Thomas Need was in Cobourg in 1832, and in his book Six Years in the Bush, he gives a humourous account of meals at the Steamboat Hotel. The breakfast bell was rung at 7:30 and again at 8:00, whereupon a there was a general rush from all parts of the house and neighboring stores.....plates rattled, cups and saucers flew about and knives and forks found their way into their owners mouths.The company was a motley collection.... ten minutes sufficed for the dispatch of the meal; afterward each and every one retired or returned to their business in silence.