Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-08-14
Lunch With the Celestials.

which the Chinese restaurateurs lately
opened their campaign at the Health
Exhibition are set before the British
public next week it is easy to foresee
that the British p1blicw II be at great
loss which to choose. 1t is right, there
fore, to give little advice. TIE hungry
sightseer may with confidence order
bird 's-nest soup. AS served in a tiny
slop-basin, it is excellent. 1t will have
great success in London and will
probably be naturalized in England
from and after 1884 Not one Of the
party order Shaohsing wine. 1t is
warm like the soap, and also served in
tiny ssop-basin. But taste of it will
be enough for each of the guests. 1t is
made from rice and its flavor is indie
scribable. Besides birds nests the
Chinese eat many til ngs which we do
not eat Either OF the two follow
ing dishes called respectively in
Franco-Chinese jargon. ''rimbale
Biche-de-Mer au Madere," or
.'Shark' fin Ia Bagration," viii give
to any curious barbarian some notion of
the skillful manner in which they
utilize treasures of the deep which we
waste. This so-called tBiche-de Mer"
is a sea-slug two and one-half inches
AOhS ~ tSio vi stu iAi\h tlA Shs
1t lies at the bottom of the deep seas
off the Chinese coast, and looks when
dried like piece of India rubber, from
which protrude rows of short spikes.
When cut open it is found to consist of
an alimentary canal, surrounded by
tough gelatinous substance of the con-
slstency and color of Ind;a-rubber.
This unprepossessing little animal
keeps a long time in a dried state. 1t
is cut up anil cooked in minute pies.
The British public will not find these
sea-slug pies as bad rs might be i'm
agined. their taste bang not unlike that
of turtle. The sharks fin. however. is
for the more audacious only. 1t is
cartillag nous and eaten with rice.
And here the chopsticks which lie
beside your plate may be tried. 1t is
to be hoped that real Chinanan
may be deputed to show the use o.
chopsticks. That alone would make a
visit to the Chinese restaurant deeply
interesting. There is another dish
never seen in London before, the seeds
of the sa rod Lotus. This is what the
Lotus eaters lived on. The seeds are
soft, white and about the size of q bean,
and may be recommended to the Poet
( aureate and others interested in the
sub ect. The French chef who directs
the energies of the five Chinese cooks
and who interprets their dishes calls
,hem "Noisettes de Lotus la Helian-
thus" The Eelianthus, however, is,
we understand, merely thrown in ''p ur
arrond,r 10 phrase" Su h is the effect
of the genius of France acting upon the
material resources of China. There are
other dishes too numerous to mention.
II
Last comes the Imperial tea. This
tea costs in Fekln eight sbillings
a pound. 1t never comes to ku-
rope. because no one would pay
so dear for il. It is made from the
choicest leaves ard dried in the sun, in
stead OF over a fire. 1t is of the color
O. harley water, and the leaves, which
half fill the cup. are light green in
color. The aroma and taste are both
excellent.
A word now as to the room in which
these dainties are dispensed. Its con-
struction is Chinese from top to bot
tom. A Chinese artist has painted
wisteria and bamboo tree on one wall,
with birds flying about among the
leaves. The gay patterns OF artificial
flowers have been arranged by Lady
Hart, the wife of the well-known In
spector-Genefal of Customs, to who:e
influence and exert:ons the action of
the Chinese Government in sending
over so many Chinese products ut an
expense OF many thousand pounds is
mainly due. We understand that not
only arc all these artificial flowers
brought from Pekin, but their arrange
ment is thoroughly characteristic. 20
tus blossoms, roses and pinks seem the
favorites. In gallery are a number
! of hinese musicians. Their music is
so excruciating that they play only for
two minutes at time. being limited by q
| sand glass. When they begin it is as
| if all the dishes and saucers in the es-
| tablishment were being smashed at
once. When they end with q great
| flourish the sensation is as OF a terrific
railway accident. The most skilled ear
can detect no tune except in the case of
.God Save the Queen with which
| they conclude the entertainments. This
| tune they have learned out of compli-
ment to England, being instructed in
| it by Mrs. Campbell, the wife of the
Secretary to the Chinese Customs, in
whose house they have been taking
| lessons. Considering that they have
| only five notes to work with instead of
!
English tune with which they are ac-
quainted is very creditable to the in
dustry and to the 1bility of their in
structress. 1t is said hat they like En-
gland very much. They are repre-
sentative body, including shop
keepers (who at their own risk
have brought over large amounts of
goods for sale at the exhibit
ton. including curios, jade, soapstone
books, tissues, etc.. artisans, must
clans and cooks. No fewer than thirty
are now in London in connection with
the Exhibition. They are taken great
care of. and are housed on the prem
lses. The other day they were all
vacinnated, when it was found-and
the circumstance is interesting because
| it shows how formidable a scourge
smallpox is in countries where vaccina
ton is not general-that out of these
thirty men belonging, it may be sup
| posed, to the middle and lower middle
classes, no fewer than twenty-four bear
the marks o. having already had the
smallpox. We venture To prophecy
that these hinamen, with tier
restaurant, their music and their shops
filled with all sorts of commodities,
will become favorities with the sight
~