Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1882-07-19
Chinese Pork Butchers.
San Francisco Chronicle.

San Francisco Chronicle.
ayes, sir, We have to buy all our
pork in Chinatown" replied promin-
snt pork packer and retailer recently
to the inquiry made BY a reporter
whether all tho pork eaten in this city
was sold BY Chinese.
"You don't mean to say that all
pork butchers are obliged to 60 to
Chinatown to obtain supply Of meat
for ihei. customers
"Yss, 1 do. Every pound of fresh
pork sold in this city comes from Chi
natown. We can't get it elsewhere.
You're g reporter, amt you!"
"Yes."
"Well, 1 want you to tell the whole
truth about this business of ours. 1t
is not properly understood by the poo
pie. A wrong idea has been gwen out
relative to our trade, and We wish the
Chronicle would correct it. The pa
pers have spread the impression that
Cinnamon deal in live hogs, and con-
! troll the market in Butchertown. This
is not the case, as will explain to
you"
"why, where do the Chinese get the
hogs,"
"They buy them in the slaughter
houses of white men. You never see
a Chinaman handling drove of hogs
at the cars or steam-b boats. He never
gets bis hands upon hog until it il,
killed, when the porker passes into his
possession and remains there until We
white dealers go after it IN Chinatown.
"Please explain more fully"
'.The jobber sells his drove Of hogs
to one of the principal hog slaughter
ers in Butchertown They are allow
ed to res: and recover after their jour
ney from the country and then sold to
the Chinamen, who kill and dress them
and haul them off to Sacramento and
Dupont streets, where they are dump
ed down in a pile until rapidly cut up.
Here they are divided. Oue portion is
preserved for the Chinese trade and the
remainder is taken into back yards, up
stair, rooms or cellars in Chinatown,
to be cooled off for sale to the white
people"
"Why don't you kill and and handle
your own pork, as dealers in beef and
mutton do1n
because We cannot compete with
John Chinameu. We want that por-
tion of the hogs which John does not
particularly care about keeping for
home supply. We obtain the hams,
sides and loins-that's all. The rest
Is kept to feed the thousands of vora-
cious pork eaters in Chinatown. A
Chinese will not buy pork unless it Is
warm and soft, With some oftLe animal
heat in it, He does not want it hard
and firm, like this one We are cutting
up. No, sir; Jchn wants his meat
warm and aabby; hence the carcass
must be taken to Chinatown to be cut
up as soon as killed There the head,
breast, feet and offal are cut
of and sold to Chinese customers. The
hind quarters are carried up stairs or
down stairs and hung up +, cool We
send our men to Chinatown at ) A. NJ. !
and ) p NJ to buy pork for the supply
Of our whita customers"
SIS not the idea of eating meat
which has cooled in filthy, close dens
and smoky yards of Chinatown very re-
pulsive to people of sensitive tastes"
"Yes, | have no doubt it is; but
people who eat pork must shut their
syes to the fact that it comes from the
heart of Chinatown. We pork dealers
don't like il, but We canrot help our
selves. We get two white men to en-
gage in the business in Butchertown,
ind ell agreed not to patronize the
Chinese. They tried it a short tune
and gave 1t up, and We mad to 60 back
to the Chinese again" |
"What caused their failure ~
"They could no, dispose of the re-
fuse and offal, which is cash to the
Chinaman. He sells everything moth
ing is wasted. He gets the same price
for shoulders as would be paid for hams.
The head, feet, gut fat and entrails are
Ill good to John. Our white people
will not buy anything except loin, ten
3erloin or chops. Tue hams and sides
We cure at our packing houses. There
Tou see that poor woman with the rag
,ed dress and threadoare shawl she
would turn up her nose at shoulder
'r pigs head. She prefers to pay
:wenty cents pound for tenderloin.
No, sir; our people have been educat-
ID to demand the best part of the hog
'r nothing. We could not sell that
which the Ghinaman eats and nrefersu