The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-12-01
WHAT CHINAMEN EAT.
AN AMERICAN DESCRIBES THE FEAs-
OF A CELESTIAL.

Eating Customs in China Differ Radically
from Those in America-A Ceremoni-
Gus Banquet-Rare Chinese DeIicacies.
Chinese and Vegetables.
When we were seated at the table q
daintily attired slave girl furnished US
with ivory chopsticks and asked us for
our order We called for regular dinner,
wishing to see just what the house sup
Piled A Chinese dinner begins, as we
would think, at the wrong end first As
the first course we were served with tea in
dainty little china cups. The second
course consisted of small dishes of water
melon seeds These are a favorite delicacy
among the Chinese. Next came sliced
oranges, served in individual dishes.
The oranges were small and very sweet
and juicy The fourth course was the din
ner proper aud contained the substantials.
Rice was the principal Wand and was
served ia a large center dish, each person
being given a bowl. There were several
smaller dishes of different kinds of meats
and vegetables to eat with the rice, such as
duck meat, pork, mutton curry, bean
curd, stringed cocoanut, etc. This course
completed our dinner, since we did not
partake of the rice wine with which the
Chinese frequently end their meals.
Rice is the Chinaman's staff of life and
forms the principal article of diet through
out the country. 1t is cooked by steaming
in basket or sieve suspended over a shall
low iron kettle partly filed with water.
The other articles Of food are cooked in
the same way and at the same time, as
t,o1, g.
nicely over each otL ,r and covered to keep
in the steam. which the water below sup
plies to all at once Baked bread is not
used; neither is milk, butter nor cheese.
At first ii seemed strange to me to sit down
to a meal at which those familiar dishes
were lacking.
WHAT CHINAb1EN EAT.
Perhaps the greatest variety in the Chi
nese bill of fare is found in the vegetables,
and certainly much of their agriculture
consists in raising them. Bean curd and
bean jam, such as we had at the hotel din
ner, is made by boiling and grinding black
beans and mixing the flour with water,
gypsum and turmeric. There are twenty
or more kinds of beans and peas raised in
China, and they are prepared for food in
many different ways.
Cabbage, broccoli, kale, caulif1ower, cress,
colewOrt, lettuce, sow thistle, spinach,
celery, dandelion, succory, sween basil,
ginger, mustard, radishes, artemisia, anna
ranthus, tacca, pig weed, burslaue, shep-
herds purse, clover, garlic, leeks, onions,
scallions, ailantus and chives are some of
the principal greens, many of them de-
cidedly odoriferous during cooking and
after eating.
Carrots, gourds, squashes, cucumbers,
watermelons, tomatoes, turnips. radishes,
brinjals, pumpkins and okers may be
named as most common among the score
or more garden vegetables. Sweet pota-
toes are very plentiful. The Irish potato
has been grown for a good many years,
but has not come into general use among
the people Fruits Of most varieties are
abundant ali the year. oranges being the
most common.
The few puppies and kittens that are
sold for the able are fed on a diet of rice
beforehand, so their flesh is probably much
cleaner and more wholesome than the
swill eating, mud wallowing hog that
forms so large part of the food of our
own country. Rats may be eaten in some
few cases; in fact l believe l saw a string
of dried rats hanging in market in Can
ton, but they are neither common nor
cheap, and ought not to be considered
distinctive part of Chinese diet any more
than frogs legs and snails should be Of
American diet. Birds nest soup is eaten
occasionally by those who can afford it. 1t
is very expensive, costing q dollar an
ounce. l was fortunate enough TO taste
some once, and thought i vas the most
delicious soup had ever eaten. Sharks
fms are also eaten now and then by cpl
cures.