The Osceola times., 1880-07-24
ICuTHYOPOBAGUS MATTERS.
Some Chinese Raw Maferia's-Centrai
Culinary Problems.
Now York Times


That intelligent firm OF Cinnamon,
grocers. yellow and green lin color
sense only), and purveyors in general to
the whole hord of laundrymen IN New
York, exposed their extensive stock.
There il something exceedingly pecu-
liar in the way your true Chinarhan
wears hat. OF course his hat never
can fit. II presses in front on the fore
head. and has an open place behind
where the pigtaii is coiled.) Our gro
GERS, when an inquiry was made for
shark fins, showed no possible astonish-
ment. One would have thought that
that peculiar squaloid dorsal appcndage
was in as common and usual demand
with them as pigs trotters at pork
butchers. There must be somewhere
within the perlieus OF Mott street, great
secret hongs, where are stored all those
culinary delecacies the Cinnamon crave
for. Just at this time of the year, Mrs.
Hare tells us, Cinnamon have longing
for the fat of the black dog, and undoubt-
edly some peculiarly prime puppies,
which were not on exhibition at the
late dog show, have been substituted by
Oriental fashion for the Occidental
spring chicken. Leaving out for the
present the peculiarities of their pro-
nouncistion, the Chinese grocer were
ohliging and polite. 'Some Chinaman
90 to eat dinner with your" was asked.
| "No.p was the reply. "Americans want
it." "Oh" Then the dainty morsels,
taken from some of the marine rovers OF
the China seas were exhibited. What
did it look like? Why, Its resemblance
to piece of whalebone, just as 1t is
taken from the cetacean, was remark
able. 1t looked thoroughly hard and
indigestable. You might have put 1t in
mill and ground it to fine dust, and it
would have possibly retained its cori-
aceous characteristics. Possibly Pap
in's digested, under high pressure of
steam, might make it soluable, provided
the persuasive powers of explosion, by
means of nitro-glycerine, had been first
tried. There looked as if there might
be, however, some gelatinous substance
concealed in it. II in that committee
on which devolyes the preparation OF
the food for the lchthyophagous there
be a chemist who is not afraid TO use
| biting acids or corrosive alkalls, per-
baps what is nutritious in those hunks
| of sharks fins may be eliminated. The
| fin had the least possible fish-like-smell,
a faint saline odor. VERY, very good, "
said the Chinese grocer; "best quality.
We have three kinds. Rich Chinaman
eats this. Price, 1925 a pound. Two
more kinds; but white shark best, Black
shark good for poor man. You no
know how TO cook him." get you
Chinee cook. lie make soup. China.
| ,l.., unA1 th1nua 600 tbig "
He he'd up something which looked
like dried apple. What could it be?
"This is oyster; Chinaman dry it; as il
makes such good dish" Then he took
me to a tea chest, where, packed in reg.
ular manner, like figs in a drum, were
layers on layers of the dry salted
octopus. The beaks had been extracted
the black glitter of their eyes shone nc
more, but their tentacles still hung pen
dent. If not admiring the creature
itself, still the preparation seemed cx-
cellent. "How much?" we asked. We
might revel, we we're told, in dried
squid at 60 cents a pound. Properly
soaked and made to resume their natural
form, they might, or might not he excel
lent. There was another Chinese deli
cacy that had to be asked for, and that
was the edible birds nest. Certainly
we thought, that is beyond the catalogue
of Mott street. But this was no country
cross-road grocer. He felt that; for here
were Chinese shoes and JOSS houses, and
pretty tea.pots in felt boxes, Just as ar,
In use in Norway. Birds nests? Why
yes; always keep it. Beginning to be
much wanted. Three qualities; This il
the best, $3.50 pound. You think
that much? No. Ii comes from so far,
and the grocer exhibited u paper con.
tanning some granuaetd Jumps of some.
thing, kind Of a cross between gum
arabic and gum tragacante. 1t wildly
recalled that latter useful substance, SO
necessary in the production Of news
papers. "Oh, it is very good; make the
best soup 1t goes very far-one hall
pound makes soup for fifteen people. ,
"Cant it be falsifed?" we asked. "No
Chinaman find it out right off, Cninaman
smart" was the reply
Still we cherished the hope that some
ingenious Yankee might produce sub
stance around which no hirundO oscuientd
had ever fretted, something inclined
perhaps, toward Justification which
would be convertible into birds nest
soup, but which would be to real turtle
as is mock-turtle. A little British gum.
some; fish-glue, a few real feathers, and
an assorted twig or so, might do the
business. "Many ladies come down to
see you2" was asked. "Oh, yes; some
gentlemen live in China and want China
things, and their wives come buy from
me, not only tea but many other things
Many lady live in China, and come for
sweet things. Chinaman make sauces,
so good you eat leather of of him" OF
course, with the respect the Chinese
have for their ancestors, they never
would have mentioned eating their
grandmothers under such circumstances
"You know what this is?' The grocer
exhibited long pendulous substance,
looking for all the world like variety
Of fuchsia. II had a decidedly rank,
disagreeable odor, slightly recalling the
smell Of a bad Connecticut tobacco cigar.
This, dried cabbage. Chinaman live
to eat his own China cabbage" Will
some ethnologist be good enough 10
trace from this strange cruelty Of an ino-
cent vegetable the connection between
the teuton with his sauerkrsut. and the
Chinese with his dreadful cabbage?
Why should two distinct people pervert
the cabbage7 1t can not arise from
simple chance; the cause of it lies deep
er in race aflinities.
There was one thing more to ask for,
and that was trepang, also announced
by the ichthyopaeous. The Chinese
grocer evidently expected call for it,
for it was presented at once. How
transmogrifed, indeed, was Hoiohur,a.
1t was worse than sea change. II was
dried-up shriveled concern, quite as