The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-10-19

! Fs.,d fu,oug the Almond BYE" bcnifens OF
/ Mot, street Much That l. Interesting.
.,.,,,i,,... Of the Orientai--sIcals 1T a
Chinese Restaurant
There las grown up fancy among the
/ ,,,,,r,e, neoDle who are rather suffering for
1 ss-,,,s3nent 10 explore Chinatown. and
/ .hov fud much that y amusing beside
/ the yellow skinned beauties. sunday
evening is the time chosen Tor TINS sort OF
Summing. as then the p'gtailers con
create from far and near to buy supplies
I ~ Chinese food. which last them all the
week in their Jersey City and hoOohen
laupdries At that time Mott street and
its vicinity present q petty fair lmita-
ton OF Hong Kong despite the TACT That
trains are laundering ~ through the Gle
waited network at Chatham square. The
streets are almost impassabl9 with the
Cbattcriug crowds OF Cinnamon, each
with parcel under his arm containing
salt turniDs. dried shrimp, ten and rice,
which they have come 70 purchase for
-h.ir seven days supply. These Chinese
eft romuaratiyeiy little american food,
and the Chinese groceries NJ which there
are thirty or forty, do thriving trade,
drawn from all the cities within easy dis
tanoc. many OF the grocers being worth
anvvaore from FIFTY 70 hundred ami
lffv thousand dollars
You Will find their stock is nearly all
imported; they keep very icw American
products. and you will wander among
these iostlng crowds for hours without
hearing ono word of English or Inspect
ing that such n tongue was known were
i. not Tor the patent medicine advertise
mrnis. which carry the language every
where and arc seen here in profusion,
setting forth their merits in both tongues.
aud rearing. il is said great store Of
shekels from the pigtailers, who dote on
stuff OF tho sort and pay fortunes 10 their
own nOstrum sellers for the styieo OF medi
cines which were in vogue in Europe ia
the middle ages. IN every grocery hangs
three or four pairs Of antlers in the
velvet. and tie powder obtained by
pounding q fragment Of them in mortar
with a silver Of Chinese ginseng root
makes q dose which would 20 on a silver
quarter. costs anywhere from $40 to so,
and il taken once a year by any one who
can afford il with the rrm conviction that
II has power TO not only cure but ward
of possible disease during the coming
year.
The method of getting prescriptions IS
simple but somewhat haphazard \
Chinaman who feels that something j.
seriously wrong inside goes 10 the joss
h0use. sets mp two incense sticks in tho
incense burner. takes q small jar full Of
narrow bamboo slips in his hand, bows
three times and begins 10 slowly shake
tho lar from side to side Ia the course
of q minute or two one of the slips works
its way out from the others and falls on
the floor. II has a number on il, and that
number corresp ponds to a prescription %
b. found in q tattercd and dingy oracle
book hanging on the wall. The patient
secures that prescription from his chemist,
and takes it with full faith in the Joss
diagnosis and remedy Nearly every man
JACK of these Cinnamon that the society
people 20 down to gaze at curioasly as
they clatter through the narrow streets
among the stands where salted peanuts
and Chinese cabbage and cucumbers are
s0id is "a washermGn.
There are 1000 aundr.es in New York
alone. 900 in your city and 200 in Jersey
City. which is called in the Confucius
"musqut0 land. Each laundry has from
two to five mcn working in il, and most
OF thcu mako money, for the Chinese
exclusion bill keeps away competition
and gives them a sort Of laundry trust OF
it, Ono young woman. who has lately
been on an expedition OF this sort, when
she acquired this piece OF information
saw ID IL the explanation Of Il fact that
had greatly puzzled her-which was that
every Chinamln she saw was clean. She
had cone into little rooms crowded 20 the
doors with Oricntals, where the windows
were shut and the gas burning, and yet
there was not the smallest hint OF I'M
pleasant oCor She Lad explored opium
dcns and found every smoker with tho
snOWicst stockings on his unslippcred
feet. and she came home much amazed
having had some previous experience
among The l1wcr classes Of other nations.
/ Possibly the laundry profession being 50
/ WILDLY diiiuscd explains their cleanliness.
/ They not only wash themselves, however,
I but { he Mclean man can go into their bar
Der shops any evening and see the barber
/ brisA out and braid up their long queues,
shave away all the hair around the face
and neck. remove all traces Of beard and
manicure their nails his customers com
( ing ont from lis hands as fresh and clean
+ as yellow rose
OF all Tie places in Chinatown tho most
/ interesting arc the restaurants, Of which
there are eight. The DclmonicO's is Hong
| Ping 10 5. where one can order spread
+ of forty courses, which it takes two days
/ to cat and which can be had for the sum
Of 500 and provides enough for party
of six Heres meal for three al the
/ Chinese Dclmonico's and the prices: We
/ had tea samsu rice brandy, two kinds
f Of wine a dish Of chow -chop-sucy. which
/ is @ puugcnt and palatable conception Of
chicken liycrs ard gizzards. fungi, bamboo
! buds, bean sprouts water chesinuts and
/ all manner OF savoFy spices stewed To-
/ gether. O dish of cuttloiish one OF ducks
/ breasts, chickens wings, pigeons wings.
/ a bowl Of rice and mOoucake by way OF
sweets. and for this, with all tho attend
ant dishes Of sauces and condiments, one
! pays sL.j. 4 fun, square meal, deli
/ .f.ftllr af,.t-,I l.frsr onl daffe4fa for