Life — July 21, 1910 — page 13: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This page satirizes the social anxiety of deciding where to dine in what appears to be early 20th-century New York. The top illustration depicts a chaotic dinner party where guests appear uncomfortable or awkward—likely mocking the pretentiousness of dining culture. The poem humorously catalogs dining dilemmas: should one go to the Plaza? Broadway restaurants? A chop house? Each option presents its own social complications. The satirical point is that choosing a restaurant has become an overwrought social performance, filled with etiquette concerns and status anxiety. The bottom cartoon shows two figures examining menus or dining guides, captioned "Not in it with what mother used to make," suggesting nostalgic criticism of modern restaurant dining compared to home cooking. The overall satire targets fashionable society's dining pretensions.