use-
girl prices. The cook for this short sea-
son received as much pay as the chief
cook at the best of the two hotels at the
depot and a little more than the chief
cook at Black's, -which was a fancy price
for this small house to pay, yet neither
of those chief cooks would have taken the
situation or done the work because it is
mixed, both meat and pastry, and be-
cause it is mixed other ways; for there
are some things which look natural
enough but which it is impossible for a
limited and graded, bound and restricted,
enthralled and restrained cook to do.
I don't knovv why the French cooks sim-
ply say it is m\\>o%-seebLe for thera to
do so and that is all there is of it — as, for
instance, it is quite possible for fishes to
fly, I have seen them do it in the tropics,
but it is impossible for the chief cook of
a full-grown hotel to clean fish, and
equally impossible for his second cook to
gass dirty dishes over to the next table,
owever much they may be in his way on
his own table, — it isn't his business to
gather up dishes.
These impossibilities often cause em-
barrassment in small houses where per-
haps there is not yard-man enough to go
droun, or where, it may be, there is no
yard man but the proprietor or his clerk,
and as they will not clean the fish for the
cook and the cook cannot cook it with-
out being cleaned of course there is
nothing for that cook and his second to
do and they step out. The small houses
then hunt up a woman cook, for they
are generally more pliable ; they either do
not know of those iron-clad rules of the
kitchen, or, knowing them, with the nat-
ural mulishness of woman they choose
to do the other way and go right on
earning the wages. There are said to be
a few first-class female cooks getting as
high wages as the same grade of male
cooks. Without the least intention of
saying what ought to be and only stating
facts the highest wages I have ever known
a woman to receive for cooking in a small
hotel both meat and pastry, was fifty dol-
lars a month. ^ There are thousand of
them working in hotels and boarding-
houses at five dollars a week, whose work
is but little above common labor. There
is no doubt but there is a demand for
skillful, bill-of-fare, women cooks; such
can always secure good situations with
sufficient help at about ten dollars a week
m any part of this_ country, board^ and
lodging, of course, in addition. ^ It is on
that figure I will base future estimates of
the cost of board in country houses.
In the present instance, however, I have
the actualities to draw from and find that
the sum total of wages paid for the six
weeks was three hundred and twelve dol-
lars.
1030— Laundry Work,
The washing of table cloths and nap-
kins is an expense large enough to change
the grade of the house that cannot afford
it from the one that can ; it must be paid
for by the boarders and consequently af-
fects the price of board. In such a house
as the one we write of, however, it is not
practicable to make a separate account
of it. Good hotel managers expect the
money earned by the laundry to pay its
way and pay for the laundry work of the
house ; probably such was the case here
and it need not affect our esdmates.
1031— Fuel and Light.
This item I could not get with perfect
'5^
SAN FRANCISCO HOTEL GAZETTE'S
Page 304
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
usegirl prices. The cook for this short season received as much pay as the chief cook at the best of the two hotels at the depot and a little more than the chief cook at Black's, -which was a fancy price for this small house to pay, yet neither of those chief cooks would have taken the situation or done the work because it is mixed, both meat and pastry, and because it is mixed other ways; for there are some things which look natural enough but which it is impossible for a limited and graded, bound and restricted, enthralled and restrained cook to do. I don't knovv why the French cooks simply say it is impossible for thera to do so and that is all there is of it — as, for instance, it is quite possible for fishes to fly, I have seen them do it in the tropics, but it is impossible for the chief cook of a full-grown hotel to clean fish, and equally impossible for his second cook to
pass dirty dishes over to the next table, However much they may be in his way on his own table, — it isn't his business to gather up dishes.
These impossibilities often cause embarrassment in small houses where perhaps there is not yard-man enough to go droun, or where, it may be, there is no
yard man but the proprietor or his clerk, and as they will not clean the fish for the cook and the cook cannot cook it without being cleaned of course there is nothing for that cook and his second to do and they step out. The small houses then hunt up a woman cook, for they are generally more pliable ; they either do not know of those iron-clad rules of the kitchen, or, knowing them, with the natural mulishness of woman they choose to do the other way and go right on earning the wages. There are said to be a few first-class female cooks getting as high wages as the same grade of male cooks. Without the least intention of saying what ought to be and only stating facts the highest wages I have ever known a woman to receive for cooking in a small hotel both meat and pastry, was fifty dollars a month. ^ There are thousand of them working in hotels and boardinghouses at five dollars a week, whose work is but little above common labor. There is no doubt but there is a demand for skillful, bill-of-fare, women cooks; such can always secure good situations with sufficient help at about ten dollars a week m any part of this_ country, board^ and lodging, of course, in addition. ^ It is on that figure I will base future estimates of the cost of board in country houses. In the present instance, however, I have the actualities to draw from and find that the sum total of wages paid for the six weeks was three hundred and twelve dollars.
1030— Laundry Work,
The washing of table cloths and napkins is an expense large enough to change the grade of the house that cannot afford it from the one that can ; it must be paid for by the boarders and consequently affects the price of board. In such a house as the one we write of, however, it is not practicable to make a separate account of it. Good hotel managers expect the money earned by the laundry to pay its way and pay for the laundry work of the house ; probably such was the case here and it need not affect our estimates.
1031— Fuel and Light.
This item I could not get with perfect
'5^