The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1884-07-23
WHAT A CHINAMAN LIKES.
clsnEsrrAb FOOD, AND HOW 1T Is
EATEN IN CHINA.
The chinese n GOrmandizing People
Food of the Rich and PoOr-COm-
position of the Courses,

position of the Courses.
The Chinese, it must be confessed, are
a gourmandizing people. In spite of
their Buddhist professions, in spite of
thousands of Buddhist tracts enioining
vegetarianism, 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
dah in a merry mood is one undulating
mass of obesity as he lounges on his ped
estal. There is no object upon which
Chinaman's eyes rest with so much pleas
ure as upon some well-fed, beefy-faced,
barrel-bodied Falstaff. When a man who
is inclined to embonpoint meets an old ac-
ouaintance he is greeted with the com
pliment, "Why, how your blessedness is
increasingly the idea being that fatness
is the outward and visible sign of inward
happiness and contentment, while lean
nGSS Ae uAMuNo uooNNAdAN0 NAbh hOAA
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 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 Jumps of
meat into his bowl Raising the bowl to
his face, he pokes the rice and meat into
his gaping mouth. The chopsticlls are
piled so rapidly and continually and mas
tication occnpies 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 dozen whiffs from brass
hubble bubble pipe, drinks 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 beefeater 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-
licious fish, poultry, game and all kinds
of luscious tropical fruits, which makes
the retired merchant almost sigh for the
flesh-pots of China. A banquet at the
house of Chinese gentleman is some
thing to be dreaded Where the sight
or smell of the various dishes at all tempt
ing, the dread of offending his host:
prejudices, or transgressing the propri3-
ties by some awkward movement or triY.
ial blunder, is sufficiently embarrassing tc
take away the guests appetite. Woe tC
the uncouth foreigner who unceremoni
ously sits down when invited to do so, o
who drinks up his tea as soon as it i
poured out, or takes his seat in the plac,
of honor offered him without duly pro
testing his unworthiness and showing hi
reluctance to accept the honored position
There are, of course, no ladies present
the deniZens of the 'inner apartments
being content with peeping through th'
curtains at their lords guests.
In the banqueting room is red, lac
quered " eight-fairy table" destitute o
any approach to table-cloth, for wht
but barbarian would spread the fiesta
board with a white cloth, associated onl,
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 salteC
eggs, picked fish, sliced ham and sal
vegetables. The feast Is opened by tn
host pouring out to each guest a cup 0
wine, the guest placing one hand to tn
cup, bending forward and eXclaiming
fIn/koi, in koip'-"I don't deserve,
don't deserved The host makes NOV
and amidst many graceful bowings an,
turnings the cups are drained at one lift
Fruits are eaten first after which come
waiter with rinse-bowl and pipe q
tobacco, which he prepares and light
for the guests. These are only mino
preliminaries to the dinner. The frs
course comes in, consisting perhaps of
rich soup made of the edible birds nest
glutinous substance found in som
islands far out at sea; shark fin and sea
slug, with mushrooms and pigeons egg
floating on the top. If one could forge
the sickcning Ingredients, the grim
hands that prepared the dish and tn
dirty kitchen where it was cooked, b
would probably say that it was the fines
soup he had ever tasted. BY the tim
the guests have smoked a few Whit
from their hubble-bubbles, the mex
course is ready.
The courses are too numerous for dc
seription and had better append trani