“How Elizabeth loathed that pension! The patronne was an old black-clad sneak who spent her life in tiptoeing up and down the stairs in hopes of catching boarders washing stockings in their hand basins. The boarders, sharp-tongued bilious widows pursued the only man in the establishment, a mild, bald creature who worked at La Samartine, like sparrows worrying about a bread-crust. At meals all of them watched each other’s plates to see who was given the biggest helping. The bathroom was a dark den with leprous walls and a rickety verdigrised geyser which would spit two inches of tepid water into the bath and then mulishly stop working.
George Orwell, “Burmese Days”, 1935.
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 