FOOD IN PARIS.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 694, 6 August 1870, Page 3

FOOD IN PARIS.

(From the Pall Mall Gazette.) The French do not enjoy tbeir food without: suspicion any more than we do, but they seem to take tolerably energetic measures towards securing ,he purity of the articles they consume. A. French journalist, wandering about what he calls the " ham fair," says he suddenly became aware of a great tumult not far from him, and turning to ascertain the cause, perceived a cart which appeared to belong to some employes of the prefect of police,and which waß fast filling with hams, sausages, and other savoury articles, amid much laughter and plenty of " chaff." This operation came to an end, and the agents of the prefect were about to retire, when curiosity prompted the amused spectator to enter into conversation with one of them respecting the strange scene. " Sir," said thin individual with honest pride, " Pario has no idea of the services we render it. But for ua the population would be decimated. Tou see, sir, that in a town like this, in which you must satisfy nearly 2,000,000 appetites daily, the supply of the public need offers facilities for imposition which would lead to universal fraud, if some measures were not taken. Everything that can be eaten or drunk tempts the cupidity of adulterators. It would be well if innocuous frauds alone were perpetrated. He who adulterates coffee with chicory, chestnuts, aoorns, potatoe, beetroot, carrot, turnip, maize, can give no one gastric fever, but some will employ ground bricks. Oil may be adulterated in 38 different ways. As to this, ife is only to be remarked that

Paris consumes more than a million litres of salad oil; but only 100,000 litres at most of real olive oil find their way to the capital. What is the rest made of? Truffle* are made at will with yams, mushrooms, ami even cork. In the lowest class of rosturwnts you find cats', horses', and even rats' flenh cooked. Tes, sir, without continual supervision continual mishaps would occur. This supervision is exercised in the most varied forms. Sixty inspectors incessantly keep watch over the butehers' meat; wine tasters are employed to judge of the beverages sold in 3000 Parisian publichouses At the Halle 70 persons are employed solely to ascertain, by holding eggs up to a lighted candle, whether they are fresh enough for consumption. As to ourselves, Sir, we form part of the scentingout brigade. It is our duty to discover by the smeil, the condition of all sorts of eatables offered for sale. We begin our work every day at 8 o'clock, generally arranging not to pass over (be groujidalready reconnoiteredbyour colleagues; but this we sometimes have to do, as those tradesmen whose goods have been lately overhauled are very apt to think themselves sate, and take advantage of their fancied security to make dishr nest profits. In 12 months we visit 200,000 establishments and we have to bring about 20 actions a week against dishonest tradesmen. All comes under our jurisdiction—tainted meat, rotten fruit, milk adulterated with horses' brains, whiting, &c. This is not all ; we have to examine the state of the kitchen utensils in the SSOO restaurants, eating-houses, and table d'hotes of the capital, otherwise verdigris would claim a yearly tribute of victims !"