The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1890-06-13
QUEER WAYS IN TIBET.
How the Natives Make and Serve Tea
Other Peculiar Customs.

Other Peculiar Customs.
"The people of Tibet have the fun
NEST way of making tea you ever heard
Of" said Lieutenant Rockhill, that far
away country's most recent explorer.
ITO begin with, the tea they use comes
from Western China in the shape OF
bricks, which are pressed into such con-
venient shape for carrying overland. All
sorts of teas are made into bricks for
purposes of transportation across Asia,
it being very we'll understood by connols-
seurs in the herb that sea trip spoils
it. But the tea imported into Tibet is
of very poor quality as rule. There
is in it as much weight of twigs as OF
leaves.
"Having pounded a portion of the
brick tea in some sort of mortar. the
Tibetan housewife puts in large cop
per vessel and there permits it to boil
over fire made from dry manure. The
resulting solution she pours into queer
looking wooden churn through coarse
willow basket that serves as strainer.
To the LIQUID in the churn, before pro-
ceeding further, she adds a portion OF
butter and some salt. The mixture is
then churned up in ordinary fashion,
and, when it is thoroughly mixed, Is
poured into teapot of bronze. From
the teapot it is dispensed into the little
cup-shaped vessels which each Tibetan
carries with him or her.
1.-THE cup-shaped vessel I refer to is
usually of wood, sometimes lined with
silver. Tibetans employ it not only as
their sole drinking utensil, but also as a
dish for solid food. What they
consume mainly as substantial diet is
parched barley. When a gentleman OF
Tibet feels hungry he sits down, and
taking from leather pouch portion Of
barley he mixes little water with it,
and stirring it up into dough eats it in
that shape. Thus hunger is satisfied
and he goes on his way rejoicing. In
what we call the pleasures of the table
the Tibetan takes no stock whatever.
There never was a typical Asiatic yet
who cared any thing about amusement
in the ordinary sense of the word. He
doesn't 60 to the theater-there is no
such institution in the land of the
lamas. Nor does he indulge in any 9TH
er rational enjoyment Of ci' :lization,
though he does not scorn what might be
called the primary vices.
'"Tibet is very cold country, but it's
inhabitants do not warm themselves by
the consumption of fuel. When the
weather is chilly they simply put on
more clothes in proportion as the mer-
curry might fall, If there was a Their
mometer to register the temperature by.
Their garments consist mainly for each
individual of q vOluminous cloak with
sleeves and high collar, under which a
shirt is sometimes worn. Boots, with
soles of rawhide and uppers of cloth and
cotton, are made for them II China. For
rainy days a circular cape of felt is pro-
vided. The gun used by Tibetan has
long fork attached to it, which is
stuck in the ground for use as a rest for
the weapon. Naturally, the deadly in
strument is of primitive pattern, in
tended to be set off with printing, and
the native wears attached to his belt a
number Of little brass cones, each of
them containing an exact load of gun
powder. Those people of the country
who live on the great elevated plains or
steppes dwell in black tents; but the
villagers reside usually in two-story
stone houses, the lower story being
given up to a stable for the cattle. Not
all of Tibet, as is popularity supposed, is
actually subject to China. The country
is divided up, politically speaking, into
many tribes. and not few of these
tribes are governed by chiefs who owe
no allegiance to anybody-not even to
the Chinese Emperor. "-Washington