The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1885-03-26
,REsCO, IOWA, MARCH 26, 1885.
FIVE O'CLOCK TEA IN foo-cHoW.
In . Chinese MOsne-Thc Iad;es-9Ie1On
EnduraIDle Music.

FIVE O'CLOCK TEA m fOO-cHOW.
In Chinese Horne-Thc I1adies-sIelon
seeds EndurabIe Music.
ofn:si.' NJ azine.I
Al last We reat he'd high blank wall
forming ono side of dingy street. and
on bxlng admitted within ITS ponderous
wooden gates We found ourselves in the
courtyard Of purely Chinese house.
The dden change from the dirt and
sgualor and dense pop latiun of the
streets 10 the large inclosure with
luxurious houses and pleasure.
grounds. which form q sort of patri-
arclli.l encampmcnt for the famil, OF q
wealth. great man, is most startling.
Our host came to receive Us in Hc outer
court, where we lett our chairs and
coolies. then passed the kitchen and
crossed another court, when We reached
the great reception hall decorated with
the usual handsome small taLles and
ponderous chairs Of POLISHED black
wood, with slabs of marble forming the
scat and Lack. In honor Of our ex.
pccted visit, seats. di,ans, tables an
walls were decorated with the richl,
embroidered scaret eS0tl covers whith
ar. always produced on ceremonious
Occas ulls.
The weather being hot, we fully ap
preciatcd the cool shade OF smal dark
room, in which we were invited TO sit
awhile, ere being conducted to the pres
ence of the ladies. Tea was, of course,
brought in in the usual small co cred
cups without saucers; the use Oh the
cover is to prevent the leaves from EN-
tering the mouth in drinking, as the
correct way to make tea is to put a
pinch of leaves in each cup and pour on
boiling water, thus making every cup
full separately. of course sugar or milk
is never used In the little tables were
set the inyariable plates Of sweet-meats
and small cakes.
Iut the .uaintcst addition to these
are the little plates Of melon seeds,
which all the Chinese delight in picking
open and nibbling in accordance with 4
Chinese proyerb which expresses the
satisfaction Of always having something
in the mouth. In this respect the race
are like squirrels, except that rich men ]
long pointed nails do tho work even
more eLcctually than teeth. In every
idle moment the whole population de-
votes itself to cracking NEON seeds. As
they walk in the streets or at the sOeial
chat, to beguile the tedium Of a journey
or 10 tighten the cares OF business, the
infalliblc remedy is melon seeds. Even
at the theaters the spectators are pro-
vided with little plates of water
melon seeds, and an attendant walks
about with large basket to
rcplenish them again and again, SO that
the sound of the cracking seeds is heard
incessantly, and the floor is Invariably
strewn with them. They are offered for
sale everywhere. In the districts wher.
melons grow abundantly the refreshing
fruits are freely 0..cred to all corners on
condition of their saving and restoring
the seeds These are collected in great
bales rs articles of commerce, and form
the chief cargo Of many junks on the
rivers. Small children, busy mechan-
les and great mandarins delight in
them. The poorest coolic, notwith-
standing the disadvantage Of his short
nails. contrives to spare few cash fol
the purchase Of this luxury. am told
that this curious assi0n for melon.
seeds prevails throughout the empire,
and that the 400, ,UOU,UUU OF Cinnamon
are all Unsuitable for these daintics.
One entertainment provided for Us
was musical-box, made in Hong Aong,
which played all the ia, orite purely
Chinese airs, and We were astonished to
find that several struck us as really
pretty AS a general rule Chinese
music is SO terribly loud. and is played
by SO many utterly discordant instru-
ments of various sorts, that the name
only suggests r-torture, castanets and
drums utterly drowning whatever
melody may lie produced by guitars,
flutes and ,iolins, which are supposed
to play in unison with shrill human
voices, but, as neither voices nor in
struments are ever strictly in tune, the
combination is never harmonious,
whether heard in theatres or temples. or
shrieked by street musicians There
fore. to hear real hincsc air rendered
on muslcal-b0x with no such adj
dltiOns was most unusual treat