Life, 1917-08-23 · page 11 of 40
Life — August 23, 1917 — page 11: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This satirical cartoon depicts a restaurant scene where an impatient customer complains to a waiter about delayed service. The humor targets American restaurant management's inefficiency during what appears to be wartime rationing. The customer demands his "aeroplane soup," but the cook won't begin cooking until next month. When asked about grilled rifles, the cook claims they're "too old." The waiter then suggests ordering "canned ships" instead—none of which are available. The establishment's sign reads: "Our Corned Beef is Extremely Fresh" and denies responsibility for "hats, coats, umbrellas and statements from the Creel Board of Censors." The joke satirizes food shortages, military procurement confusion, and government censorship during what appears to be World War I era America.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
“LIFE™ OUR MUSH 13 FURNISHED FRESH GGA | INOTRESPONSIBLE |< FORAAATS, COATS, y UMBRELLAS AND |{ STATEMENTS FROM THE CREEL BOARD OF CENSORS | ON THE AMERICAN PLAN “HERE, WAITER, I CAN'T WAIT FOREVER. WHERE'S MY AEROPLANE soup?” “COOK BEGINS ON THAT NEXT MONTH, SI “NEXT MONTH! AND MY GRILLED RIFLES?” “RIFLES TOO OLD TO COOK, SIR.” “THEN BRING ON THE CANNED SITIPS “NO SHIPS IN THE HOUSE, SIR; NOR IN SIGHT, SIR.” “LOOK HERE, WAITER, WHO RUNS THIS ESTABLISHMENT, ANYWA “1, SIR, ANQ 1 AM DOING IT EXTREMELY WELL.” ve" 291 comicbooks.com