doIt is a croque-monsieur on a cardboard tray or a plate heated in the microwave, a canned drink or a 25cl wine, all to be enjoyed on a small counter with paper napkins and wooden cutlery… However, the transition to the bar car is not so trivial. Since its appearance at the end of the 19th century,my century, this small dining space has continued to evolve, reinventing itself and cultivating its own food codes, always reflecting the times.
The aesthetics of meals on rails sparked Arthur Mettetal’s curiosity. Assisted by Jean-Pierre Williot, professor of economic history at the Sorbonne, and Grégory Nolan, director of the SNCF documentation department, the historian, a specialist in railway and industrial heritage, delved into the archives of the former International Company of Sleeping Cars and the SNCF group.
Together, they unearthed more than a hundred photographs, of rare documentary value, which are the subject of an exhibition (open until 29 September) at the Rencontres de la Photographie in Arles, entitled “Wagon-Bar. A little history of railway food” –, and the publication of a book by Editions Textuel.
Red Skai chairs and crab mayonnaise sandwiches
Looking at these photographs, sometimes advertising-style, we are first introduced to the golden age of food on wheels, during the interwar period, when wealthy travellers dined aboard luxurious Pullman carriages (decorated by René Prou), with white tablecloths and silver cutlery. The narrow on-board kitchens (8 square metres) offered elaborate menus and had their own dedicated brigade. In the 1950s, society evolved: self-service, street vending and cars appeared. “bar and snack”.
We then sail, always at full speed, between the trays of food on the Corail trains that we ate as a family in the 1960s, on red Skai armchairs, to the old-fashioned kitsch of certain preparations (crab mayonnaise sandwiches, gelatin-based desserts), including the futuristic decoration of the TGV bar cars of the 1990s, in the shape of a spaceship, modelled by industrial designer Roger Tallon.
Along the way, the authors reveal a behind-the-scenes corporate account of the making of… the triangle sandwich. “If the images in this book are intrinsically linked to the railway world, those dedicated specifically to the photography of various dishes and snacks fall within “gastronomic literature”, just like cookbooks or recipe books”, concludes Arthur Mettetal.
Bar Car. A little history of railway food.under the direction of Arthur Mettetal, Textual, 224 p., €29.
