The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-01-10
NICTUALS AND DRINK,
As the Traveller Finds Them While
scjourning Abroad
Hasabteh ira the Orient-EuFOpean
Butter ana MiIk-'Eae Water
supply, Generally Speak
ing, Very Poor.


In Japan, China, and the eastern insular
colonies, You eat three meals per day good
substantial meat breakfast, light tiffln of
bread, cheese and fruit at l O'Clock, and a
heavy dinner at or s. The fruits Of Singa-
fore make tifiin the most enjoyable meal of
the day there Memories of Uine-apples
bananas, oranges, mangosteens, pomeloes,
coc0hnuts, ETC. make my mouth water even
now. In India the same rule holds, but |
think tho tltfin is nearly always referred to as
lunch When you strike Egypt the abomin-
Aide French system of cafe-au-lait in the
morning Is encountered, varied sometimes as
a 81 ecial luxury by two soft boiled eggs /
stopped at one Levantina b ltAl where this
most unsatisfactory breakfast was actually
charged extra. Even On the French steam
ers to the Orient two regular meals a day is
the rule In the Himaiaras there are six
meals a day-hazree chotie. hazree, tifin,
lunch and dinner Verify, the rouna-the-
world stomach has to endure everyt thing.
Until Egypt was reached, enjoyed that
distinctive Oriental dish, rice and curry,
TS Last once a day, and usually twice
Everything in the way Of meat is ctlrried in
India, from shrimp 10 wild goose
The butter and milk supplies were the
mo,t unsatisfymg. Timed butter and con
lensed milk, from Switzerland or California,
prevail almost exclusively throughout the
Orient. TIL local goat ana buffalo products
are wen wurse In some places great
stroke Of enterprise has resulted in diaries,
as at Yokohama but the supplies are expen-
sive and decidedly inferior The orthodox
COW does not flourish where punkahs are
no l. -iaT,I
like lard, and unsalted 1t is a tasteless
compromise between tallow and axle
grease and most Of the hotels do
more than once a day-at noon-if they do
lat often. Otherwise the resident foreign
people live well, and three or four meat
courses are enjoyed by those in the most
moderate circumstances. l enjoyed genuine
pumpkin pies at one or two missionary tables
III Japan and China, and other American
delcaceS Served without an ocean of
crock"ry) at the hospitable boards of some of
or representatives in Syria. Oatmeal.
gridde cakes hot biscuits, genuine pies, and
custaTd', are unknown out Of America, save
in n few London and Paris restaurants
where they are sometimes conterfeited
without the success that might be desired.
papecei rooms are unknown in the east.
Frescoes are found only in the best hotels and
public buildings. The effort is to exclude the
fierce heat, aud to this cad bare walls. ven
tisatorS, windows without glass, lofty rooms
! and all sorts Of thermantid0tes are provided
such as | have described in former letters
The water supply is poor save whore mu-
inequalities have been at enormous expense
20 construct waterworkS, as at Hong Kong.
| Singapore and Calcutta. Citizens Of Canton
hug water by the barrel, which is brought
from the mountains by natives or up tbs
| river from Hong Kong on steamers. The
| local wells contain only brackish water.
which may be used in washing clothes and
dishes. In the principal Iadian cities it is no
! longer necessary to drink boiled water,
owing to the excellent supplies furnished by
the public waterworkS. In JafTa the wnter
| is intoierably brackish. In Roustschuk the
! muddy Danube is filtered and sold 70 the
! native BulgaranS.
! In Vienna the water-wOrks are very extern
| sive and the water the best that | know Of,
| Icing nearly ice-cold on the hottest day In
| Alden and few similarly torrid mundane
reminders of the doom of wicked men the
| public water supply is obtained by condensing
/ and distiiling common sea water by means of
laFge engines This unpalatable product is
| jheu sold for as high as s cents gallon.
Rains are too rare to be depended upon.
! Filtered rain water is used in Jerusalem.
and if you want enough for iath you must
| pay for it extra.
Drinking water seems to be furnished
nearly everywhere outside of America in a
farinz bottle with neck about an inch and
half in diameter, and long enough to be
comfortably grasped In India these ewers
are made of pottery in order to keep the
water cool, and it is wonderful how well they
accomplish this considering the climate
Elsewhere the bottles are of glass, varying
somewhat in shape.