1. Daniel O’Connell, in his book The Inner Man, published in SF in 1891, claims that the people “of the most intellectual of ancient nations, were formidable eaters and their repasts were greatly prolonged.” O’Connell was referring to:
a. The Americans
b. The Greeks
c. The Gauls of France and Belgium
2. O’Connell also wrote: “the Americans of the present day, of both sexes, use less of ___ and less of ___ than any other people on the face of the globe.”
a. butter/lard
b. red meat/salt
c. tobacco/alcohol
3. In the heart of 1920s Japantown, Tenkin restaurant owner Henry Kuba said of this dish, which is still Japan’s pride:“All of these foods must be cooked at the last minute and enjoyed immediately.”
a. tempura
b. zaru-soba noodles
c. sushi
4. Alexandra Becarra, who, with her husband and daughters, ran Progreso Mexican restaurant at 736 Broadway in the ’20s and ’30s, was “not able to welcome her guests in plain English,” wrote Ruth Thompson in Eating Around San Francisco. But Señora Becarra:
a. made up for it with fine food and service
b. showed her hospitality and happiness to
serve in the sparkle of her brown eyes
c. joyfully gave her guests free Spanish lessons
5. The red berries imported from Sweden at Frida and Sten Kuyler’s Bit of Sweden restaurant at 560 Sutter Street, circa 1935, were:
a. red Antwerp raspberries
b. boysenberries
c. loganberries
6. Because his guests would call him Uncle Tom, Thomas Rolls called his San Bruno roadhouse along El Camino Real Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In 1877, guests feasted on:
a. oysters Kirkpatrick, sufferin’ succotash,
corn fritters
b. candied yams, green onions, baked Virginia ham
c. head cheese, lemon meringue pie, chitlins
7. At Abe Warner’s Cobweb Palace at Meiggs’ Wharf dinner guests and their kids flocked as much for the free-roaming monkeys, bears, parrots, and prancing roosters as for the chow. The Cobweb Palace was the place for:
a. the mammoth (Dungeness) Pacific crab
b. Italian squash fried in oil with a flavor of garlic
c. buckets of boiled crayfish
8. “Lovers of the nightlife know it well for it is the destination of many an automobile party,” was written in the 1930s about a time-honored drink-
ing and dining destination overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Seal Rocks; name the location.
9. In the gas-lit 1890s, the only line drawn at Sanguinetti’s Italian eatery regarding dining conduct was the throwing of bread. It is said that the proprietor, Steve, probably:
a. got tired of cleaning up after his guests
b. had been cited by the Health Department for numerous violations
c. did not want it wasted
10. Restaurant owner Peter Job was unique in the early 1850s and ’60s for:
a. paying special attention to lady patrons
b. offering doggie bags
c. serving French champagne on the house
Answers
1. b; 2. c; 3. a; 4. b; 5. c; 6. b; 7. a;
8. The Cliff House (since 1863); 9. c;
10. a (At that time, most eating places were not considered respectable enough for 
ladies, who had to enter by the back door so as not to be seen.)
Victor Turks grew up in San Francisco and lives in the Richmond with his wife, Michiko, their three boys, a pug, a cat, and a tankful of goldfish. He teaches English at City College
