Life, 1929-04-05 · page 31 of 56
Life — April 5, 1929 — page 31: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This page satirizes the era's fascination with "exotic" dining experiences. The main article humorously guides New Yorkers to immigrant neighborhoods and restaurants offering cuisines from around the world—China, India, Africa, Hungary, Brazil, Romania, Mexico, and England—all accessible within Manhattan. The satire works on two levels: First, it mocks the casual, superficial way wealthy New Yorkers "toured" foreign cultures through food, treating entire countries as entertainment ("take a chance on getting shot" in Mexico). Second, it playfully stereotypes these cuisines and the neighborhoods where they're found, particularly Harlem ("Darkest Africa") and Chinatown. The cartoons illustrate the contrast between these "adventurous" dining trips and homesick Americans yearning for "real American coffee" and wheatcakes—suggesting that despite cosmopolitan pretensions, New Yorkers ultimately preferred familiar comfort food. The humor assumes readers would recognize the immigrant restaurant establishments and ethnic neighborhoods referenced.
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Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
New York Life The Far East! Skiaki (Oh, yeah?) cooked in Ha- batchi on a Charcoal stove at the Mi- ysko... The Bamboo Forest on Macdougall street where only chop- sticks are served and the tea is brought in a large wicker basket with a pillow on top... try the Bean curd and | Shrimps « «the Ceylon India Inn where you get Singhalese pepper steak with mushrooms, | Africa! Darkest Africal ...the Harlem Jungles ...the Baked sweet potato pie at the Sugar Cane... the Pone | bread at Small’s ... the Blackberries * the Nest. | Yungary! For a flying trip to Hungary ty Zimmerman’s on 48th street... \Esterhazy Braten (Pot Roast) or the \famous Stuffed Red Cabbage. Brazil! If you want to be all hot and bothered slip into the Brazilion Cof- fee House and take a chance on Calamares en su tinta con arroz which, in case you don’t know it is devilfish saute . . . or the Eggs Mala- guena (Baked en casserole with shrimps, peas, chopped ham and creole sauce). Roumania! I Roumania’s truly... well, all right .. try the Roumanian Casino down on Broome street for the Goulash with mamaliga or Rosale (Not Rosalie!) with lemishka . - and how are you, Queen Marie! Mexico! Why go to Mexico and take a chance on getting shot when E you can walk around the corner to Fornos or the Chili Villa for Chili con carne and other unpronounc- able dishes? England! Wait for a nice foggy day, take a hansom down to the White Horse Inn and try the Roast Beef with York- shire pudding. 29 | Home! Are you fed up? .. . all right, here we are back home again... how about a stack of wheatcakes at Child's and some real American coffee! .. . Gad! Isn't it good to be home again! 100 Years Ago James Bleecker has sold his two houses at No’s 107 and 109 Bleecker St. netting fancy prices for so far up- town ... James A. Hamilton of New York has been named aide de camp to Gov. Martin Van Buren... Mme. Vestris is holding a benefit at the Bow- ery theatre where “The Tragedy of jo Years or The Gambler's Fate’ is playing. ... Manna-About-Town The Fish chips at Barney's . . . why doesn’t Beatrice Lillie get some new songs at the Lido? ... George Ol- sen’s wise-crack—“He’s the kind of a bird that used to play center and owned the football”... Charles Hamp singing over W.O.R....a new member for the Hidden Beauties Club—the gel behind the perfume counter at Lord & Taylor's... Sam Schwartz's place on 8th St... . comicbooks.com