Dream of the Rarebit Fiend He addressed religious leaders, alcoholism, homelessness, political speeches, suicide, fashion, and other topics, whereas his other strips were fantasy or had seemingly vague, timeless backgrounds. The strip referenced contemporary events such as the 1904 election of Theodore Roosevelt; the recently built Flatiron Building (1902) and St. Regis Hotel (1904) in New York City; and the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05. The rarebit is a dish typically made with rich cheese thinned with ale and served melted on toast with cayenne and mustard mixed in. McCay used it despite its innocuousness—cultural theorist Scott Bukatman states rarebit was not the sort of dish
Creamed eggs on toast a way to use up leftovers, common additions include chopped ham, veal, chicken, lobster, cooked asparagus and peas. Variations include Eggs Goldenrod, made by reserving the yolks and sprinkling them over the dish after the cream sauce has been poured on the toast, and Eggs à la Bechamel, substituting croutons fried in butter for the toast and poached or soft-boiled eggs for the hard-boiled eggs. In this case, the cooked eggs are placed on the croutons and the sauce poured over both. In many families this dish has become a traditional Easter brunch fare. The tradition starts with everyone donating