The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-09-03
CHINESE EDIBLES.
WHAT CELESTIAL EPIcUREs
DELIGHT IN.
Many Peculiar and Strange Dishes
"A Summary Of the Leading Ar
ticles on a Monaghan Menu.


A Chinese dinner menu is a lengthy
publication, and is veritable roster OF
almost everything on this mundane
sphere that walks, creeps. flies. swlms OF
remains stationary. II has varied at
fractions both for the student OF ento-
mology aud the bOtanist. From scho-
lastic point Of view il is interesting, but
the epicure with the least bit OF sentl'
ment In his character would regard u
with well-groanded prejudice. In his
diet the Mongolian has Invested himself
Of all superstitious ideas, and has evil
IDENTIFY confscated everything in reach
for conversion into palatable dish In
youthful days birds nest soup" was
credited with being horrible evidence
| of Chinese barbarism. but 1t is nothing
worse than Irish moss, aud 1t is the most
palatable Of all Chinese connections Tor
the table. The epicurean taste which
shows its exalted cultivation by relishing
''ripe" game and poultry is totally
eclipsed by the Chinese gourmand, VINO
would scorn the idea OF even looking at
the capon that was not in a fair way OF
| attaining the end arrived at by all flesh.
The absorbing ambition OF the Mon
golian is to be high liver, and to
rank as such he must indeed be one Of
the worlds upper ten in financial
sense to crafty his object in life.
Chinese delicacy stores. which strik-
ingly compare in attractiveness with q
well.stocked museum, number a full
score in the Monaghan quarter OF this
city. Among the first exhibits spread
on narrow trays so tempting to Chinese
eyes are large black beetles thoroughly
dried. They are considered great des-
sert delicacy, and are rctailed TO Gus
toners at cents per beetle.
Small cakes of bean curd wrapped In
yellow coverings and bearing Chinese in
scriptions are other allurements which
greet the vision Of the heather epicure.
They are small cheeses made from milk
curd and the pulp Of boiled beans
pressed into cakes. Dried ducks split
down the back. pressed fiat and anolntea
with oil to render them impervious 70
the air. are sight that generally lncites
a purchase If the cuctomer has the re-
ouisite 40 cents. Dressed shark fms are
relish for which the Mongolian displays
| a marked liking. He must pay *l.1o
pound il he desires to crafty his appe-
lite at such expense. !.
A can. from which arises vile and
offensive odor, contains a quantity oil
small birds, about the size OF swallows
preserved in oil. Duck eggs are another
| delicacy, preserved in a similar manner.
| Chinese tomales are composed OF duck
eggs and pork, combined with nee and
wrapped in plantain leaves. The Chinese
way Of adding to the attractivencss OF
the oyster is TO string a score or more OF
the bivalves on a small wisp of bamboo
and allow them to dry and discolor at
leisure. They are disposed Of at fifty
cents pound. Shrimps are skewered
| by two wisps OF bamboo and festoon the
| windows Of almost every first rate dell
cacy store.
species Of Goldfish, caught in Mexican
waters. which is dried and shipped IN
large quantities to this city and Is high
" esteemed. Duck eggs are imported
from China. In order to provide against
the inroads of decomposition, which
would render them unsuitable except IN
political times. they are first vanished
with oil and packed in black and for
bidding mess OF mud. !,
"Guy- na-po" is 9 peculiarly shaped
6sh imported from China, which makes
A favorite soup for Celestial DEDICATION.
Strings Of dark and malodorous sausages
fine the walls and festoon the shelves OF
these delicacy stores. They are credited
with being imported. II Is claimed that
pork enters largely into their compo-
sition. but. like the American article,
faith in the sausage makers honesty
must Danish all doubts. Imported pork
chops hanging on strings and smeared
with nut oil are forbidding IN the eyes
of an American, but the Chinese consider
them toothsome, and pay IS cents .
pound for them. /.
nHoy sum- il q peculiarly shaped
mollusk gathered from deep-sea sound
inos. which the Chinese hold in high re-
gard as imparting q savory flavor to
soupe. Beans boiled down to the con
sistency of paste, hand-drawn into mar
row atrips and afterward dried on sticks
are the Chinese substitute for macaFoni.
Imuorted cuttlehsh are q delicacy highly
priced by the Monaghan. They bear q
resemblance to elongated onions with
tendrils. and sell for thirty-hve cents a
pound. 81
Mushrooms are ruined when they fall
into Chinese hands. They are Invested
of their delicate flavor by being dried
and ground into q powdered state.
Picked bamboo sprouts and ginger are
the only relishes of an acid nature TO
which the Chinese taste is addicted.
Beans. after being well sprouted in water
and then dried, are employed in soups
and sauces.
Dried watermelon seeds are dessert
delicacy much favored BY Mongolians.
They are eaten like pine nuts. The meat
of the abalone Is extracted and sun dried
into hardened black Jumps. which bear
A resemblance to nothing so much IS
lot Of discarded boot heels. These are
much affected by Chinese, and aoAlone
soup or chowder, when properly pre-
nared. Is q dish not 10 be despised even
BY a white man.
while the Chinese favor vegetables OF
common use in this country, they have
on sale several varieties Of their peculiar
cultivation. They have white radisn
which measures fully eight inches IN
length and Il from one and half TO two
inches IN diameter. AEmall radishs Win
+. disnroportionafe growth Of top, is an