Oh, how I love the Automat,
The place where all the food is at !
I like to watch the milk run out
And join the coffee at the spout.
I put a nickel in the slot
And watch to see what I have got.
The little door then opens wide
And gives me what has been inside.
There's cakes and sandwiches galore
And pies and cooked things by the score.
Oh, yes ! I love the Automat,
The place where all the food is at.
ELIZABETH M. KOEHNLINE,
Life Magazine, 1938
Have any of my readers ever been to a Horn and Hardart's Automat and Cafeteria?
My Irish Grandmother, Memommy, used to take us there for lunch on special occasions. We would take the El to downtown Philadelphia, shop at John Wanamaker's Department Store, then go over to H&H. It was a thrill to be handed a bunch of nickels and let loose in the Automat. My favorite thing to get was their baked beans. What flavor !!! I honestly don't remember what else I bought. I'm sure my grandmother made sure that I had some pork with my beans.
I guess you could say that Horn and Hardart's was in our blood. My Irish cousins worked as waitresses in the H&H restaurant when they first came over to live in America in the late 50's/early 60's. In fact, I remember going to the one where they worked, and being waited on by them. There were a lot of waitresses with brogues.
During the summer between my sophomore and junior year of high school, I too, worked in a H&H restaurant located near my home in northeast Philly.
These are some of the memories of that time:
- I hated it. I was a piss-poor waitress.
- I loved the food, and could eat whatever I wanted for free. And I did. Mostly, baked beans.
- I gained fifteen pounds over that summer.
- I developed a bad case of acne.
- Somehow, I managed to snag my first boyfriend, Jimmy Townsend. Who dropped me like a hot potato in junior year.
- I introduced my sister Patty to her now husband of forty-some years. He was the short order cook and now he is a nuclear engineer. You go, Bill !!!
And, last, but not least, one Sunday morning, I dropped an entire piece of lemon meringue pie on an unsuspecting and quite livid customer. It was a man, and I made the fatal error of trying to wipe off the pie, which had landed directly on his crotch. Bad move !! I ran into the bathroom and cried hysterically and would not go out until those people left the premises.
A few years ago, I bought a book called The Automat written by Lorraine B. Diehl and Marianne Hardart.
For those who have memories of Horn and Hardart's and would like recipes for some of their best selling food, you will find this book a great read.
I have made their baked beans, and would like to share the recipe with you. Enjoy !!!
Horn and Hardart's Baked Beans
Amount
Measure
Ingredient
Preparation Method
1
lb
Great Northern or Navy beans
soaked overnight in cold water
1
c
Onion
chopped
4
sl
Bacon
diced
2
tb
Sugar
1
tb
Dry Mustard
½
ts
Cayenne pepper
2/3
c
Molasses
2
tb
Cider Vinegar
1 ½
c
Tomato juice
Salt
- Drain the beans and place them in a large saucepan. Add fresh water to cover the beans.
- Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, until beans are almost tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Drain.
- Preheat oven to 250°F
- Place the beans in a baking pot or casserole dish.
- Stir in the onions, bacon, sugar, dry mustard, cayenne, molasses, vinegar, tomato juice, and 1 cup of water.
- Bake the beans occasionally while baking and add more water if necessary, to prevent the mixture from drying.
- Season with salt to taste.
