '.- not subject ". to
your gase are stowed the various goods
of the storehouse.- .
Much in Little
\u25a0 Let us take/ for instance, one of the
newest models In use on this - ooast. .
Stepping, in from ; the ;; front vestibule,
at. your right hand are the wine lock
ers. s the red wines by2themselves?and"'
the whjte.in a Bohn refrigerator. -. The <
conductor— or steward,: as^hej is pbpu- :
larly called— alone holds *th^ keys ; to
these lockers. On theneft'lslthejcbm-<
partment of some f«w square feet, four' ;
perhaps.Uhat he can caliShlsJowntand?'
in which he keeps his collections; locked I
and double. locked. Hejkeeps [there alsof
tiny . wall ramps to f urn Jsh s the car . with 1 ;
light should; the; Plntsch' gas give 1 out.*?
The menu cards .will be^fbund .'there and
a -box ; full ;of rubber.: stamps :.. whereon I
ar* th* names of aiifthe possible' "spe-'
cials" •to b* ; had ' durt ng ; the * run. ' ' And--'
this fact may not be generally, known— \u25a0'
tMat : each ;\u25a0 meal's menu V .is • the \u25a0 outcome"
of conspiracy between the /dining * car '
conductor and the chef." : '\u25a0\u25a0.'\u25a0>''?<
T'ln;th*^rear.hallwayils the' sideboard, :
whose contents . all 1 riiay r see, and ? th* V;
linen, \vegeUble : andigla*s-lock*rs.-/rhev
lineniloeker Is divided; into^ two" com";
partments, upper and ' lower : berths " as lit
were.:; Above is the :clean r linear If thef
car .Is ' leaving the" yards f for three?
dsys', tripithls conßißtsriunderrbrdlnaryr
clrcumstancet, O f s< I,ooo^napkins..' 250 "?
table rdoths, 160 dish* tow*ls.l lßo* rlassl
towels,' oo apront ! sj»d'the]s*m*-mimber2 ;
of coatsVjlnf the t ibwer/compartmeht t is
a hug* canvas bag into which the soiled
linen is \u25a0 put and, ' when filled, shipped
back , hy^a returnlEg: train^to jthe] yards.'
;' : :. There remain", f th'an^ the! pantry faad
: kltohen t or * storing^ provisions.' Their
walls are a succession of lockers filled
:to\brimming)over.'''"''*-\ " *\u25a0 ~' ' ' ' . \~
l*j-,The j pantry ' is { Just ; about big enough
i forTtwopeopleTto: standstill; in 'without
: having . to} touch " eaoh f other.^ Neverthe
less, during . meal \ hours and ] before! and
\ after,*, five.w aiters arecontinttally \u25a0 pass-"
:ing'in'.and'out: : 7At;th*]rlght[bfJthe[en^
trance' is' a nickel "- plated '; filter, ' shin ing
like j a mirror, , and , next to that a glass
, rack \i to" secure % the .:" tumblers against
breakage." .^Aiong another wall* of 'this
room— or box,, to speak more accurately
'^packed f generbußlylintice^ ;ar*3 l2 Fgal-"
lon s o f nil Ik, 6 gallons 'of |or eaml and :; 3 )
gallons jof|lce}cream^A|ton|ofllbeJis
1 aboard S whenf the|dinerj pullsf out^AU \u25a0
'freshS foodstuff s Tare t kept fbn% lceTbrfini
Ice^cboled^lockers^^ 'C ' :T'^^
'/.Nearly; air of .•the'idißhes^ andv glass-:
\u25a0 \u25a0 i vvi;>'>"i"' -*\u25a0•': *tvl?:-;%i >'??'' :^»>r ,--*-"?. •\u25a0'\u25a0-'•\u25a0
-,ware": are kept . In ; the 1 1 pan try^ejn^ shelves 5
. that rise /almost to the celling.^ Canned
I f oodi T are ? also > to* be I seen? in | the \ high %
' r plac*s.f|jTh*J silver servic* > h as T»: looker .
|of J 1& | «wnf and f shlnes| at ? you 5 «,f lsto- ' ;
f «jratlo*,l]y } when | the I door ; %is \u25a0 opened.
I Cllqulng . together In] kind? stand j th* \ MSm
dividual^ooffee.vehocolat*, end te& pots,
: th* coup t a reens, toast racks i and sugar ;
' bowls?,'^sb i* by^themsdydl^U*^ th* :>: >
r - kn!v*s,-. spoons fi and ii forks,';,: usually \u25a0 a' ;
'for: emergencies. '- - , y '
;!: Th*'; finish i^of f'thelpan try lebppef, 1.
rshlnlng|amiablyjlf|riot|with^brimanoe,"|
;.which|would7be;agalhst its nature^ TwoS
rcbpperj faucets! protrudlhgTl bnel atltheii
; right Tand v ,the i otherXatllthe^ft^f fom"?
I thej wall': dl vldlnf/l thej pantry % f roih^i the 1
I kitchen Vare|suggestlvejbf I tea\and|cof-^|
'fee;^|Ton*iOrderJite4XaaidtthlSiis^whatS'
I follows : |The^walter|takeSj anl Indiyldual ?
i teapot a ln^one|hand Jand % an \ individual^
, package; of nb'danger^
?of^ylourjgetting^less;°thanfyourj|fuinf
5 latter^; into fth* former t and! fills i ithe • pot ;
with water f rom, the fauoet at the left.
Th e water running from this \ faucet] is
; boiling/% haying ; r;beeni ? subjectedf, to? an
f. Instantaneous f process I'smdg previously j
1 i : rather
itrayjlto"^ make£ tesv*^ Th*Xother|t f*?oet ;
fsjives ',; forth t rom f ani- enormous »
ifeeiff*** pot ! 'on! ith*"!oth*rjald* >f 1
are^.three^apefturesjin^. this j oft;
i rnenttoried,^|l mysterious '^wall,^' on jth*'
jothe'rjside'offWhichTisithelong/narrow'
{Hox filled! a^kitchenTliTwjo^of; the] aper^ I
f,tufes|areTpaißsJ windows Jand \ the ' third
i alcc^mmodates^afspeakingl tube^Your ?
|orderi % all *£ thr o ughMtheSspeaking ;
1
f % of ra|d!ner.^ yYoii "wonder^ how|on \
|*arth~rtoJiUißejojttet6f Uheirlfayoriteiext^
j'pTessions— -four !;darkyicook»2.can" move
Ithey^don'tgmovoEaround^very^much;!
if theyistayJput.'iTdi lllustrateilThe \ fourth
fcook7|whoJlß|iAe|^pot\wj:estler^"and|po^3
'tatogaklnner^ls^nea^stltheJlpantry,
standing/before ; the - ; sink. ,- He peels
•potatoes: first, prepares vegetables gen
\u25a0 erally,':' 'and ;, passes ,-them : on to : the
; third ? cook, r .who - really , cooks. : Later
, the fourth ! s cook^washes dishes as, they.
.are \ passed • to t him from the pantry. - It
islnot nece.3sary.' for ihim. to move 'many.
feet ; ln either; direction; -neither is it
possible." :-'* \ .'.. : \u0084 .__
Every object*. ln" the'kltchen, ls placed
t nearest .-the. "cook who "will, be .Qrst
to}make*use;of :It '.Theillds.:"of a suc
cession "of "compartments " containing:
all Borts 'of edibles -for cooking form
a- spacious "kitchen^ table. Above ' are
lockers -c .or I racks ':\u25a0 for dishes, plates,
\u25a0 platters,'- pots, and" kettles, not 'to men
tion .'the "clock,, in I plain 'viewrof --the
entire - force and conspicuously : accu
irate.V"A" kitchen 'jWithout "a clock -woiild'
be'< like -home", without »\u25a0'«' mother, or
:any A other domestic tragedy. • '
- ':. A. 'wonderfully compact-coal stove ac-"
compliahes all the* cooking done, with
Odd Animal
{{ I T is astonishing:," says ' the -Globe
I Democrat, "how s pet " : aoimals of
entirely different .natures .willire
main peacefuliy' together in cages ,dur
ing.the' period before they areTs'old.
. - rVI 'hay*' known \ the 1 queerest ; affee
\u25a0':- tlonsspr|ng.up among 'creatures whose
very Instincts "are ' antagonistic and
whose meeting, under -other^conditlons,
would generally.'; mean death" to ~one. .
", At present. I have, in "my/ display win
dow" a^ half dozen fpet mlce-^both white
and , black— and as \ I have , Jus t: received
a shipment; of. -thoroughbred maltese
kittens !- and : . have : rio other ' place V for
Ctheni I Just put, them temporarily, in. the'
• mice r cage'luntililthelrv"; new/ quarters
I could I prepared- , v Of 'course, ,the ; mlc«
are in a srlaes box and it is impossible
~; for jthe,, kittens ito' get' at Uhem,;butfde-"
l spite ":thelfaetj that ! only 'a~ thin; piece ; of."
''* glass * is '-\ pussles',l sharp { claws
and l thelr;il\*essit does not 1 ,ln >> any.lway
fseemV to; make i them' restless *or4 ill :at/
: V'ease.^SS^)HSßsSSH®^BS^^^^^*^'
i '- "The first .-day.;! .put .the i kittens -In ,
•: that , window I iwatched "them': to see :
»,what "would :hapven;i^ The/mice smelled
% the glass and sniffed about a little "and
{-then .went! on ;abbut;thelr.*gambols. ? a .The;
I kittens* inspected t-\ their; new- quarters \
'*\u25a0 and 'after) an '.^'lntroductory.' stare lay
v quietly] down 'to snooze;, and. as. far as I
i finow have j not noticed "the little crea
jtu r es fsi
• ,"I;frequently^putrparrots'in:my;Wln-,
£ohickens'a"nd \ dogs." • They ' seldom^quar£
V. rel "A aiid^' jn^fact, 1 \ I .^ have I; found ? polly .'\u25a0
Siwratchlrig"faway*;at'Fido's".hide as' if
•\u25a0haXwereiher^own.*,^ I* had ;a ! parrot; here'
?oncel ! that fj became^"; so-* attached : to"' aT
S poodle I that J she"^would 1 not ' keep iQUlet
| if | hej^as ] removed |f rom \ her Jcage." and
Iwe^used |.tel thlhlc^sh* j£.wonld * die Jof \u25a0
1 lonesomeness I when : the 3 pup ; was* 501 d , ,,
exception -of the broiling, which takes
place over a b*d of charcoal oeala. Th»
fuel .bins \u25a0 are ' conveniently adjacent.
At the beginning .of the trip the coal
bin holds 75 pounds of coal,' the char
coal bin four bushels of charcoal. Over
head are two * water tanks filled with
CO gallons of water taken \u25a0 In ' through
the roof of ; the car. To replenish any
of these supplies en route the con
ductor wires ahead to a station - agent
In a case or emergency perishable foods
are also procured In .this way. Every
possible exigency is safeguarded.
JWhere Order Reigns .•
During - mealtime . everything ', Is at
high pressure." but- there Is no con
fusion. Suppose, then, your order for
broiled pgmpano has Just been breathed
to '"\u25a0 the chef through 1 the copper lined
speaking tube." ~ Out comes: your pom
pano ; from" the hidden • recesses of his
seclusion 'and on the broiling bars he
goes next to a shad, a squab, a halibut,
a chop maybe— always in* good com
pany. /Nor/will" he find all his v erst
whlle associates broiling. In the biic
stove alongside there will be a mallard
roasting — a "worthy " mallard. '\u25a0 pat d,own
at $1.25 on the card-^-a jrum omelet
making. ;a : French - pancake tossing, s
veal potplo baking; a Scotch broth boa
ing:. But nothing ever gets nslxad up.
And the pompano. .when he Is done to s>
turn and 13 all ready, for the lay lag out.
Is .'placed 'In the * gentle hand* •ef t Jv*
second cook, ,who " ha» the plattar . pre
pared in tno fashion becoming a pom
pano. Thereafter the waiter gives him
his attention and you, yours. And the
tale Is told.'
"The waiters are ) not . only that; t3i«r
have duties relative to tbs mAinteaaccs
of order < in . the car. » On* Is * pantry
' man, with responsibilities Ja ta*t di
rection; another -a llnenrnan, a third 9>
middleman,' and st> on.A^SS^EOSOfBi
"-. As has been. said, tow dining car con
ductor shoulders the great responsibil
ity. His i bond i ls • 11.000. ',] He,, gets • all
the * stocking of his car through \ regu
lar requisitions. \u25a0 The silver Is checked
up after each. run. and It must not only
be'all there, ;bnt it must be bright and
shining— lmmaculate."
'}- ' The dining car , collections are large*
•In-the accounting If there Is a shortage
\u25a0the ; conductor must explain.- Neither
may there b» any mysterious disap
pearance^ wines and liquors. Noi on*
- opens the wine- lockers but himself ; h*
keeps them strictly under lock and key.
-It would be: somewhat difficult . to pur
loin a bottle. •
.*" There is also a somewhat horticul
tural aspect to a dinner.- 8om« oa«
must take care of. the plants that deck
the wall "racks. They, are watered fre
quently, taken good care of, made to
• look chipper.' Also at each meal th«r»
must he fresh flowers on the table. '\u25a0 In
closed: in their own especial locker and
kept -cool by ice, they -last usually
through the Whole trip.
It," must not be supposed, that the
diner is a permanent factor in the train
- makeup.; Quite \ the .v- contrary. Tha
diner , starting \ out - with - : your . train .will
afford you. perhaps, the first four meal*
\u25a0 only. Then you may be entirely with
out a diner until the approach of the
next meaL \ .Diners, like 'l, subjugated
small boys, are never allowed to remain
very long out of their own yards! This
:is doubtless • the most important carts*
of the general liatlsfactorlness of the
service. " \u25a0-SSSRSmBBSBUVKHBMBSBS^
With all the necessitated economy of
space, it has been possible to set apart
a breathing: place for -the 'chef— a sort
of cooler for * him. .At one ; side s of . th*
.rear vestibule a ; temporary flooring Is
made over the steps.. This is his retreat
from- the > hot, vaporous . atmosphere i of
the kitchen. Leanln? out -. from th«
small window; space he may enjoy pure
"air for a moment.'
'.."..Th© excellent service of a dinlss ear
is the result of an excellent system. *
friendships
'Would ..another dog, do? .Not atjchi
polly wanted that particular poodle and'
no , other one i could satisfy .her. -That
parrot ; died on my hands some I tin*
. afterward ] and I always attributed her \
' death *to '. the separation ' from ' that dog
she had formed a queer affection for.
:y "The * tamo rabbit Is ' generally, .on
peaceful ; terms with -almost ;any ,cr*at
: ure a short time after '; it is locked up
in the same ;cage.V;Young^kittens fre
«quently 'get 'alongi very .well with ban
ny.'ibut we would hardly .trust a large
.with them. ,
"Some .time ago I"". I -.bought a large
litter., of pups of 'a fine breed and ba
ing crowded at -. the -time, and- anxious
to display them I put them right la; th*
' window i with "a half dozen young i klt
'} tens. : - r ,Well. \u25a0, before night Y the * kittens
and dogs .'were -boon , companion* -' on*
andalT, and; they, lay. quietly. In the box
togetherV^BH^Bpß^BsSHßHpßßsi
J/Queer ;to ;«ay,.:l have found that
monkeys and dogs.get along^yery well
; together, i and ,-] v<sry V. often keep /each '
other company. Per»*,p* ; If these two
creatures met in the wild when the*dosr
Hbe"! hunting 'game 1 there i. would*
result some differences. I think, thongh,
,ttat .when in' captivity animals who »r«
capable of becoming tamed f**l l«as
\u25a0 antagonism toward -.each Voth*r.*V \u0084
-\u25a0\u25a0fOnHhe fioor. in'.thi» -bird store sat a
"large" monkey V with- a\chaih about his
'neck -and a collar. \u25a0 •, By him were = two
. small tpups,'; who were dozing off : for. a
' napT .The -.monkey . scratched m. way fat
their little^ backs r and ; toyed with , their "
. ears --in ' an : abstracted .manner. Th*
1 pupple's :^ seemed '.yery^. comfortable * and
far from .complaining. .The monkey
afterward; 'handled the' d oars a j on*
\u25a0would, hold a baby and paid not a .bit*
of attention to^a^nurnber of bystanders.
r ."He . bas beenVdoing ?that -very thing
* f or j three tiay3," said an attendant, "and
only^ lets the' pups 'go when [we wan t . to
f e"ed\them"^and - thea^we i.t»\ pull \u25a0
them*; awa7 \u25a0 and : h*~ fights u» "