Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-09-08

getting it, however, he chanted something
down q dumb waiter hole that sounded
for all the world as if he was informing
a service to some mysterious kitchen Joss
down stairs. The walters voice at times
rose to high c pitch and then was
lowered to a growing basso profundo
key. | have since learned that this mat
ter of rising and falling infection is one
of the hardest things to master in the study
of the Chinese language. word with
rising intenation may mean one thing and
with falling information quite another.
But to the dinner. There was a portion
of it before US, and so, carrying out my
friends injunction, took up my chop
sticks with an air that was intended to
convey to the other customers present the
idea that | was proficient in their use.
and had, in fact, eaten with chop-sticks all
nv life. These instruments of CASTRO
nomic nature are about the size of lead
pencil and are made of hard, black wood.
Two of them are furnished to each person
at table. Despite my efforts at nouchal-
ance, discovered that was in bad box.
did not know how to eat with my lead
pencils any more than baby would
know how to properly handle fork. A
took pity on me and showed me how to
handle them. 1t is not at all difficult
after YOU get the hang of it. You must
hold one of the sticks rigidly, letting the
upper end project over the hollow of the
nand, as schoolboy holds his pencil, aud
gripping it firmly between the first and
second fingers and the ball of the thumb.
The other is held lightly, as a
good penman holds his pen, between
the first and second finger and
the ball of the thumb. "Chow -chopsney''
was the first dish we tackled. 1t is very
palatable stew, made of bean
sprouts, chickens gizzards and livers,
calves tr pc, chagon fish dried, pork, and
a number of other ingredients Chop
seow" was the next course. This is pei
fumed roast pork. After being roasted,
the pork is hung in the smoke of various
aromatic herbs. which are burned under
it. This gives it most delicious flavor.
Like everything to eat in a Chinese res
taurant, the pork is cut into small and
thin slices, so that 1t may be conveniently
handled with the chop.sticks. No bread
is ever served with Chinese dinner, the
place of the "slaff of lite" being taken
by boiled rice, or ''fan," as it is called by
the Celestials. Nobody can cook rice
like the Chinese. When they set it before
you it is beautifully white. dry and nutri-
tlous. every grain being thoroughly
cooked. 1t is not mushed together. but
every grain is separate. "Sans-sui-goy"
means fish, and the manner in which it is
served at Mong Sings restaurant would
make your own chefs of Young's or Par
ker's green with envy. 1t is baked in a
sort of brown sauce that possesses almost
every heavenly flavor. and one can 90 on
eating it forever, apparently, without tir-
ing of the taste. The average Chinaman
uses very little fiavoring in his food con-
sequently at this Mott street cafe we were
given only one condiment 1t is called
''seow," and is sort of mild hal-cousin
to our well known Worcestershire sauce
The dinner over, we washed it down with
quite number of cups of .'tung-ta," as
tea is called in the Celestial language and
not quite so many drinks of "no-ma- dec, :"
or Chinese liquor. which is distilled from
rice and poured over figs and prunes to
give it sweet fruity flavor. 1t is served
in odd little tea-cups and is most insidu-
Gus imbibation. The cups do not hold
much more than tablespoonful and while
you are drinking mo -ma-deo" it tastes so
mild. sweet and harmless that you do not
imagine that it can do you any harm. But
suddenly the intoxcation comes upon you
like thunderclap, and you must either
stop drinking emo ma-deo,' or else be
willing to stagger homeward. My friend
ordered 'yeu-ti." and the waiter brought
small tray of cigarettes. Well, the din
ner was over, our hunger was appeased
and the cost was only about 60 cents for
the two.
Now come and get shaved by my
Chinese BARBER said my friend, and a
few minutes later we entered the .'tonso-
rial palace of See Chung at % Mott
street This, to the unnitated, is even
more novel experience than to dine at
Chinese restaurant. | doubt if there is
any barber in Boston who would under
stand how to use such an assortment of
razors as See Chung keeps on hand. First,
the Chinese barber fathers the face of his
customer with Il toothbrush, and then he
goes at the beard with a broad, short
baded razor, set in its handle like an axe.
After scraping away with this instrument
for while, he changes it for a much mar
rover and lighter blade, until, when he
comes to shave the nose and the inside of
the ears, he uses a thin, flexible bit of
finely tempered steel, which is only about
as broad as toothpick. will confess that
/ it makes novice little bit nervous to
have this glittering little keen piece of
steel 60 waggling about the delicate It's
sues and hbres of the ears and nasal or
gan, but, if you did not see it, YOU would
never know that it was being used upon
| you, so light is the touch of the artist who
is manipulatingit
From the barber shop we went to a reg
ular Chinese boarding house, where, in a
small room, about 80 Cinnamon sleep
every night, packed away like sardines in
box. If it were not for the perfect clean
Illness of them, disease would spread rap
! idly in such places, but in our whole tour
OF the big house we did not see a speck of
dirt in any of the sleeping apartments.
! Next we went to great hall in a large
Mott street building, where is situated the
meeting room of the chief Chinese bene-
! fetal society. 1t is a secret organization
not even its true name being made public
by the members. 1t combines with So
cial and literary club the broadcast and
most useful benevolent organization. 1t
looks after the sick, buries the dead and
I