"PROPERTY FOOD” OFTEN VERY TEMPTING.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXIII, Issue XII, 16 September 1899, Page 478

"PROPERTY FOOD” OFTEN VERY TEMPTING.

Roasted spring chicken, high coloured joints of beef and lamb, lobsters broiled to such perfection that merely to contemplate them would have turned the brain of an epicure with delight, and pies—wonderfully brown and corpulent pies, reminiscent of mother’s achievements—were piled high in appetising profusion in the crystal showwindow of an uptown restaurant. “It s a glorious view,’’ commented the man who has to think twice before he spends his current coin, "but what a great waste it must represent.”

"No waste whatever,” re timed the man w ho knows all manner of things. “The proprietor of that restaurant, oi any eating house, can keep up such a show as that in this window all the year long and throughout the various seasons at a cost of less than £lO a vear.”

"Why, there's £lO worth of provender in that window now,” protested the other, “and surely one-half of it must spoil before the restaurant man can bring it to his fire or serve it up.” ‘Wes. that would be the case were the articles in that exhibition actually what they assume to be.” continued the man who knows, “but they are not. The chickens, lobsters, joints and pies are simply ‘props’—that is. they are made of papier mache and artistically coloured to represent the choicest viands. As men who have made ‘property food’ for the leading theatres for years are engaged in this business, their products are naturally good imitations and readily baffle detection.

“Dozens of restaurants in America use these artificial exhibits exclusively, and so save hundreds of dollars every year. For a long time the windowshow was an item of considerable expense. and as a large proportion of the edibles thus exposed were ruined by sun. dust, and gas. the profits of the resta.urant business were considerably lessened. Indeed, the annual loss entailed by the spoiling of exhibited viands in each of several eating houses of note amounted to at least £6OO.