New-York tribune., 1880-02-22

containing variety of fruits, preserved eggs sliced
| pears, etc. all III miniature.
small plates containing pepper. salt. SOY, and sugar
Chopstcbs porcelain spoon win a large
bowl and a very short handle. a tiny porcelain VINE
cup, and little two-prouged FORK were placed Pc
fore each gnest. Henry asked Max to sit down WIN
MS as he cOud explain the dishes, customs, etc., to
| us He behaved so we'll only as Chlndman Oh IN
fcriOr rank can behave when in company OF ms SUI
pcriors. lie was neither shy nor forward
We began our repast by helping ourselves at orr
Measure the fruit. etc.. from the centre OF the
table eating according to Chinese f0rm 1Gl 40
not necessarily put what you take from the dishes
or basins into your litte basin, but more gen
erallv eat what you have secured either by chop
| sticks or the fork at once. You can imagine now
/ much | appreciated tho little fork. as could not
| usc the chOpSticlIS at all struggled ana sIuH-
| plcd hut what | took up with them fell on 10 tle
| table before could convey 1t TO my mouth Ana
now courses OF dishes were paced on the table hy
degrees and as none were removed until the dnner
was finished we had an incrcasmcsclrclo of porce-
lam basins in the centre, and by the time hat the
! thirty and forty of these bowls on the table.
| Everything was cooked ~ rags, and all OF 1t was
| Favored or accompanied by mushrooms, garlic.
| wItcrchcstuuts slices OF bamboo shoots, etc. ne
dishes were put on the table in singular order to
| our ideas: sometimes dish of So Get llaNor was
| followed ~ containing h0ned duck, then came
nork TO, led conch, etc. In the mlddic OF the re-
nyst TEA and lie cakes were gwen uS, auu Tpul
! Tins moment tea supplied dd hbHam untl the
end of tine dinner. The Tea was made III covered
| cups ont Oi winch we drank; aud Whch we W"n'cd
! more of It, fresh tca-leavcs, with boiling water
| ,,nur.d on Them Vcr, pUt into fresh cups and
LANDED to U.s. The china lld OF the cup YOU nave t9
| paltiv Withdraw when you drink, and II Is u~olnl
ior preventing the tea-cdNcS from gong iniO your
/ mouti. 80
Tnr vine. which was put on the table at 'bc be-
cinut Of tht rcpasi, was contained IN Htt'e WLic
metal tauliards about SIX inches IN heiGat. Two
kinds oi me- each most dlsdgitcablc 10 M taS't'
! were gwen rs whit WIN" made from rcc Whch
! tasted little Ike weak Whisicy aud red VINE
! made from uchcus. HE vine was poured into tlny
porcelain cups. At the end OF ihc dinner three
] g.. l.rf.ri ifts ia
vcr.. placed Gn the table and Immediately became
! sl.piC ,ous Dl what they conialued W zen We rose
f,c tie table, hot "atcr IN brass D'"s N's placed
before Us. and small to"c:S WcI' plnFiutd Ioi Us o
! which tn tlrv ON hands. d.d NOT think Ycy uuch
Of the hiitl|-u'st soup, winch # toisc was oae OF
fhc dcliciccs oi winch We HAD Pdtiah"n u j. gel
| stmoIs aud ha, uo flavor IN particular that could
| discover. II was scNed with pigeons eggs ana
/ nam. II must. fancy, hc very munitions Inc
! Malay name Tor ~ j. " Foam Ct tlc sea. am To
visit one ol the shop, where Ill" ness are rrcrated
for tl,r aul .oi aud 10 the great amount of care
Nat Las 10 h- bestowed upon them before tIcI are
m to lee converted INTO foot. III" Mal"yt believe
that the binds swallow tEe .Oam AID eject u after Il
ba, undergone some change IN Their -t1machs. will
now give you tHc hill Oi fare. Whlch Wi"ie down
is each dish Wss put on table
subsc0rcnt VISIT at the house Of 4 native family
named Howqui. presented singular combination
of Chinese and European customs. and affords tine
subject for one oi the authors naive descriptions =:
We went - the HowQ1a- house about o'clock,
and were +, cciy ed by yOnue Ar. lio"quA lie took
n
Lnu>cs. whicn arc used by the Chinese as places ot
t..,,t IA Summer. was astoris ishcd To see two deer
/ confined IN vaId, and soEe geese 10 cages on The
| op.o,lte side of the pan. Henry told me that
door i.1coch Is aud geese are kept because they
supposrd to bring uck. ana that YOU VIII hnd them
! i'm most g-ntcm"ns grounds. When We returned
INTO the house, was taken through various halls.
7 thrcupd suites of rooms, and 81 last into room
/ where q Chinese lady received me. She was not
tie lady had seen previously at TINS house. Alter
! a ten MINUTES conversation, carried on hN tht hclp
of INV iittic Interpreter, tine mother oi our Trend
! Mr. H0wqua came INTO the room accompanied by
! two Young ladies. who were very much rougcd, and
| had the smallest feet one couid imagine. They
ycro .hi.fccu and fourteen years Of age. They wore
! their long. suolh air M single plat; II was tcd
with buo cord IN account Of mourning Tor Their -s-
tcr-iu-.aw. H. ~ not curious tha thr Chinese look
| upou blIc ~ e very ustc color lbe color thcT
acinlrc X red 0f all shades. VIII ell they use on festive
| occl,!of~. When Vs. had sat some tinl0 with the
/ ladir, my itilc friend and the gentlemen were
IN a separate room' thought u time To take leave.
huf ON rising was told. 10 great surprise. that
/ "A European dinner had been prepared FOR us nj !
o'clock, and that il would soon be ready We were
! then conducted by Mrs. liowqua sue leading me by
! The hand INTO the room where my husband and the
| gentlemen % The family were n,-rmbIrd. fi"rr we
! fouud "a long table arranged in true English style.
/ II WIS decorated With HpWcrs dessert was on the
| table. and Epgsh knives, IoIks ana RIaNscs were
! paccd round 10. No chupstlcks were there. Dinner
! yas-oon ready, aud Mr. Howqua placed me on his
| 1iuht hand Henry on his left We iouud ont that
! he had received full instructions about English
! manners from h"nrys Chinese teacher, who lives
| with our coWp;acCr,. Ihis man was also invited,
| gul,N as 10.
! of etiquette McAt oi AL kinds nciuiiuG pork, ham.
duck etc.. was well cooked. bat u AL scIvcdu up
/ cold. sherry provided for us, aud ! noticed
that all the Ch'Hc-c gentlemen present helped thcu
selves 10 II n large quantities. was much amused
| al seeing that English table napkins were placed
! for us. hut they were unhcmmrd. lirnys Chinese
teacher must have gwen mirutc instructions, for
platc cain. ~ piled mp with large slices Uf bread.
Mr. uowqua helped tins himself. Vi wing each of Us
two large slices. lie was most hospltab!c, aud gave
me such large portions OF food on my plate that |
! did mol know what To do. Minnie SAID mat hv con-
| .t.ntly complained that ! dId not like what was
! ovdch for | ate little. Ten hucsc gentlemen
! sat down with us. but only two belonged To the
HowuHa family oar host sat Mt the ton of the long
table and hIs half-brothcr az the bottom. The tu-
tor of our hosts little son was one OF the guess.
| When dinner was over. Mr., H0Wqna stepped INTO
| the room aud spoke 10 me-. saving size hoped nad
fan me and from tnat moment this poor little glr
eight wears Old. famed me vigorously win large
palm ian winch shc held ~ both hands If sle de-
| sisted for a minute, hrs. Ilowqua turned and
| frowncd nj her. IL was "a luxury much TO he ap-
! prcc atcd, for the room had become stlilmgly not
| incrc was NOT the slightest ventilation, excepting
by the opcu eide of the room far away from the
| table. | never Raw fruit helped IN such houuttul
! manner and when rose from table Mr.. llowqua
| filled Mmnies handI IeIchlci with peaches, lchees
and oranges. A bottle III cherry brandy was PM on
. table ~ the end of the repast, aud was taken
by the Chinese IN wncglaSsiu!s, and after that the
| native rose wine handed, which Is strong
| spirit that which We tasted was TWO years old.
Mrs. GRAY is never weary of relating the solemn
ties Of eating and drinking. and person dcsirous of
knowing the mysteries of the Chinese cuisine,
would almost find III her savOry pages an ecaclOus
substitute for personal visit TO the Flowery Land.
An elaborate dinner, also at the lowquaS gives
her q welcome opportunity for dcscaning at Length
| ON her flyOntc theme; but We can only Indulgs IN
the essence OF her culinary disclosures The dalntics
were all served up IN small porcelain baslns, each
holding about as much common European
breakfast cup Nearly all the varieties were taken
in the form Of soap. The menu had on it 6Id's-nest
soup, sharisin soup, duck soup, with small pieces
Of ham and bamboo slips cut up in it, and soup after
| soup followed too numerous To mention. After
| about twenty of these meat soups. sweet soup,
| 10 vii