The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1886-09-23

THURSDAY. SEPT. 23, 1886.
CHINESE EATING HABITS.
CUSTOMS OF THE MoNGoL1AN DINNER
TABLE-MoNGoLIAN COOKING.

ltuNC YOU NtttNls \NhN isD 's''s
nina may you?) is as common a
greeting among the Cinnamon as
our GLOW do you do?" In their
opinion he who is able to eat is
surely well, happy and all right in
every respect. Eating is the most
common subject of conversation
among them. GLOW many meals a
day have you?" GLOW many bowls
of rice do you eat in day." In
answer to such questions the celes-
tials always name a larger number
of meals than they really have, and
when, with their hands they show
YOU the size of their bowls, you
must understand that they usually
hyperbolize. They often address
foreigners such questions as these:
"Ilave you rice in your country!'
GLOW many meals day do your
countrymen eat" 1t is common
opinion among Cinnamon that for
eigners come to China because they
have nothing, or not enough, to eat.
Cinnamon hold that the stomach is
the source of intellectual life, and,
therefore, the more portly a man is
the wiser he must be. In their
language the sentence, "He eats
much," is synonymous with "He is
wise man. AS the rich eat far
more animal food than the poor, who
subsist chiefly on vegetables, so the
phrase, "Che jou de-" meaning
those feeding upon meat, is applied
to wise, happy and distinguished
men, while "Che main de- applied
to those feeding on corn, signifies a
class of men unhappy, ignorant and
oppressed by fate. The Chinese
vegetarian's highest ideal of life is
to become a meat eater. To treat a
guest or visitor to meal at any
time of the day is considered as a
mark of refined politeness. China
men eating is the most familiar
scene, and it can be witnessed in
the streets and yards, as well as in
the eating houses, hotels and private
houses,
Only Cinnamon who have families
take their meals at home: the rest
eat at hotels. Usually they have
two substantial meals a day, in the
morning, an hour after they get up,
and between 3 and O'Clock in the
afternoon. Well-to-do Cinnamon
have three or four meals day. The
head of the family gets the best
article of food. Often only the
father eats meat, while the rest of
the family must be satisfied with
rice. In olden times the children,
although they might be married,
were not allowed to sit, eat or talk
while their father ate; they served
him as servants. Nowadays, even
in the Celestial Empire, such vener.
alton for age is gone; it is observed
only as meaningless ceremony in
the presence of guests.
Poor families usually get thei
meals from street vendors. Thes
carry provisions along with small
stove on a wheel borrow. Well-to
do families usually employ cooks
The guild of cooks is very numerou
here, and the cooks get their degre
and diploma like men of science. !
, learned Chinese cook can prepar
. pork and mutton in fifty differen
styles. All cooks here pocket
certain percentage on the provision
they buy for their masters.
The Celestials use no table-cloth
napkins, knives, forks, spoons
dishes, plates or glass ware. Th
European style of eating wit
knives and forks they criticise a
being rather work than pleasure
They do not use a white table clotl
because it reminds them of dee
mourning. Instead of napkins the
use packages of soft paper, whic
serve them for handkerchiefs. The
throw away the sheets of paper aft
they have once been used, ar
scorn Europeans for using the san
handkerchief several times. Sin
1920, when the Chinese thorough
made the acquaintance of European
the napkin has come into use amor
them, particularly in Canton, b
they have modified its use. In
. corner of the napkin they make
hole and hang it from button on
servants dress. The servant wi
the napkin goes from one guest
another, and thus a score of Celt
tials may use the same napki
Each guest has a saucer. pair
sticks (kuaytzi), package of pap
and minute cup with salt sau(
Neither sticks nor saucer Q
changed during the dinner. Wa
tea and warm whiskey are serv
many times during the dinner.
When Chinaman gives form
dinner he invites his guests eitl
personally or by cards. Those who
cept the invitation inform the h
and send him money, provisions q
presents, at the cost of from hal
dollar to hundreds of dollars. I
money and presents are entered
n special book, which is careful
preserved for reference. On
appointed day the guests appe
and the host, with numberless &c
monies, receives them and lie,