The Automat: Insert nickel, open door, take out, eat
Written: Nov 14 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The definitive book of the Automat; poems, poster art, movie references, recipes, excellent narrative
Cons: (minor) fonts clash with red background, (major) wistfully pining for an Automat to open again...
The Bottom Line: Raid the piggybank, scour the sofa for loose change cause we're going to the Automat!
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| javajoop's Full Review: Lorraine B. Diehl and Marianne Hardart - The Autom... |
For those who remember the Horn & Hardart's Automats that populated throughout the Philadelphia and New York metropolis and saw its heyday during the Depression, The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece by Lorraine Diehl and Marianne Hardart will bring sweet memories. I fondly remember going to the last two H&H nearby Times Square as a child with my father to pluck dimes for a hot apple pie and cocoa. The subway was only fifteen cents then and, the Loews State theater played around the corner Krakatoa: East of Java (Krakatoa is actually west of Java). The young ladies sported bouffant hairdo's and cat-eye specs. The men were styling in Nehru jackets, paisley shirts and Beatles mop tops. Ah... those memories are few and far between but, luckily, I can relive them a little while longer.
For those who haven't known what an Automat is, it's a cafeteria where food is prepared and served in what's was known then as a "waiterless restaurant" - precursor to the modern vending machine. Imagine yourself of the likes of Luby's or Piccadilly's with tray at hand and nickels in your pockets. As you gawk at the ornate Art Deco themed motif, one side of H&H was flanked with small windowed doors displaying goodies such as macaroni and cheese, Boston baked beans, chicken pot pie, and rice pudding. All you did was pick your choice, insert how many nickels in the slot, open the door and take out to enjoy. There were more heartier fare served conventionally by servers, donned in white, on the opposite side such as hot roast beef, turkey and gravy, oysters, and soups of the day. Their famous french-dripped coffee poured from spigots shaped like dolphin's heads reminiscent of a Florentine fountain. You shared tables, each topped with a "lazy susan" filled with condiments, with friends or strangers. That stranger could be an out of work actor or someone famous like Jimmy Durante, Woody Allen or Tony Curtis. Bankers were sitting next to dockworkers; seamstresses next to socialites. Very egalitarian! Very Automat!
"...Horn & Hardart's famous coffee required two gallons of water to one pound of coffee, with elaborate instructions on how to clean all utensils and prepare the coffee. The finished product had to undergo a taste test before being sold to customers. Sometimes the taster was Joe Horn, who would slip into an Automat unannounced, sip the coffee, and if it wasn't up to standard, send it back and insist that a fresh batch be brewed. Even without Horn's presence, coffee was never allowed to stand for more than an hour. Both the coffee and the freshly squeezed orange juice were tossed after two hours. A manager who was caught not following this rule was given a stern warning."
The narrative style appeals not only to historians but to architects, to cineastes, industrial artists and "foodies" alike. Architects and interior designers will revel at how Ralph B. Bencker's Art Deco trademark pale blush-colored stone facades decorated as many as forty cafeterias. Carrera or "milk glass" lighting fixtures would softly illuminate the dining area, flattering diners and workers. One was certain that love matches occurred throughout the years amongst coffee and pie. Moviemakers sought Automats as film locations as early as 1925 in the silent, The Beautiful City, starring William Powell. Look to That Touch of Mink starring Doris Day and Cary Grant for a glimpse of the Automat circa 1962. Numerous other films were made and dozens of commercials and print ads featured the ubiquitous emporium.
However, there is some controversy amongst patrons on the web that the recipes included in this book are not authentic. Well, I understand certain liberties were made in various H&H's, Mr. Joe Horn was known to be a stickler when it comes to food quality. Each afternoon, at 12:30pm; he in Philadelphia, Mr. Hardart in New York; along with their corresponding subordinates would personally rate EVERY item on the menu. They would set up a long wooden table, "The Sample Table", lined with the several iterations of soups, main dishes, and desserts. Each executive would just take a spoonful, comment and give it either a thumbs up or down. Woe to the chef who'd didn't survive the muster.
Sadly, the authors also chronicles the demise of the Automats due to society's fickle tastes, city developers, union activism and it's literal anachronism. If only the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission had existed prior to their demolition; for posterity has lost. Each venue represented Art Deco, Beaux Art design intertwined with clever and hubris dining. Each had personalities reflecting the times and neighborhoods they served. Thus, we have this book to stoke our imagination.
The book is lavishly produced numbering 128 pages and includes interviews, archival photos, and chapters on the various movies, radio and television shows H&H inspired. Ms. Hardart is the great-granddaughter of Frank Hardart, founder of Horn & Hardart and co-authored the edition to commemorate the centenary of the first H&H in Philadelphia. There are two companions in addition to this book - a handsome private journal/diary and a postcard book for you to share missives. You can't get any closer to authenticity than The Automat:.
Clarkson Potter/Publishers, NY
member of the Crown Publishing Group,
division of Random House Inc.
www.randomhouse.com
ISBN 0-609-61074-0
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
javajoop
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 23
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Cacoethes scribendi - "Bad habit of writing"
caveat venditor/emptor - "Let the seller/buyer beware"
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