16. The Cafeteria
The Cafeteria is on the southwest corner of the crossing that Gun Hill Road makes with the north-south, elevated train-track Jerome Avenue. The cafeteria is small, a corner storefront with booths by the plate-glass street window for diners to sit and eat while looking out and being looked in at by passers-by. And the corner booth is choice. The food counter is on a line you enter as you walk in, after pulling a ticket. Then you move along the counter and the food you select is noted by the white-apron cook & owner, Mr Abraham Feinstein, better known as Abie, who clips your ticket for each dish and at the end, his wife Goldie adds it up and you pay.
Brenda turns to her 3 friends. "Hey, Gang, I want to try an idea called Communist Spread. Instead of each getting his own we get one spread that includes what each likes, and each eats from the spread according to how you feel?"
"I'm not a communist," Sheila says. "But it sounds a good way not to overeat." She pats her not slim waist.
Irving Goldberg, who does not care about politics but from his Lithuanian-born father knows about Karl Marx, gives in to a rare showing-off. "That is the communist idea from Marx and Engels, From each according to ability and to each according to need. I am no Marxist; however, I'm here with Miss McCabe so I'll do as she likes."
Sheila feels a sudden happiness at this, thinking, Hey, I got Irving to follow my lead. Then she thinks, Why am I so happy? I must have it bad!
Stan says, "I am a scientist; I'm willing to experiment."
So it is decided. Brenda turns to Abie who is patiently waiting for the order because this early, on Sunday, these are his only customers. After getting everyone's suggestions, Brenda tells Abie to put on the fryer: 4 bacon strips, a ball of corn-beef hash, 4 small sausages; 4 sunny-side-up eggs, a cup-serving of hashed potatoes and a ball of cooked rice mixed with corn kernels. "Fry 'em up nice and with the bacon real crispy, and put 'em at the center of your biggest plate." Brenda makes about 18 inches wide with her hands to show the plate's diameter. "And do it on the plate with the Chinese scene - you know the blue one with the lovers escaping over the bridge and the evil father behind. And on the outer part of the plate put fresh lettuce, sliced tomato, strawberries and blackberries. And cover the berries with sour cream and drop a little honey on the cream."
Abie has got out pencil and paper. He says. "Yeah, sure! Now mein boychiks and girlchiks, lemmee clip you' tickets, denn go to mein Goldie at the money machine and pay and denn sit in dat corner boot' "
They pay and go and sit, Sheila by the glass that fronts Gun Hill Road with Irving Goldberg inside on her left, both with backs to Gun Hill Road, and he, to his left at right angle beside Stan who sits next to Brenda, on her right, both their backs to the Jerome Avenue side.
Abie asks from behind his counter "Ya vants tea vile ya vaits'? I got goot Liptons."
"Yeah, Abie", Brenda says. "And also, Abie, remember the Chinese chopsticks I asked you to get from Chung Fu's Chop Suey next door? "
"Sure, I got a lot."
"Bring four sets to the table with the Lipton's."
They sit in the black leather booth at the not-spotlessly clean corner table sipping the tea that has wedge-lemon squeezes and Brenda goes on about chopsticks. "Now, the reason for chopsticks is they allow you to eat the smallest bit at a time." She picks up hers and shows using them with one stick moved by thumb & forefinger while the other is firmed against inner side of middle finger about a third of the way from the eating end, and she picks up a very small bit of lemon wedge from the tablecloth. "You see, with the chopsticks you can pick out a real small piece; and you can also use the sticks for little pieces of crispy bacon or fried sausage. When you use a knife and fork it's not so easy to eat small bits. And it makes a difference. With chopsticks you can take more time and enjoy the eating longer."
Sheila, thinking of her battle for a slim waist, adds, "The longer it takes me to eat and the less I put in my mouth in a minute, the less my waist. So I'm for that."
Abie has been cooking up a mix of smells and sounds. It takes him 10 or so minutes to prepare the communist spread on the 18-inch blue plate with the Chinese scene. Goldie brings it and puts it down on the table between the two couples so every one according to ability can take according to need, and without being too speedy. Also she puts 4 small plates in front of each diner to prevent a mess.
Irving Goldberg, most of all, appreciates the moment the spread is put on the table. The fragrant bacon now crisp, brown and black at edges; the reddish hash with white potato flecks and its appetizing smell; the sausages ready to pop juicily in mouth; the sunny-side fried eggs whose nicely hot yellow yolks he can almost taste
So, what is a boy - a young intern - from a religious Jewish family doing in a mind like his? It is a case by case case, and Irving Goldberg's case is a family whose father is not a fanatic orthodox but just a Lithuanian Jew who brought his family up American, and Irving is his good son with no religion inside but respect for the outer part. So, whenever he can, he eats bacon and everything that goes with it. Now he picks up his chopsticks.
Brenda, who assumes control because she suggested the communist spread, says. "I guess we may have different ideas. I'm a Catholic maybe not a good one."
"Me too!" chimes in, Sheila. "I try to be as good as me old mither who's not from Eire, she adds jokingly.
Brenda continues. "Stan I know was born Catholic but he's a scientist. And Irving's a scientist too. Well, what I'm trying to say is we are all four of us the coming generation and we want to make our own ways and I think we should just have a minute of quiet and thank our luck to be alive and healthy and young right now." She falls quiet not bowing her head but turning to Stan and grabbing his right hand with her left. And Sheila turns to Irving Goldberg and takes his left hand in her right and fixes him with her look of love.
The minute ends. And without further words all four friends fall to the eating.
About 20 minutes later, Irving Goldberg puts down his chopsticks, the last to finish but not by much. They are all pleasantly full and did not even eat it all. Brenda asks Abie to doggie-bag the the uneaten part. Then they finish cups of tea and Brenda says "OK, I think we need a little quiet time, each two of us." She looks at Stan and then at Sheila & Irving. "Let's go over to the nearby flats to relax. I guess you have your own plans but it's still early, and my stomach and, I guess, yours is too full to do anything active."
Brenda puts a 25 cents quarter down on the table as a tip for the good service; then, they walk to the nearby apartment house.
For next, click 13.17 Sunday Continues
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