M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1858-03-25


celain bowls in their courses, like the
stars in their courses, continued in
Iunpausipg succession. The next nam!
ed was "The Rice of THE Genii"-
meaning, l suppose, the food Of the
genii. for there was no rice in the COM
position. 1t was stew of plums and
preserved fruits, whose sweets and
acids were an agreeable counterpoise
to the fish and meat dishes already
taken. Then we had dish Of boiled
hairy vegetables, very like that stringy
endive which they call, in France,
"Bar5e de Capuohin," then stewed
mushrooms from Mmchuria. Then
we relapsed into another series Of fish
and meat entries, wherein vegetables
of the vegetable marrow species and
a root somewhat between a horserad-
ish and n turnip were largely used
There was bowl of ducks tongGeg,
which are esteemed an exquisite Chi
nese dainty. We were picking these
little morceaux out with our chopsticks
| lat which we had now become adopts,
for the knack is easily acquired when
VIC were startled by loud Chinese
"Ey Iah.o
This imprudent exclamation drew
our attention to the open front Of our
apartment. The opposite house, dis
tant perhaps across the street about
eight feet from us, presented the spec
: tacle of a small crowded playhouse,
seen from the stage. 1t was densely
crowded with half.naked Cinnamon.
They were packed in mass upon the
gallery, and they were squatted upon
the roof. | believe they lad paid for
their places. They had sat orderly
and silently all this time, to see the
barbarians dining. We might have
dropped the grass blinds, but it wo'd
have been ill-natured the Chinese
did US no haru, and the blinds would
have kept ont the air; SO We went on
eating, like Greenwich pensio ners or
Blue.coat boys in public.
Ducks tongues and aterS' tenaOaS.
So we continued our attentions to
the ducks tongues and passed on to
deerS' tcndons--a royal dish. These
, deers' tendons come from, or ought 10
como from, Tartary. The emperois
, make presents ofthen to their favored
subjects, Yeh's fatLer, at Canton,
recently received some from his SOW
t ereign, and gave a feast in honor Of
t the present. These mast Lave been
e boiled for week to bring them down
to the state Of sOftness in which they
came up to us. Exhausted, OF rather
: repleted, nature could no more. When
t stew OF what the Chinese call tho
/ ear shell fish was placed upon the ia.
BILE, no one could carry his experiments
} further. An untouched dish is a sig.
J. nal for the close OF the least. The
, nlGItre d'hOteJ protested that he had
twenty more courses OF excellent rarity,
but our Chinese master of the ceremO.
, nies was imperative, and so were we.
/ Plain boiled rice, the rice Of Szeehuen,
, was brought round in little bowls, ami
of this we all etc plentiIully. Con
fectionery and candied fruits, and
! acanthuS berries stepped in spirits,
|; followed; and then tea. No uncooked
fruits are allowed at a Chinese dinner.
t They have a proverb that fruit is
feathers in the morning, silk at noon,
. and lead at night. | was assured by
) competent authority that nothing had
+ been placed upon the table which WAS
, not in the highest degree wholesome,
5 nutritious, and light Of digestion. We
/ certainly SO found it; for, adjourning
, to the house of the cenCiU0S, we mads
: an excellent supper that night.