HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1960-01-21, Page 2In France They Love Him
And They Also Detest Him!
ME MOTHER TAUGHT ME MANNERS — Daintily folding one paw across his chest much as
human diners keep one hand on their laps while eating, this little bear shoves his snout
into his dinner pail. He's sampling a meal of bread at the Chessington, England, zoo.
By Rosette Ilergroye
NEA Staff Correspondent
Paris, — Edouard Leclerc is at
80 the most beloved and at the
came time most hated grocer in
France.
Leclerc initiated a minor revo-
lution he this family of small
shopkeepers eight years ago by
eliminating the middle - man in
the food business.
Recently he opened his first
store in the Parie region in an
old working class suburb. House-
wives fought to get near the
counters. The small grocers are
fighting too — but against him.
Born in a bourgeois family
(his father is a major in the
French Army), he was the sev-
enth of nine children. The fam-
ily tradition was that the boys.
Were either soldiers or priests.
He chase the church,
But as an 18-year-old seminary
student, Edouard began reading
Karl Marx and immersed him-
self in the study of sociology. At
22, he left the seminary and was
married after doing his miltary
service.
He worked on the docks and
saved some money. Then he and
his wife, Helene, put into action
his plan for lowering the cost
of living by opening their first
store, The shop was in the din-
ing room of their three-room
apartment in a run-down house
near the railway depot at Lan-
derneau.
With $10 to his name, he plac-
ed his first order directly with
e. manufacturer for $600 worth
of cookies. Th e manufacturer
granted him a month's credit
when he learned he was the
son of Major Leclerc. He placed
ist second and much larger order.
Ile also bought candy, oil and
d ry groceries. The town's house-
wives flocked to his store. His
secret? He was selling his goods
20 per cent cheaper than his
tompetitors.
Lecleres crusade to lower the
toot of living got off to a good
start and a year later he opened
*nether shop in Grenoble, said
be the "dearest" town in
nce.
The other shopkeepers ap-
pealed to the town authorielet,
raying Leclerc w a s an unfair
mkompeeitor, He also was accused
If defrauding the tax collector.
ePomptrollers went over le i s
ipooks but could find no irregu-
gaieties.
The factawaei that Edouard Le-
elerc was guilty of an unheard-
of, and inadmissaible, concept of
business — that of abandoning
part of his profits to his custom-
ers. Leclerc, as a matter of fact,
is a wholesaler who is also a
retailer. He has one' golden rule
— never to take more than nine
per cent profit on any one item.
"After three years," Leclerc
says,„ my annual turnover had
reached 70 million francs (about
$135,000). Today it is over 300
million francs. And wherever I
have started a store prices have
gone down all around. If this
is war, I am on the winning
side,”
There are 800,000 small shop-
keepers in France to whom the
name of Leclerc is like the red
rag to a bull. Yet when he
opened his 'first Paris branch he
said:
"I do not aim to head a great
chain of stores. I am on the
small shopkeepers' side. My ori-
ginal store in Landerneau is
quite enough for me. What I
want, as. I always have, is to see
the cost of living go down."
Leclerc thinks that this would
be automatic if 40 grocers in
Paris and 1,000 in the rest of
France. would apply his method,
"But for this they must have
sufficiently large stores," ' he
added, "covering a minimum of
600 square feet, phis a oapital of
15 million francs to pay cash
for goods and serve as a re.
serve."
Leclerc, who now has 10 shops
scattered throughout the coun-
Tly
, recently gave some hints to
Wile shopkeepers over the nee
onal radio.
lee told them to group their
PurChases with those of either'
grocers around theme.
Every grocer should special-
lee in one product. The reason
why so many small businesses
fold up is that they want to
stock too many items, (This (lees,
not apply to vellage stores.)
Don't fall for the slick sales-
man Wk. that you will do more,
business if you have neon ights
and plate glass windows, These
cost money and eat up profits.
Beware of the "help your-
self" system. This is the best
way to lose money unless you
have sufficient staff to super-
vise customers.
Laughter Is
Good For Health.
Do you laugh much? The an-
swer may depend on your age.
The older we grow, the less we
laugh. Children laugh much
more than adults.
If yours is a sendentary job,
laughter is one of the finest
exercises for y o u. It exercises
scores of different muscles in
the body which in turn have a
massaging effect upon the body's
organs.
Watch that laugh of yours if
you find yourself rocking in
your seat at a humorous show
sometime. It may betray your
character to an acute observer.
Who says so? A serious-minded
psychologist who boasts that he
rarely laughs himself, although
he's been studying the laughter
dl men, women and children
for some years.
The best kind of laugh is the
hearty "Ha-ha-ha!" he asserts.
The person who laughs like that
has a frank and open disposi-
tion and is not likely to de-
ceive you,
The "He-'he-he!" laugh is not
so good, according to the ex-
pert. It's a sure sign of a moody
and gloomy man, he says.
What about "Ho-ho-ho-ers?"
They are usually strong and
generous. The worst kind of
laugh is t h e "Hu-im-hu," says
the psychologist. It reveals that
the person is selfish, mean and
may have criminal tendencies.
Some people may find any
attempt to assess a person's
character by his laughter laugh-
able, but whatever you think,
it's a fact that there have been
men and women who frankly
confessed that they were unable
to laugh.
An F4esex man used to say sad-
ly that he had gone through
his long life trying to cultivate
a hearty laugh. He offered $300
to anyone who could make him
laugh. Many tried, No one suc-
ceeded,
"It's no laughing matter try-
ing to learn how to laugh,"
quipped an. American university
student who took a course aim-
ed at developing his sense of
humour. He said he was so
grimly determined to benefit
from it that he did not laugh
o ii c e throughout the seven
weeks' course and even forgot
to smile when he failed in, his
exam.
T h e German general, von
IVIaltke, who died in 1801, hated
eo hear people laugh. All his life
he found it almost impossible to
laugh at anything or anybody.
He was reputed to have laugh-
ed only twice after his twenty-
first birthday,
In Ceylon a small outcast
tribe exists whose members
never laugh. Ask elle reason
why and they reply: "What is
there to laugh at?"
A Briton who spent years ana-
lyzing laughter came to the sur-
prising conclusion that it is
"directly or indirectly related to
the behaviour of the instinct of
love." He contended that only
men and women in love know
how to laugh well and got real
physical benefit from laughter,
End Of ,Historic
Mountain, Climb
So at last to Camp IV again,
out of, the cruel white desert of
snow. The tension and suppressed
emotion that now filled this
camp emanated from it like rip-
ples, so that far down the Orem,
when the tents first appeared as
blobs on a distant ridge, a sharp
tang of expectancy suddenly
struck us. It was midday,, and
most of the climbers were gath-
ered there. .
And there in his shanty tent
was Hunt . a heroic figure:1
thought, like some grizzled' Han-
nibal in climbing-boots, awaiting
the arrival of elephants. This
was nearly the end of the adven-
ture. Soon, within an hour or
two, we would know whether all
his careful plans had succeeded,
whether his own Wonderful climb
to 28,000 feet had been justified,
whether the loading tables had
been correct, the choice of climb-
ers wise, whether the weather
he had trusted had turned sour
on him, whether the equipment
he had chosen had proved sound;
or whether, when Hillary and
Tenzing returned defeated from
the last ricleee of Everest, he
would have to begin all over
again..'. .
"There they are" s o n eone
shouted. "There! Just behind
that big sarac! See them? You
know the one, Charles, that brute
of a thing with the Fe crevasses
just behind it. See ee set: There
they go! just creciesle i e gap!"
I looked again, ai— oil. on the
face of the in o U1 t On, sure
enough, there they were. Five
little figures were moving slqw-
ly clown the snow: Hillary, Ten-
zing, Lowe, Noyce, and the re-
markable Sherpa Pasang Phutar.
How were they walking? Jaunt-
ily, like men who have reached
a summit? or dragging their feet
in. the depression of failure? No-
body could tell, for they were
just specks on a mountain wall.
"There they are!"
I rushed to the door of the
tent, and there emerging from a
little gully, not more than five
hundred yards away, were four
worn figures in windproof cloth-
ing. .
I could not see the returning
climbers very clearly, for the ex-
ertion of running had steamed
up my goggles, so that I looked
ahead through a thick mist, But
I watched them approaching
dimly, with never a sign of suc-
cess or failure. . Down they
tramped mechanically, and up
we raced, trembling with expec-
tation.
Soon I could not see a thing
for the steam, eo I pushed the
goggles up from my eyes; and
just as I recovered from the sud-
den dazzle of the snow I caught
sight of George Lowe, leading
the party down the hill, He was
raising his aim and waving it
as he. walked! It was thumbs upl
Everest was climbed!
Hillary brandished his ice-exe
in weary triumph; Ten zi'h g
slipped suddenly sideways, re-
covered arid shot us a brilliant
white smile; and they were
among us, back from the sum,
mit, with men pumping their
hands and embracing. them,
laughing, smiling, crying, taking
photographs, laughing again, cry-
ing again, till the noise and the
delight of it all rang down the
CWin and set the Sherries, fol-
lowing us up the hill, laughing
in anticipation. —Prom ,"Corona-
tion lilverest," by Tames Morris.
They were talking of a new
neighbour
"What's she like?" asked one
Woman, curiously.
"Well, she's a woman of sixty
Who looks 'fifty, thinks she'S...
forty, dresses like thirty, and acts
like twenty."'
Thank you for the gifts of
prized recipes that you send in
during the year. Your motive in
sending them is to share the
things you like with other read-
ers, and this surely is true giv-
ing, writes Eleanor Richey John-
ston in the Christian Science
Monitor.
Sometimes a reader's sharing
goes further, as in the case of
Mrs. Elizabeth Bowden, Cow-
bridge, Glamorgan, Wales, who
writes, "My hobby is collecting
historical kitchen secrets." She
sent in one about George III of
England.
"The third King George's dis-
crimination in cookery was nicer
than in politics..I give you heree.
with his favorite cakes," she e
writes, then quotes, "'Excellent
small cakes which are much
esteemed at Court, the King
himself having eaten of them
(1760 A.D.).
"'Take three pounds of very
fine flour, one pound and a half
of butter, and as much currants
and as much sugar, seven eggs,
and four yolks, and knead it well
together into a paste, adding one
nutmeg grated and a little rose
water; so make them up about
the bigness of your hand and
bake them upon a plate tin.
When baked, scrape on some
sugar.' I generally use one-
quarter of the quantities men-
tioned and only half the eggs
given, using self-rising flour,"
said Mrs. Bowden,
e
From Bristol, England, comes
a possible holiday recipe with
a history copied just as handed
down for generations. Mrs. A, R.
Richardsen writes: "Dear
Friends: 1. thought you might be
interested in the enclosed recipe
which has been handed down
through the aunts of my hus-
band who lived at Kirklands,
Scotland. I have copied it with
the 'footnote, 'This recipe was al-
ways used at — Kirk-
lands was the home next to Sir
Walter Scott. I also make this
cake at Christmas."
AUNT :JOANNA BAILLIE'S
GINGERBREAD
December 25, 1843, Kirklands
1 lmb.oltarsesaecslc (black) —
'A lb. butter
1/2 lb. soft sugar (brown)
Melt all in pan over fire and
let it cook and add
1 lb. flour
2 oz. ground ginger
1 oz. ceirawarseeds
4 eggs, well beaten
1 deseertspoon baking soda
lb lb. citron
To be baked in a moderately
hot oven,
"I would like to share with
readers of the Monitor a recipe
I obtained from my grand-
mother, It is an edser-tdonake
and easier-to-eat, simple but ver-
satile cake — good' when top=
pod with powdered sugar and
served with ice cream — superb
when filled and topped with
,sweetened whipped cream and
fruit, calmed Or fresh," writes
Mrs' Robert Orr, Palisade, N.O.
MILT{ SPONGE CA-Kt
4 eggs
Silt (pinch)
1 tup boiling milk
2 cups Retie
leaeeideriie cootie-at ring
"baking
teeePoine
Beat eggs and sugar together
for thintites by hand tir about
10 Minutes at moderate` §-peed
with electric mixer — mixture
must be very light and creamy.
Sift flour, baking powder and
salt together three 'times. Add
flour mixture alternately with
hot milk to the egg-sugar mix-
ture; mix well after each addi-
tion. Add vanilla and mix well.
Pour into well-greased 10-inch
pan (it should be 3 inches deep)
or 2 9-inch pans. Bake single
cake 65-74 minutes, and 2 small-
er layers for 35-40 minutes at
350° F. To test for doneness,
toothpick stuck in cake must
come out clean and cake must
spring back when 'touched light-
ly.
To go from cake to soup, here
is soup with marrow balls that
will be 'good on any cold night
'this winter. Mrs. Elsie Estell
Stanley, Seattle, Wash., writes,
"1 recall that a reader once asked
for a recipe for marrow balls.
However, marrow balls not ac-
companied with a wonderful,
delicous soup would be like a pie
with no filling, so I am sending
recipes for both,
MARROW BALLS
1 well-rounded tablespoon
creamed marrow
1 beaten egg
Salt
Dash of nutmeg
Dried, rolled and sifted bread
crumbs
Mix first 4 ingredients, then
add enough bread crumbs to
form into a soft ball about the
size of a nutmeg, Drop into boil-
ing soup stock, Balls will at first
sink to bottom of kettle, but will
rise later. Remove and serve
with soup. This amount makes
8 balls. Multiply it, if you wish.
SOUP STOCK
31 pounds shank of beef
6 cloves
8 peppercorns
1 piece mace or sprinkling of
nutmeg
1 incl e celery cut in small
pieces
1 carrot
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 clove
1 sprig thyme
Several sprigs parsley
Place shank of beef in large
soup kettle; cover With cold
water several'inches higher than
meat; let stand 1 hour, Then add
all other ingredients except salt.
Simmer 3-4 hours. Add salt 1/2
hour before soup is done. Strain
through a colander; set aside to
cool. Place in regrigeratde until
fat forms on top; remove fat.
Reheat and strain again through
large sieve.
Business with the most ups and
downs is undoubtedly elevator
manufacturing,
Hamburger Stands
Go Big in England
Dri Samuel • Johnson wouldn't
have liked the new coffee houses
which • are making the ham-
burger as popular in London as
in New York,
It's not the hamburger the
learned Doctor would object to,.
It's the open plan, new-style
"Wimpy" bap where these are
eaten,
They are arranged with tables
round the walls so that every-
body sees everybody else.
Dr, Johnson was an extrovert,
He liked good conversation, But
his favorite haunts had back-to-
back oak benches where a email
group could feel snugly shut
away.
The new "Wimpy" bars are
open and streamlined for self-
service. Even the ubiquitous
waxy-leaved house plant doesn't
offer as much shelter as the
old-fashioned aspidistra or the
trailing fern..
"I think customers still like.
some form of stockade," a man-
ageress of one of . these bars told
this correspondent. "They all
go for the wall seats first. The
free-standing corner tables only
get filled later."
Decor is all-important in these
modern bars, Some catch the
eye with their clean lines and
sprightly paint, while others
startle or shock with garnish
hue and harlequin treatment.
The "Wimpies" represent a
new trend 'in the British catering
trade. I have never heard a juice
box playing in one. They are
geared to a quick turnover.
They are rapidly replacing the
wn-at-heel, tea-stained snack-
bar which until a few years ago
was often the only alternative to
arestaurant serving a full meal.
• Each "Wimpy" bar is a private
venture selling a standardized
product. The "Wimpy" is the
registered trade name for a
brand of beef hamburger — a.
minced and cooked-on-a-griddle
steak slapped between two muf-
fins — said -to be produced
from an Atherican recipe and
served, customer willing, with
onion. Two variants are the
"cheeseburger" in which a slice
of cheese is inserted. before cook-
ing, and the "eggburger."
Thie• `Wimpy" is the chief
item in a sparse menu which
inelUdes hot drinks, .soup, cold
milk in bottles, pastry, ice cream,
and fruit salad.
There are more than a hun-
dred "Wimpy' bars, mostly in,
the south of England, with. an
average of one new one opening
each week. Each new bar rep,-
resents several thousand pound!
of private vapital invested. in
reconditioning an old building.,
ono the inside of a former
motorcar accessory shop was
stripped bare to the plaster on
'the walls, It now has a king
self-service bar with glass-cov-
ered cnoveyor belt by which the
cooked "Wimpy" travels to the
cash desk; electric griddles for
onions and steaks; toasters; and
a room at the back with tables,
Sunny paintings of Mediterran-
ean scenes hang on the walls,
writes Melita Knowles in the.
Christian Science Monitor,
Practically all the "Wimpy"
bars are operated under license.
from the company, Pleasure •
Foods, a subsidiary 'a Lyons
& Co. Ltd. This company pre-
pares and delivers frozen "Wim-
pies" and other items, and hires
out the griddles and equipment,.
The company's inspectors ap-
prove the premises before issu-
ing the license, They consider
30 to 60 seats the ideal "Wimpy"
bar content. The steaks must be
bought from the licensing house,
and prices are uniform.
It has been reckoned that in
the "Wimpy" year March 1959-
1960 more than 11,000,000 steaks
will have sizzled on "Wimpy"
hot plates.
The licensee of the "Wimpy,"
though using his own capital for
reconstruction of the bar, can
get advice on planning and lay-
out from Pleasure Food ex-
perts. He can even take a train-
ing course in catering manage-
ment from them.
.The "Wimpy" bar thus has
points in common with the gaso-
line station selling one brand
of fuel, or the launderette tied.
to one make.of washing machine.
I still feel Dr, Johnson would
prefer his black oak benches,.
dimity curtains, and maiden-
hair fern.
The little girl at her first par-
ty -refused a second helping of
ice cream with obvious reluct-
ance.
"Do have some more, dear,"
urged the hostees.
"Mother told me to, say 'No,
thank you,' " replied the child,
politely, "but I donee think she
knew how small the ,helpings
were going to be."
ISSUE 4 — 1960
a
OCEk tEditge (left) explains hove his Slate .operates• lb ti
ituStanier a.t Ik& ,PeCerit Opening: of . his Paris outlet
REGULAR TIRES
ON •ICE.....
CAN VOL I SrOP?---
Anydro who's ever had to bring 0 ter to d
sodded tree on snow at 'ire hos ti good idea
of how if feels d ski jOrriO. This, sketch
shows how-It:Wit-meet to halt a car going 20
initter,vanoat conditions. It shows that
odh ehOins and srioyi tires cite relatively in-
effective artice. Moral! Whether you :lie
regdIai tires, chains, or sea*, tires in the
ter" drive as if you're giiinq downhill Art.
Can YOU stop?`,
CHAINS
ON ICE
SNOW TIRES
ON ICE,
eeeteeleieleileteliteeeteeeeeliefeielleiie
n.
"FIRST" FOR NIKITA Portrayed as a youthful-looking miner,
Soviet Premier Nikita Ithrushchev is shown demolishing ,9 cold-
War snowman Is a Pravda Cartoon titled, "Just Like a Miner:"
les the, firtt time the :Red boss hias been pictured In cartoon
form in a U.S.S.R. paper, although he was once :depicted in
a Hungarian publiCatian in cartoon style during hfs • LI.S. visits
REGULAR TIRES ON
DRY PAVEMENT
44