Life, 1905-05-04 · page 15 of 48
Life — May 4, 1905 — page 15: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical piece by Wallace Irwin contrasts class differences in early 20th-century America through dining. "Coffee Jake's" Bowery restaurant serves humble Hamburg steaks cheaply and informally to working-class customers. At the fancy St. Rich Hotel, the same Hamburg steak is served with elaborate ceremony—multiple servants, fine china, and pretentious French menu names—creating the *illusion* of sophistication. The joke: regardless of social status or presentation, it's still just a Hamburg steak. The satire mocks both the nouveau riche who adopt pretentious airs upon gaining wealth, and the absurdity of class-based dining rituals that transform simple food through pageantry alone. The header "In Time of Peace Prepare for War" paired with "Democracy" suggests irony about American ideals—the piece critiques how democracy coexists with rigid class hierarchies that persist even in casual dining.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“IN TIME OF PEACE PREPARE FOR WAR.” DEMOCRACY. HERE is a Bowery restauranteur—they call him ** Coffee Jake "— Who makes a humble specialty of serving Hamburg steak. A chopper—make it flat 1" The meat comes hot and costs a dime—and isn’t bad at that. He shouts your order down the tube, But at the new St. Rich hotel more formal airs you'll find, And one who goes to luncheon leaves the simple life behind, A footman me And lined up to the dining-room stand many, many more you at the steps, another at the door, A butler bows you to the room, a waiter to your chair, And luncheon takes the aspect of a serious affair. A flunkey brings a menu card with reverent respect— The heavens are hushed and waiting for the order you select. You pause, You're rather short on French, but then you'll make a bluff A Something A la Something Else seems nourishing enough. The waiter takes your order and attends to your commands, As grave as an ambassador with nations on his hands. With portents of a great The silver forks and crystal glass gleam on the snowy board, And hark ! the corps of servitors attention seem to stand— nt the atmosphere is stored, The waiter is approaching with your order in his hand ! A silver dish of fair design he sets be: And lifts the cover tenderly its wonders to disclose, When—lights of poorer, humbler days and shades of ** Coffee Jake" t You recognize no other than your friend, the Hamburg steak ! th your nose, Morat. When one, through change of circumstance, becomes a gilded denizen, It’s fun to sce a Hamburg steak assume the airs of venison, Wallace Irwin, comicbooks.com