The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1891-01-09
QUEER WAYS IN THlBET.
dow the Natives Make and Serve Tea
Other Peculiar Customs.

"The people of Thibet have the fun
niest way of making tea you ever heard
Of" said Lieut.. Rockhill, that far-away
country's most recent explorer, to a
Washington Star reporter. ITO begin
with, the tea they use comes from west
ern China in the shape of bricks which
are pressed into such convenient 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 conniseurs in
the herb that sea trip spoils it. But
the tea imported into Thibet 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
Thibetan housewife puts it in a large
copper vessel and there permits it to
boil over fire made from dry manure.
The resulting solution she pours into a
queer-looking wooden churn through
a course willow basket that serves as a
strainer. To the liquid in the churn,
before proceeding 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 a teapot OF
bronze From the teapot it is dis
pensed into the little eup-shaped vessels
which each Thibetan carries with him
or her.
''The cup-shaped vessel refer to is
usually of wood, sometimes lined with
silver. Thibetans employ it not only
as their sole drinking utensil. but also
as dish for solid food. What they
consume mainly as substantial diet is
parched barley. When gentleman OF
Thibet feels hungry he sits down, and,
taking from leather pouch portion
of barley, he mixes little water with
it, and stirring it up into a dough eats
it in that shape. Thus hunger is salts
fled and he goes on his way rejoicing.
In what we call the pleasures of the
table the Thibetan takes no stock what
ever. There never was a typical
Asiatic yet who cared anything about
amusement in the ordinary sense of the
word. He doesn't go to the theater-
there is no such institution in the land
of the lanas. Nor does he indulge in
any other rational enjoyment of civili-
zation, though he does not scorn what
might be called the primary vices.
''Thibet is very cold country, but its
inhabitants do not warm themselves by
1uS consumption vi 1ucl. w men LnS
weather is chilly they simply put oD
more clothes in proportion as the mer-
curry might fall, if there was a ther.
anometer to register the temperature
by. Their garments consist mainly for
each individual of voluminous cloak
with sleeves and high collar, under
which shirt is sometimes worn.
Boots, with soles of rawhide and up.
pers of cloth and cotton. are made fol
them in China. For rainy days cir.
cular cape of felt is provided. The CUR
used by a Thibetan has long fork at
tached to it, which is stuck in the
ground for use as rest for the weapon
Naturally. the deadly instrument is OF
primitive pattern. intended to be sci
off with priming, and the native
wears attached to his belt number OF
little brass cones, each of them con.
tanning an exact load of gunpowder
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 3
stable for the cattle. Not all of Thibet.
as is supposed, is actually subject to
China The country is divided up.
politically speaking. into many tribes,
and not u few of these tribes are gov.
erned by chiefs who owe no allegiance
to anybody-not even to the Chinese
emperor"