them not more than twenty-five cents a day, all told, for their food.
In the last ten years they have never served less than 1,500 people in
a day.

The bill of fare varies from day to day, but we will take one day,
Tuesday, for example. A large dish of barley soup is served, wholesome
and nourishing, a ball of hashed meat, with potatoes and rice, or
boiled salmon, potatoes and turnips.

The nine-cent dinner is pretty much the same, with the exception of
the soup; boiled potatoes and rice, or boiled salmon, potatoes and
turnips. A plate of soup alone, which in itself would be more than a
meal for most people, being filled with meat and vegetables, is served
for three cents.

The same dinners are furnished to the public to be eaten at their
homes for nine and seven cents respectively, and usually contain
enough food for two or three women, although Norwegians have stalwart
appetites. The outdoor service is conducted in another part of the
building, upon another street. The patrons procure tickets at an
office and then form in line--men, women and children, each with
a bucket or a basket, or both, in hand. Many tickets are given
gratuitously, but it is impossible to distinguish the paying from the
charity customers. Benevolent people throughout the city purchase
bunches of tickets, which they give to the poor, and sometimes in lieu
of wages. If you hire a man to clean up the yard, you can give him so
much cash and so many meal tickets, or if a person appeals to you for
relief, it is always better to give a ticket to the "Steam Kitchen"
rather than money. Many customers buy two portions which they take
home and warm up at meal time for the whole family.