The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-06-20
WHAT A CHINAMAN LIKES.
CELESTIAL FOOD, AND HOW 1T IS
EATEN IN CHINA.
The Chinese n Eormandizing People
Food of the Rich and POOr-COm-
position of the Courses.

SOuInndnulHlHS pcOplO' III oPiSO VI
their Buddhist professions, in spite of
thousands of Buddhist tracts enjoining
vegetaranism, fasting and modification
of the flesh as the only road to the West
ern paradise, the heather Chinee will
have to take his place among the de-
PRAYED class "whose god is their stom-
ach." The number of fat, oily priests
one sees in monasteries convinces the
visitor that their diet is regulated by any
thing but Pythagorean principles. Their
very deites are sadly inclined to corpu-
lency, while their pet image of the Bud
dab in merry mood is one undulating
mass of obesity as he lounges on his ped
estal There is no object upon which a
Chinaman's eyes rest with so much pleas
ure as upon some well-fcd, beefy- faced.
el-bodied Falstaff. When man who
is inclined to embonpoint meets an old &C
quaintance he is greeted with the com
pliment, "Why, how your blessedness is
increasingly the idea being that fairness
is the outward and visible sign of inward
happiness and contentment, while lean
ness is always associated with worry.
care and sorrow.
The great mass of the people have only
two meals day, though laboring men
while hard at work insist upon three
square meals. Bowls and chopsticks are
arranged on the bare board. In the cen
ter of the table are arranged dishes con-
tanning picked fish, boiled pork, some
salt vegetables and perhaps a curd made
of lentils. The smell of garlic and oil is
enough to knock one down. The men
sit on stools around the table, and if the
weather is hot, divest themselves of every
stitch of clothing saved the tucked-up
pants. When they are ready for the fray,
in comes a serving man, bearing a huge
bucket of rice steaming hot, the contents
of which he commences to shovel into the
bowls on the table. Each man takes his
chopsticks and digs into the central
dishes and fishes out several humps of
meat into his bowl. Raising the bowl to
his face, he pokes the rice and meat into
his gaping mouth. The chopsticks are
piled so rapidly and continually and mas
tication occupies so little part of the pro-
cess, that the whole basinful of rice soon
disappears as if by magic. Once, twice,
three times, perhaps, is that bowl replen-
ished and as quickly emptied as before.
Having reached the limits of his capacity,
he takes half a dozen whitfs from a brass
hubble bubble pipe, drinks a cup or two
of tea, and resumes his task or makes the
night hideous by unearthly snoring.
Among the well-to-do classes fresh fish,
fowl and pork are the main articles of
diet. Beef is seldom tasted, the transmit
grafton fate of the beef eater and butcher
in the next life being sufficient to deter
all right minded people from encouraging
the slaughter of the noble animal that
plows their fields. Mutton is expensive
and lacks the flavor of our home breeds.
Cattle are imported for foreigners use,
and even if there were no beef and NUT
ton, the Canton markets abound with de-
icious fish, poultry, game and all kinds
of luscious tropical fruits, which makes
the retired merchant almost sigh for the
fesh-pots of China. A banquet at the
house of a Chinese gentleman is some
thing to be dreaded. Where the sight
or smell of tie various dishes at all tempt
ing the dread of offending his hosts
prejudices, or transgressing the proprie-
ties by some awkward movement or triv-
ial blunder, is sufficiently embarrassing to
take away the guests appetite. Woe to
the uncouth foreigner who unceremoni-
ously sits down when invited to do so, or
who drinks up his tea as soon as it is
poured out, or takes his seat ia the place
of honor offered him without duly pro-
testing his unworthiness and showing his
reluctance to accept the honored position
There are, of course, no ladies present,
the denizens of the elmer apartments
being content with peeping through the
curtains at their lords guests.
In the banqueting room is a red, lac
quered eight-fairy table, destitute of
any approach to Il table-cloth, for who
but barbarian would spread the festal
board with a white CLOTH associated only
with mourning, death and the grave
On this table are arranged in symmetri-
cal rows dishes of ripe and preserved
fruits and four plates containing sailed
eggs, picked fish, sliced ham and salt
vegetables. The feast Is opened by the
host pouring out to each guest a cup of
wine, the guest placing one hand to the
cup, bending forward and exc,aiming,
"In koi, in koi"-"I don't deserve, |
don't Deserve" The host makes move
and amidst many graceful bowings and
turnings the cups are drained at one lift.
Fruits are eaten first. after which comes
waiter with rinse bowl and pipe of
tobacco, which he prepares and lights
for the guests. These are only minor
preliminaries to the dinner. The first
course comes in, consisting perhaps of a
iiSh Sup nldOe VI INC eulDle DlTuS nest,
glutinous substance found in some
islands far out at sea; shark fin and sea
slug, with mushrooms and pigeons eggs
floating on the top. If one could forget
the sickening ingredients, the grimy
hands that prepared the dish and the
dirty kitchen where it was cooked, he
would probably say that it was the finest
soup he had ever tasted BY the time
the guests have smoked a few whitfs
from their hubble bubbles, the next
course is ready.
The courses are too numerous for de-
scription and had better append trans
lation of a bill of fare which we picked
up on one occasion, affer a terrible ordeal
lasting three hours:
First course-Birds -nest soup, as above de
scribed.
Second course-Fried fish and roast pork
xxilI, l,,nlr oil