The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1883-10-10
CURIOUS FOOD PRODUCTS.
THE QUEER THINGS THAT ARE
EATEN BY cHINAMEN.

To be able to eat well means, in the
Chinaman's opinion, to be happy, says
a Pelxin correspondent All his cares,
troubles and desires center in the same
point, namely, good eating. True,
everybody the world over takes care to
satisfy his appetite in the best possible
way. But ohe Chinese differ from
other people in the philosophy of the
subject. They hold that only the
satiated man can be wise, and those
who cannot make themselves full are
surely fools. Their most sacred philo-
sophical and medical treatises deal
with the stomach as the principal
source of the spiritual. moral and phys
ical life of man. The head, in their
opinion, is a poor dependent on the
bounty of the stomach. Not the head,
but the stomach, ought to be crowned.
They hold as a cardinal axiom that the
stomachis thespring of every thought,
feeling and muscular action. He who
does not eat loses all energy. Man
differs from wood and stone only be-
cause he fills up his stomach. They
look upon DR.. Tanners forty days
fast as a clever trick. They assert
that the American doctor deceived the
public by drinking some colorless nu-
tritious substances dissolved in water.
otherwise, they argue, hewould neces-
sarily turn first an idiot, and then a
corpse.
When we ponder on some difficult
subject we often touch or rub our fore
head. Under the same circumstances
the Chinaman puts his fingers below
his belt. BY touching his abdomen
he facilitates his mental process. In
view of the supremacy of the stomach
the Chinese came to the conclusion
that the better it is filled the wiser is
its possessor; hence fatness and cor
pulence are the best mirror of the
mind, the best indication of superior
intellect. And, as wisdom brings man
to a blissful state and to a heavenly
beatitude, therefore the Cinnamon re-
gard extraordinary stoutness as a SYM
Dol Of the future heavenly state. The
idol of Buddha-Shahemuny, the ideal
of supreme beatitude, is represented
as an abnormally fat man, with a
smile of perfect satisfaction. There
is no need to put any sign under that
idol, for without words everybody
would read in its looks that q am
quite full" The superior spiritual
advisers of the Buddhists are dis
tiDgulshed for their corpulence. 1 am
told there are divines among them
who devour whole sheep for break
fast.
Now, what are the agencies which
bring the Chinaman to his blissful
state? They are manifold; yet beef,
milk and dairy products in general are
strictly excluded from the list. About
twenty centuries ago in the Celestial
empire there was established OK
worship, as a reward for the great
assistance in agriculture rendered by
that horned animal. Then it was for
biddel to kill either OK or COW. 1t
became also a sacred habit to leave the
cows milk exclusively for the calves
to whom it rightfully belonged. China.
men do not use the milk of sheep OF
she goats, though they are very fond
of the meat of these animals.
Excluding beef and dairy products
Cinnamon eateverything that is edible
horse and ass flesh, snakes, rats, mice
dogs, grasshoppers, spiders, worms
cocoons, sea-cucumbers, swallows
nests, and so on. Once, while living
in a villa near Pekin, 1 saw very
strange scene. There appeared clouC
of grasshoppers. Suddenly the field
was covered with Cinnamon who rar
frantically hither AMI thither, gathering
them in. They filed large sacks anC
bags with the insects. They carried
portable stoves on which they roasted
their curious game. Other ChinameI
greedily devoured the grasshOppers
paying a penny for ten.
At the head of all meats ChinameI
put, of course, pork. In their opinion
to the hog belongs the first place il
the list of domestic animals. If you
ask Chinaman why, he will answer
you: because it was the hog from
whom the Cinnamon descended" DOM
you see, the Celestials have heater
Darwin on the theory of the descent
of man. 1t is only natural. then, that
among Cinnamon hogs should enjoy
full rights of citizenship. Like dogs
they wander wherever they please. A
Chinese street without a number OF
hogs is an impossibility. Are there
many hogs in China? / should think
so. On single holiday in memory OF
their ancestors-not the original ances
tors, the hogs, but merely human an.
cestors-the Celestials eatfuIly ESQ., 900
hogs Poor Cinnamon who cannot af
ford to buy pork cat meat of dogs
asses, horses, rats, mice, rabbits, hare
goats and sheep. But 1 never saw
them eating cats.
OF the birds the Chinese eat silve,
pheasants, ducks, geese, chickens
Jaokdaws, crows and many others
Curiously enough, the so-called Cochir
China fowls are very rarely seen here
Salt eggs are in great use here.