Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1847-02-03

A CHINESE DNNER.-From a letter Of
German traveller in China. in the Deu-
tsche SchnclipOSf, we translate the following
amusing account Of Chinese dinner
A rich old Chinaman, mandarin Of the
| white button, whose handsome house we
| had visited, invited as TO dinner. A, his
! request we took some of our acquainlancss
with US, so thai the party was composed Of
six Germans and six Chinese. The old
Yenqua Cha, is, Mr.. 1en) was ororjoycd
10 see us at his hospiiable table, and 10 ex-
pend on us his wre:ched English. All was
neatly arranged, and The politeness Of tho
Chinese on such occasions Is perfect
Fiom regard 10 the fore gners two capons
and ham were put on the table, and plates
knives and forks were provided for US. We
however, tried the ivory eating sticks and
made grea, progress in the difficult art of
using them.
The whole number of dishes served up in
cups and dishes was sixty or seventy.
The following noticed particularly, and
We the list with critical remarks. First,
the capons and, for our consolation, bread,
which the Chinese took on their plates,
cut into little pieces and swallowed after
long masication. Then came little plates
with salad, crabs, Chinese sausases. frogs.
ham, lobster and rosa, mcai,all cut into fine
pieces so that j, night be eatsn with the
ivory sticks. Beside US stood little plates
with the meals Of almond and other nGis~
There were also the soups; The queen Of
all soups, indian bids nests n costly dish,
as every nest costs about ten dollars; there
were also soups of ducks feet /, dove o eggs.
peas, iurnips, chickens, young bamboo
shoots, and biche-le-mcr. Next came tea,
in tie Chinese mode, without sugar and
milk, and very weak We hoped that this
was the end,-bu, it was only he first half,
Other expensive dishes came in on plates;
first, sharks fins great delcacy, which
sometimes appear on The tables OF the
Europeans; then fishes glIs, lamphreys,
rols, fish, salt Goldfish, molusks, crabs,
pastry with pork maccaroni, fishes tails,
ragout Of ducks. The last occosioneu
little disturbance. Oar hest who COM
PEELED Us TO taste OF every dish, recon-
mended this one az "duck's meat" or as
he pronounced it, "dog's meat" A cry e
terror passed through the European part
of,he company atthis ragout OF puppies
However, they Gained us with more polite
ness than cur undisgnised expression Ut
disgust deserved, and assured US tina, dogs
never appeared Of The tables Of the rich
We were set free from great iribulatien
At last they brought on The dessert, also
consisting Of twelve little dishes. and neg
lea again. but this time with milk and su-
CARA great kindness 10 US. After ses-
sion Of nearly three hours we were released
and went out on the terraces 10 ENJOY the
fine evening air AMI 10 admire. from dis
lance, the Illumination Of the dining room
During the whole dinner we had drank
nothing bot cherry cordial and Safnphu,
the later a frighiful sort Of liquor distilled
from rice THIS was by no means ngreea
BILE, ecal!y with the rage of,hs Chinese
to dunk 10 Us. AT last nay nelghbor, al
in ell gen; aud well-educated y ung Chin
man, became tho worse fr IL Twice
during The dinner he got downright drunf
and mad 10 Withdraw 10 relieve hlmsclf.-
The ney, day he came and apo!og zed,-
too muchic sorTy,-noi that he Ind drank
too much, bu, that ne had not been tb!s 10
drink more.