New-York daily tribune., 1858-02-23

Ssy. Each guest vas supplied with . saucer sno
po,celsin spoon--tbey bad brought their own cneP'
sticls folded towel just ssturaied w'ta hos ss.s,,
vss placed By each ssncer-ths 10 the Chinese nsP-
bip-ard two tiny metal cups not 80 large as
were allotted to every guest. AZ my SIDE, 20 snsre
our feast and see that the rites were properly pr
formed sat the grsvest Of ChiDamen. He wore his
Mardsrn Summer cap, for he was the interpreter al
or. OF the consulstes.
The fist dish was, in accordance with au proper
prect dent the birds snes. soup. believe some OF us
we're rather surprised not 10 see the BIRDS ooo
bpp about in the bowl and 20 detect no hsvor OF
ticks or feathers or moss. Whs, these birds nests
are in their natural state do not know, for have no
book on orn,hology and hsve never been ords-neSs-
ing in the Straits. Their existence 81 table Il apps
rent in thick mucilsge at the surface ot tue soup,
BeIov this YOU come 20 a white liquid and chickens
flesh II Was objected that this was td e and taste
less deEcacy But remark that these two basins are
only the sufs Of little systems. The same hands that
brought them in scattered also an encourage OF s'li
smaller basins. These are sauces OF every n'vor
and strength from crushed fresh chihes TO s'mPie
soy Watch the Chinaman. How cunnmgy ne
compounds.
But Sir you do not mean 70 say that you ate this
'mucilage with your chopsticks 2
mo, Madsme, we scooped 1t with our saucers ana
ate il with our porcelain spoons. ,
The next course was expected with very nervous
excitement. l. was stew of sea-slugs. AS nave
seen them az Macao they white, but as served at
Nipopo thew are green. / credit the Imperial Acadia
nician's as the orthodox dish. They are slippery,
ard very difficult 20 be handled by nexpeiiencea
chopsticks but they are most succuient ana M
food NOT az all unlike in flavor 10 the green tat of tue
tnrtle If man cannot eat anything OF KIND whereot
he has not seen his father and grandfather eat oci0e
we must leave him TO his oysters and MS perwlASs
and his crawfsh, and not expect mu ~ swa.'oN V'o
much mole comely sea-slug. But surely brton Nno
has eaten himself into poisonous plethora upon mus
sci. has no right 10 hold up his hands ana eyes
Chinaman enjoying his honest welicooked ste" o
b<che& dc mer. -. -, - ,,L;,.o r,o s.ar
of ,he ceremonies solemnly interposed We were neg
l,ctipg the rudiments Of polteness NO one hau ye'
offered 70 ntrude Of these sleek and savory dehca
ces deeply rolled in sauce, INTO the mourn Vi NE
neirhbor Efforts were made TO retrieve the par
harlan honor but with great success Tor the sugs
were evasive, and the profered mouthful was not
The NEXT dish was sturgeon skul-cap-rare and gela
tinous but think rot so peculiar IN Its havor as 70
excuse the death Of several roysl hsh. ,
This dish being taken from Its orazen, lamp-neateu
stand was succeeded by stew OF shark tns and pork
The shark fms boiled toso soft consistency tha
they might have been turoot ms me Snlae,sn .sl
must have smiled the unreasonable preudlces OF the
Occidentals when be some Of US taslng tue pork
but fighting shy of the shark. He probably, now,
ever did not know that the same Occidentals would
eat with relish of fish which they had themselves
entced to their angle by worm or maggot.
Ne1t in order soup composed OF balls Oh crao
| have tasted this better prepared at MACAO III as
sumes there the form of very capital salad nade oi
crab and cooked vegetables.
Meanwhile the minstering boys flew and iuttered
round the table for ever filling the little wine glasses
with hot wine from the metal pots lhere were Ihree
kinds the strong samshu for very occasional spike
the medcated wine, for those who, having once expe,
renced its many havors chose to attempt II second
time; and the ordinary wine, which is so like sherry
negus that any who can drink that preparation
may be very well satisfied with its Chinese substitute
The Chinaman had drunk with each OF the con1Ires
almost in English fashion, but IN strict obedience 10
the Chinese rites, and uDgallantly challenging the
male part Of the company first
And now we became camorous for bread or rce
After succession of not by any means gross but GER
tainly nutritious and mucilagnOus dishes, the palate
and the stomach craved some farinaceous food Noth-
ing easier to procure. The boys, our own boys
accustomed to wait at English dinners brought IN
oaves at the lightest intimation; but our dr6ner
edend interposed. Bread at Chinese feast 10 con-
trary to the " rites"
We consoled ourselves by throwing at him deci-
sive and unanimous opinion that this was the weak
point Of Chinese gastronomy
The porcelain bowls in their courses, like the stars
in their courses continued in unpausing succession.
The next named was The Rice OF the Genil, mean
ing suppose, the food of the geni, for there
rice in the composition. 1t was stew of pums and
preserved fruits whose sweets and acids were an
agreeable counterpose TO the fish and meat dishes
| already teken Then we had dish OF a boiled hairy
vegetable, very like that stringy endive which they
| cal in France "Bar6e de Capuchin then stewed
mushrooms from Manchuria. Then we relapsed into
| another series of fish and meat entrees, wherein
a
root somewhat between a horsersdish and turnp
were largely used. There was bowl of ducks
| tongues, which are esteemed an exquisite Chinese
dainty. We were picking these little morceauI out
with our chopsticks lat which We had now become
adopts, for the knsck is easily acqured), when we
were startled by loud Chinese " Ey Ydp.' This
mprudent exclamation drew our attention TO the open
front of our apartment. The opposite house, distant
presented the spectacle Of small crowded playhouse
seen from the stage. 1t was densey crowded with
hslf.nsked Cinnamon. They were packed in mass
upon the gallery, and they were squstted upon the
roof. believe they had paid for their places They
had sat orderly and silent all this time ~ see the bar
barans dining. We might have dropped the grass
blinds but would have been ll-natured the Chinese
did us harm, and the blinds would have kept out
the air, so went on eating, like Greenwich PEN
sioners or Bluecoat boys, in public.
So We continued our attentions TO the ducks tongues
and passed on to deers tendOns-a Royal dish. These
dees tendons come, ought TO come. from Tartary.
The EmpeIors make presents of them to ther favored
subjects. Yek's father at Canton recently received
from his Sovereign and gave feast in honor Of
| the present These must have been boiled for week
TO bring them down 20 the state Of softness in which
they came up TO US.
Exhausted or rather repleted nature could no more.
When stew of what the Chinese call the ear shell
fish was placed upon the table no could carry hs
experiments further. An untouched dish is signal
for the cose of the feast. The maitre dhotel pro-
testeu that be had twenty courses of excellent
rarity, but Chinese master of the ceremonies was
imperative, and 30 were we. Plain boiled rice. the
nee Of Szechuen, was brought round 10 little bowls
aid Of this We al ate plentifuy. Confectionery and
canded fruits, and acanthus berries stepped in spit
followed, and then tee. No uncooked fruit is allowed
at Chinese dinner. They have 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
ID The highest degree wholesome nutritious aud light
OF digestion. We certainly 30 found it, for adjourn.
ing 70 the house OF one Of the convres we made an
excellent supper that night.
he master Of the ceremonies now looked round him
with swollen and satisfied air, and-erusch mons
from his mouth came forth loud sonorous noise
Which Tain l..