The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1876-01-14
A Chinese Dinner.


In one of his letters to the Troy Times
Hon. John NJ. Francis gives the follow
ing agreeable account of a Chinese din
ner:
The time has now arrived for dinner;
the guest il invited into the spacious
dining hall, where table is laid with
several small dishes of fruits and condi-
ments piled mp in the queerest and most
fantastic shapes. The roof of this hall
is of carved wood, of rich brown color,
and brilliant with gliding, beautiful
chandeliers depending therefrom. re-
ieved at intervals with Chinese lamps of
curious construction. The walls on two
sides are of inlaid marble, III which are
placed mirrors. The chairs and tables
are of dark rosewood, inlaid with varie-
gated marble, and i'll convenient hooks
are hung water-color drawings in the
form of scrolls, which, apart from their
absurd perspective, evince considerable
merit and originality. The floor is in
laid with fine sort of native tile. The
north and south sides of this room con-
sist of windows of stained glass, admit
ting a soft and most delicious light.
Standing on the tables and pedestals are
splendid enameled vases and incense
burners of great value, beside bronze
and jade stone ornaments.
Dinner is now waiting, and the great
difficulty is to sit down, every one for
politeness sake trying to persuade his
neighbor to sit down first. After an
absurd display of this sort-bowing,
scraping, smiling, gesticulating and
arguing-a compromise is finally eff
fected, and all bob down together. The
dinner commences by an attack on the
sweetmeats and condiments, each person
dexterously handling his chop-sticks and
picking out anything he may fancy in
an indiscriminate sort of way. No plates
are used, and the viands have to be con-
veyed direct from the dishes TO the
mouth. Dried melon seeds are usually
first served, and the host generally takes
a handful of these and passes them to
his guests at the same time hot wine
is offered it is distilled from rice, and
has something of the flavor of sherry.
After skirmishing sometime among the
various small dishes, the more I'M
portant viands are brought forward, and
continued in almost endless succession.
OF course, the expensive and highly
bird 's-nest soup forms one
OF the courses. This and sharks fins,
sea slugs, pigeon 's-egg soup, boiled
ham, shrimps, various kinds of fish, pork
in many forms, and some of the sweets,
are most relished by foreigners. The
dinner is often continued to tedious
length, occupying three to five hours.
The difficulty in using the chop
sticks and the absence of plates
cause some embarrassment to the |
foreigner, but the
host passes over all mishaps with pleas. !
ant words, and the guest is made to feel
quite at his ease after little time. No
mutton or beef, or auythingin the shap
of joints, is served. The Chinese do !
not like the mutton flavor, and beef is
rejected because Confucius has pointed
out that it is improper to take the life of
an animal SO useful i'll agriculture. |
Wishing to do special honor to his guest !
ut the table, the host selects some cnoice |
bit, and with the chop-sticks he had |
only moment before had in his own
mouth, passes the morsel to him; it
would be considered extremely rude if
the proffered food were rejected. and
the favored guest must fortify himself
to receive and eat it. The hot wine is
frequently slipped, and the pipe is at in
tervals introduced. During the meal and
at its conclusion, bowls of rice are
brought in, held up close to the mouth,
and shoveled in quickly. Finally, and
as close, tiny cups of tea of choicest
flavor are served, supplemented with a
little more smOkinp Tho sedan chair ia
now in readiness, the host escorts his
guest to the outer door, compliments are
the host shakes his own
hands for good-by, and the affair is
ended.