THE FOOD OF THE LONDON STREET ARAB.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1231, 2 October 1885, Page 3

THE FOOD OF THE LONDON STREET ARAB.

As a rule street children eat little and re very fanciful about food, boys and girls pivfen iog tea and bread and butter to almost anything. They eat most sp iriugly, seldom tasting it at home excepting perhaps on Sundays. Doub'less the coarse preparation of treacle and sugar, caked toffe or lollipops, which they carry about tied up with them in their rags or apo'ogies for, pockets, c irreets th -se healthy hunger cravings wbih experience tells them will not be otherwis- satisfied The babies, I believe, are mmy of them kept alive by the bii ar sticks and sugar bat s they are for ever sucking. I have known some of the poorest and hungriest c dldren turnaway from a plate ol rice and gravy, rice not forming a customary i:e,m of diet with die very poor; mi the other hand, octatoes the} will pret-rev»n to meat Biit no dinner we could provide fm ihe.se children and their families would Satisfy them so well as that to which they treat themselves on smie tsive occasion—a wedding, Boxing Hay, or even a funeral. 1 nsk« d one of them if bo had a i unliuiite.l sum of money, and as unlimped an ap eti e, what the menu would be 1 The piospent pleased bis fancy. He looked meditatively at me before answering. Well, I’d begin with a cup of eels, a half penny a cup hot, but cdd a penny, ’cos then it’s fixed siiff. Ee'-pio is twojieuce —they are very good; but I’d sooner have bullock’s heart —they 00-t eighteen penc- apiece; after that i think I’d try tripe, tripe and iui ms Idled in mi k ; t mn sheep’s head or cold failed beef —you gets it at the shop two ounces at twopence halfpenny. Greenis a halfpenny, and peas pudding a halfpenny ; plum puddiag is a penny hj dfpeuuy a slice, but I likes two 1 donrsteps' at a halfpenny apiece just as well ” “ D ors eps,” I found, were thick snce: of bread spread with jam. “ iiaspbi rry or strawberry flavoring, . they call it ” A fter this copious meal ' I ob erved to him that he would feel ve y thirsty “ 1 belong to the Sous of Phenix,” he said proudly, “so 1 wouldn’t touch beer. I’d drink a penn'orth of gingi ret, or a glass of punch and judy (bunoiade), but sher- ■ •ert is best ; you buy a lot of the powder for a penny, and pour water on it, then it fizzes away whilst you drinks ; some boys fi 1 their mouths with tin 1 powder, so that it goes oli in-ide of them.” “Would you bur auv sweets 1” I inquired “Yes. t'J buy three firth ngs of camarels (a corruption of caramel), and a haporth of onpaivils” With all the Loudon street A mb's reckless readiness to en j >y, a disease exclusively a-cibed to the rich is surprisingly developed am mg the very p oivst, and that is ennui Boys and girls, me i and women, left to themselves, are utterly at a loss for interest or amusement Nodoibt the children when together c •ntiive to amuse themselves; but loft to his own device? tun child, either fr un lack of imagination or want of em datiou,som finds the hj nirs intolerably oag.— I>o othy Tennant, in English Illustrated Ma.mziue ”