The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1857-11-11
Manners and Gus, oms.. wha, Chinese Eat.

Wnlcn tney are cooked, and the garlic thal
almost universally taints them. But jndg
ing from the exhalalioEs that assault one
olfactories in passing American restaurants
and Kitchens about dinner time, our country
men would be likely 70 make no serious ob.
jection TO taking dinner with Celestial on
account of The alliaceous plants, with which
the viauds are favored. As for the other
offensive Ingredients in the dishes OF John
Chinaman, namely, the vegetables oil, il ills
of any other kind in the world but the pro.
duct Of the castor bean, we cannot Imagine
tito be more disgusting than ruch strong
hogs fat and rancid butter, as mingle 80
plentifuly in almost all American attempts
al the culinary art. The very perfume of
the ingredients mentioned is frequently
strong enough TO bear up an egg and for that
reason are everywhere used to "raise" pie
crust and short cake.
iu bills of fare in the Middle Kiugdom,
dogs, cats, rats, snakes, worms, figure more
prominently than in ours. But the nation
which enjoys the highest reputation for its
cuisine in the world, has an equally authea.
tic claim 10 prominence for its comprehen.
sive Appropriation of the bounlies of nature
to the susienance Of man. Fricassees are
rarely. or never professed 10 hc composed of
csnine hams, grimalkin loins, rats, snakes
aud worms. This the elegance of neither
the French nor American taste would permit
But who Knows what pan OF animated nature
is some times hidden under tue sweet suspi-
cious word :agout, or is disguised in humble
rsfectories by the all embracing name Of
soup? Reptiles and semirepiiles, such as
eels and frogs, are not articles of food ir
CHA alone. Even creatures of lower or
der, so low indeed iha, they can hardly be
said TO live at all, such as muscles, oysters
and clans, are greedily eaten BY some, and
strange 10 relate, the two latter bear an ex.
ceedingly remunerating price, though not.
wi!hsianding their inward graces, they must
be classed in outward semblauce among The
most repulsive naturally of the works Of cfe-
alton. At -s ss
ftbe Chinese have been detected occa.
sionally in pressing into the service Of the
kitchen creatures, which have not yet earn
ed favorable European or American reputa.
tion, ii will be simply candid TO remark, that
these cases are probsby occasional, where
people have been caught with iheir-we
mean, in dishabile. Another thing must be
SAID in their excuse. According 10 Barrow,
there is a wider difference perhaps between
the rich and The poor of China than in any
other country. The wealth, which if per-
miIled would be expended in fiatlering the
vanity of its possessors, is now applied to
the purchase of dainties to pamper the appe.
tite.
The animal food consumed By The Chinese
is probably less in proportion 10 the whole,
than that OF other nations OF the same at-
tude. Cne dish Of fish or flesh and some.
times both, is the usual allowance on the
tables of the poor. Rice, millet and wheat
furnish most of the cereal food. It's long and
common use is indicated by the number of
terms employed TO describe il, and The vari-
ely oi allusions TO il in common phraseology.
Rice il cooked by seaming, aud bread, veg
eables, aud other articles in the same man.
ner' Whea, -four is boiled into cakes, dun.
plines and other articles, not baked into
bread; but foreigners at Canton are supplied
with baked loaves ola pretty good quality.
Maize, buckwheat and barley are not ground,
but the grain is cooked in various ways alone
or mixed with other dishes.
China abouuds in culinary vegetables
Leguminous and cruciferous plants almost
fill their gardens; peas, beans, cabbage, broc-
coli, kale, caulifowers, cress, cnlwori, lettuce,
southislle, spinach, celery, dsndelion, sue.
cory, sweet basil ginger, mustard, radishes,
ai'emisis, amaran,hns, !acca, pig weed,
(ehenopodiam,) purslawe, shepard's purse,
Glove, garl'cs, leeks, scaliious, onions, chives,
carrots, gourds, equashes, oucumbes, wster-
melons, tomatoes, turnips, brinjal, pumpkins,
okers, and multitude more are cultivated
and used as green's or otherwise. Beside
these, several kinds of water plants are 10
request, as The eluTbium, taro, water cal.
irops and water ches,nuts, the last when
boiled tasting like new cheese. The swee,
potato is the most common luber, for though
the Irish has been cultivated in the vicinity
of Whampoa for scores OF years, il has not
entered into common consumption.
We subjoiu some easy rules for trying lea.
Prove !, BY putting small quantity in acup,
pour on il pure spring water at boiling heat,
place the saucer also filed with boiling water
over the cnp 10 increase the heat, and after
sufficient time for the leaves to unfold Them
selves has elapsed, examine their appear
ance and The color of The infusion. II i. be
Bohea, the infusion will be of adeep yellow
color with a taste not over aus,ere. II II be
Congo or cong-fee, which is a finer kind of
Bohea, the infusion will be of lighter coll
| or, inclinine 10 green, but The favor not so
! agreeable. fit be Sdshoug, one OF the finest
kinds Of Black tea, It's leaves should be free
from spots, The infusion should have deli.
cate greenish tinge and very agreeable
oder. The Pekno tea gives light green
l,inse 10 ;hs water, and has sweet vioIs,
smell. The Padre Sushong has long fia.