Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-10-06
CHINESE CAFES.
The Elaborate Courses in a
Monaghan Restaurant.
Two Days Required to Eat a
FirSt-Class Spread.

Thoro arc eight thriving Chinese
restaurants which can prepare Chinese
dinner in New York, writes Wong
Ching Fou in tn, Cosmopolitan, almost
with tho same skill as at tho famou'
Dan qury Cha Yuca' Oelmo1ico'9 of
Shanghai or Canton. These places arc !
most thropgcd on Sunday, when tho
Chinese laundrymcn of New York and
neighboring cities como in for general
good time.
Unlikc Americans, tho Chinese do
not generally pay by the di'h,s ordered,
but by the tatlcs or spreads, called by
the Chinese ''Gzuh." A iir't-cla's
spread lie udos about forty courses, and
it takes two days to fni'h tho feast.
1t costs $50 A second class spread,
with twcnty-cight courses, costs $40.
A third class spread, with CT htcea
courses, cost, S25 The cheapest
spread contains eight courses for So
This i, tho lowest price for which
man can order formal dia-
rer in first. cas- ChilcD res
taurant. But then the spread Is malc for
any number Of pcop,c within twslv,.
Ii a man simply wants to cat short
meal, for himself and fricnl o. two,
he c.n get ready mad, dishes of fish,
chicken, duck, pigs feet, rice, tea,
ETC., cheaper thin il any other res
taurant, besides many dishes peculiar to
Chinatown. Tho prices run from five
cents to twenty cents. The foods
arc all chopped in small pieces, rcr-
dcring knives aad FORKS uaacc ,ssary.
The Chiacsc table implements arc chop
sticks, of ivory or boac, a tiny little
tcacup and porcelain spooa.
A staple dish for the Chiacs, gour-
mand is chow chop svcy, mixture OF
chickens livc,s and gizznvds, fungi
bamboo buds, pigs tripc, and bean
sprouts stcwcd with spices. The gravy
of thi, is poured into the bowl of rice
with some Gho prototype OF
Worcestershire sauce), making de-
licious seasoning to thu favorite grain.
The tea is made by pouring hot water
over tho fresh Ooloag il a cup.
and covering it with small
saucer to draw. Then push
ing back the saucer little, you
pour eff the flu into smHllcr ou,, and
adj more hot water to tho grounds
again. This may be repeated tivo or
six times, and the last cup will be near
iy as strong as the first. The Chinaman
always takes spirits with his meals,
pouring the rio, whi,kcy into tiny cup
from a pewter pot. But he always
drinks moderately, and never apart from
his meals. For this reason druakcn
Cinnamon arc very rarely seen. Whom
party Of Cinnamon sit ar ound table,
one dish of each kiad Of food il served,
and all pick from the samo dish with
the chopsticks. When there arc several
coursc,, tho earlier dishes are never re
moved. and by tho time q good dinner
has been served the table i, literally
buried with dishes.
The stoves, if they can be called such,
arc curiositics in themselves. They arc
long ranges built of low, broad lrlc!is.
II the top arc great pits, into which arc
firmly luilt iron gridirons imported
from China for frying, boiling or steam
ing purposes. Two of tho brick ranges
have only open pits, and there are places
where the whole hogs are occasionally
hu, g upon iroa bars aad roasted. They
provi lie very quick and sure facilities
for turain, out q large roast OF any
ki2d in beautifully brown and crisp
stylc. Coal is FEVER used in these Chi
ncso kitchens; only hay and hickory
wood. At least five hundred Amcri-
cans take their meals regularly in Chi
ncsc restaurants in orthodox Chi
ncso fashion with chopsticks. This
may be partly lccau5e Chinese diet is
skillfuliy prepared, SO that certain
dishes work certain medicinal result.
The hygicnic functions of cooking clc-
v.tc the kitchen directors in China
to high social status. Many of these
Americans hav, acquired CASTRO
nom cll tastes, and order
dishes like Chinese mandarias,
lut NJ rulc the keepers do not
cater to any other trade than Chinc'c,
because tn, Gilman IN frequently orders
two dollar aad three dollar di hc',
while tn, American seldom pays moro
than fifty or scv,nty-fve cents for his
Chinese diancr.