Toronto Cafeteria Matron

Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor v1. London. Griffen, Bohn and Company, Stationer's Hall Court, 1851, which I was commended to read almost 30 years ago in a university level "humanities" course, lists the pret a manger fare of the "The Street-sellers of Eatables and Drinkables" in early Victorian London.

Even then Mayhew reports that London streets were alive with willing sellers and willing purchasers of fried fish, hot eels, pickled whelks, sheep‘s trotters, ham sandwiches, peas’--soup, hot green peas, penny pies, plum “duff,” meat-puddings, baked potatoes, spicecakes, muffins and crumpets, Chelsea buns, sweetmeats, brandy-balls, cough drops.... such constituting the principal eatables sold in the street; while under the head of street-drinkables may be specified tea and coffee, ginger-beer, lemonade, hot wine, new milk from the cow, asses milk, curds and whey, and occasionally water.

I can vouch that I have survived eating and drinking most of these items, which are still sold from the curb in some London boroughs.

In its role as Head Cafeteria Matron, the City of Toronto has wriggled out of Victorian food safety shackles and now offers modern Torontonians: hotdogs, sausages, chips and soft drinks.