The Portland daily press., 1865-10-18
Wednesday Morning, Oct. 18, 1865.
A Chinese Dinner.

q OA1AOSO Dlh1OIs
In one of the letters of Mr.. Samuel Bowles
to the Springfield Republican we find the fol-
lowing account of Chinese dinner in San
Francisco:
.fst THE DINNER.
We were seated for the dinner around little
round tables, six to nine at the table. and
hosts and guests evenly mixed. There was 4
proiusion of elegant China dishes on each Ia
bic; each guest had two or three plates and
saueers, all delicate and small. Choice sauces,
5 pickles, sweetmeats and nuts were plenIifully
scattered about. Each guest had saucer OF
flowers, a China spoon or bowl with handle
and pair of chep-sticks, little round and
smooth ivory sticks about six inches long.
Che Sing-Tong, president of the San Yup
company, presided at Mr.. Colfax's table.
Now the meal began. 1t consisted of three
different courses, or dinners rather, between
which was a recess Of half an hour, when we
retired to an ante-room, smoked and talked,
and listened to the simple, rough, barbaric
music from coarse guitar, viol drum. and violin
and meanwhile the tables were reset and new
foed provided. uvaM ,ga 88aase
Each course Of the dinner comprised doz-
en- to twenty different dishes served generally
one at time, though sometimes two were
brought on at once. There were no Joints,
nothing to, be carved. Every article was
bfo1ght on in quart bowls in sort of hash
form. We dove into it with our chops-ticks
which, well-handled, took up about mouth
ful, and transferring this to our plates worked
the chop-stcks again to get it or parts of it to
our mouths No one seemed to take more than
single taste or mouthful of each dish so that.
even if one relished the food it would need
something like a. hundred different dishes to
. satisfy an ordinary Appetite Some of us took
very readily to the ehop-sticks; others did not
perhaps were glad they dpuld not; and for
these Yankee fork was provided, and their
Chinese neighbors at the table were also
prompt to offer their own chop-stcks to place
bit of each dish upon their plates. But as
these same chop-sticks were also used to con-
vey food INTO the mouths of the Chinese, the
service did not always add to the relish Of the
food. s8sea aasfi s-a.ss l.fas4s,saf
- l.o --s THE COURSES. ,s...r
These were the principal dishes served for
the first course, and IN the order named: Fried
; sharks fins and grated ham, stewed pigeon
with bamboo soup, fish sinews with ham, stew
ed chicken with water cress, seaweed,, astewed
ducks and bamboo soup, sponge cake, omler
cake, flower cake and banana Gitters, ,BiFd-nest
soup, tea The NESTS seemed all alike; they
had bseu dried or preserved in some way;
were cut up into mouthfuls, and depended for
all savoriness upon their accompaninents.
The seaweed, sharks fms, and the like had a
glutinous sort of taste: not repulsive, nor We
ry seductive. The sweets were very delicate,
but like everything else. had avery artificial
flavor: every article, indeed, seemed to have
had its original and real tast and strength
dried or cooked out Of it, and common Chi
nese flavor put into. The bird-nest soup look
ed and tasted somewhat as very delicate YER
mieetli soup does. Theltaa was delicous-it
was served without milk or sugar, did not
need any such ameloration, and was very re-
=. ~
most delicate leaves or flowers of the tea plant,
and had escaped all vulgar sleeping or boiling
During the first recess, the presidents Of the
companies--the chief ntertainers-took their
leave, and the merchants assumed the post Of
leading hosts; such being the fashion of the
people. The second dinner opened with cold
tea, and q. white rosesscented iqueur, very
strong, and served in tiny cups, and went on
with lichens and a fungus-like moss, more
sharks fins, steWed chestnuts and chickens,
Chinese oysters, yellow and resurrected from
the dried stage, more fungus stewed, stew of
-four and white nuts, stewed mutton, roast
ducks, rice soup, rice and ducks eggs and
= picked eucHmbers, ham and chicken SOUP
Between the second and third parts there was
an exchange of complimentary speeches by
the head Chinaman and Mr.. Colfax, at which
the interpreter had to officiate. The third
and last course consisted of great variety of
ended about eleven O'Clock, after a sitting Of
full five hours The American resident guests
furnished champagne and claret, and our
I. Chinese hosts, invariably at the entrance and
departure of each dish, invited us, with a
gracious bow, to a sip thereof, in the which
they all faithfully joined themselves.
stsThe dinner was unquestionably a most
magnificent one after the Chinese standard :
: but / found The one universal odor and favor
soon destroyed all appetite; and / fell back re-
signetlly on a constitutional ineapacity to use
the chop-sticks, and was sitting with a grim
poltpaess through dinner No. 2, when there
came an angel in disguise to my relief The
urbane chief of police of the city appeared
and touched my shoulder: ~TheTeI issa gen
tlemana at the door who wishes to see you, and
would have you bring your hat and c0at. -
There were visions Of violated city ordinances
and assisting at the police court next morn
ing. / thought, too, what polite way this
man has of arresting a, stranger to the city,
But, howing my excuses to my pig-tail
neighbor, went jeyiully to the unknown
d tribunal. A friend, a leading banker who bad
sat opposite to me during the evening, and
had been called but moment before, vel
coined me at the street door with,-"B b.,
knew you were suffering, and were hungry
iet us go and get something to eat-a good
square meal" So we crossed to an Ameri-
can can restaurant; the lost appetite came back;
and mutton chops, SQUADS. fried notatoes and
Doriie OF champagne soon restored me-. NV
friend insisted that the second course of the
Chinese dinner was only the first warmed soy-
er, and that was the object of the recess--
However that might be-this is how went
to the grand Chinese dinner, and went out
thing to eat"