The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-10-31
A CHINESE EATING HOUSE.
VISIT TO An ORIENTAL REsTAuR.
ANT IN NEW YORK.
Strange Dishes Partaken Of by n Re.
pOrter..The Courses and the Food
..ChineSe IdOlatrY.

Sam Lee is the famous Chinese res
taurateur of this city, and his shop on
Mott street is the resort for his nabob
countrvmcn, who rcgalc themselves with
a tirst-class dinner cooked in true native
STYLE. sam belongs to the Auh Wall
faction. having been born outside the
great wall that cncirclcs the ancient en-
pirr.
Only a few. such as wealthy washer
men or fortunate gamblers, who have
beaten the incxplicablc game of TAU
which is in continual progress across the
street. become reckless enough to
suuandcr twenty-five cents for i Sunday
dinner at the Cafe Chine, Us it Is famll-
iarly termed.
For certain dishes, such as duck, fish
and game, Sans reputation stands I'M
rivalcd. and the Acknowledged gourmands
lingcr long to smoke the aitcr-d'nncr
| cigarette, which accompanies every tlrs'-
| class meal, and discuss current home
events.
you likcc China dinncc ?" said Con
Lung, the vicc-prcSidcnt of the Woo roo
COMPANY. to Il HmlH reporter. \ nod III
the affirmative caused him to say:
BELLA good. We go to sam Lee;
him cookcr boss" And he looked over
| the broad rim Of his armorcd spectacies
which gave him the appearance OF
dry foe in search of Il bath.
The dining hall situated on the secono
| floor was reached by means OF a narrow
| staircase which led to 4 room filled VIII
small tables neatly covered with figured
damask. The walls from the ceiling tc
| the floor are covered with the varlou,
ncwspapcrs which are intended to be read
| as the guest munchcs his meals.
In the far-off corner brlind a lttlt
counter stood IL solemn Chlnaman VINO
filled Il number Of little sauccrs with th'
contents of half Il dozen grotcsquc ]ar'
in front of him, with the gravity OF MN
listers, while round about ranged or
shelves were countless numbers of LITTLE
tcapots each holding about a cup. There
was no smell of cooking, as the Kitchen
is on the roof and the dishes go up aro
down the dumb waiter with military
regularity. The dinner was served by ;
waiter in spotlcss white. who arrived
| bearing Il tray on which were W cup:
of rice boiled in such a way as to have
each kernel retain its distinct form, Il .lug
of curry sauce and four chopstlcks,
Without waiting Con opened the bal
BY mixing his rice and curry, thcn rals'
inc the cup to his mouth by Il peculiar
shovcling action 0 20 cmpticd the dish
while his welcome guest was ralnly at
tempting to catch on to Il gram OF rlc,
with the sticks; 4 spoon o o remcdlco
he defect, and the meal proceeded with
out further interruption. :,
"IIc has forgotten to bring the bread,
was the remark vcnturcd as the next
course. consisting of roast duck cut II
slices, over which was poured a peculiar
smelling mustard sauce, and a plate OF
preserved ginger was brought on.
"Chinaman no catce Dlcad-nO good,
answered Con, as he stcadicd the chop
sticks, and grabbing a slice OF duck
dipped it first into the mustard then into
the ginger. Chopsticks proved but .
poor apology for Il knife and fork, ano
Sons aptitude in their use rewarded hin
~.:h Il lions share of the duck, which
was Il very palatablc dish of excellent
flavor.
Time was called, and the last round,
comprising six varieties of preserves and
a pudding. that looked like Il hole, lined
with Il thin layer of dough stuffed will
nuts, was tackclcd. 1t was III perfect
harmony with the rest, and so light that
it appeared to digest itself in the mouth
without bcthcring the already tillcc
stomach.
Two pots of tea with an odor of roses,
and two small cups. holding about twice
the quantity of Il large thimblc, accom-
panied bytwoci cigarettes, ended the rcpast.
The mention of sugar and milk agar
aroused the Cclcstial's Indignation. and
he shot forth Il volume of criticism or
American taste.
The bill, amounting to sixty cents, was
paid part in pennies and the rest IL
nickclS drawn from Il bag which h.
carried in the inside of his loose blouse.
And Sam Lee, to show his good fellow
ship, "sct en- up" in the shape of 4
glass of rice brandy" 1t is, by tho
way. not a drink that is likely to DC
copied by American barkccpcrs: II
could no doubt be easily initiated by
judiciously mixing a large quantity OF
astral oil and aqua FORTS.
At the Joss-housc the high priest re-
ceivcd the nabob with Il salute, and
donned a cap which was composed of
bamboo sticks about two feet high, about
which painted papers hung i'll great pro-
fusion. lie escorted his visitors to the
rcar room where the altar. filled with
misunderstanding idols in all conceivable
shapes, stood surrounded by Il number OF
Cinnamon who lay before it PROSTATE,
with the backs of their hands resting ON
the floor. while their noses touched the
rug They were muttcring something,
occasionally raising their heads and gaz-
ing intently at the big idol, then drop
ping back again.
The priest removed his hat, and stick
ing a few lighted tapcrs into it, began
low wall which caused the suppliants to
rise, and, busting their baggy trousers,
left the room. the short service was ended
and red slips were passed around. They
were advertisements of Ham Sou. ii I'M
porting grocer, who desired his friends
to notice the fact that he had lately re-
ccivcd Il few choice little ~josScs, or gods,
which would be sold cheap for cash.
Nor lOyk HorH.
English SkylarkS in America.