The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-04-18

high rocks by the seashore. and the mn |
terial is secreted by glands inside the |
bini's bill think II was Huxley who |
facetiousiy remarked that these birds |
built their nests .sall out Of their own |
heads A native recipe for making
the soup reads, with characteristic |
vagueness, like this: Take as many
nests as are necessary, clean md pick
out the feathers, and boil In sufficient
watefto make thin jelly. Pour this
over hard boiled pigeons eggs, and float
on the top shreds Of ham. Serve sweet
ened II desired.
The number Of cdibles in China Is
legion, and their combinations arc sim
ply distracting The people have q
regular intuition for cooking, and every
man, woman and child can prepare a
good meal out Of the most meagcr sup
ply Of materials. Sweetmeats are eaten
by young and old, and one can scarcely
70 anywhere without meeting a ven
dor Of confectionery. Bright yellow
cakes Of rice and sugar are sold 70 chill
drenat every street corner, and queer
tasting bonbons of bean -four, millet
seed or popped rice, candied aeaweed.
melon rind and orange peel are eaten
in enormous quantities ut New Years
time and other feasts. Every house
wife prepares once year an enor-
nous sweet loaf Of buclxwheat -four and
keeps 1t on hand to offer visitors with
tea. It is as heavy as lead and vii
famous compound, and, like the old
fashioned fruit cake Of onr grandmoth-
ers, lasts the year round, and its APP
pearance upon special occasions Is In
evitable.
Table etiquette such Us would please
4 Chinese host would shock and dis
gust an American one. Men keep on
their hats when eating, and Il is quite
the proper capcr" to make rs much
noise as possible in the process Of mas
tication, for the more made the
greater is supposed to be the enjoy
rncnt experienced. Between courses
basin and towel are passed around,
and the guests mop off the face and
wash the hands. The more food
Is consumed the better, for the
more the host Is honored, and II IL
seems necessary to refuse a second
helping the polite thing to say is: %,
no. dare not, for I'm afraid you
haven't enough A host In properly
exercising his hospitality must press
his guests to eat, and the distressing
importantly with which one is urged
makes foreigner feel very uncom
Portable.
Because elaborate dinner sets come
from China, it must not be supposed
that these are used by the natives
themselves. They nre manufactured
for foreign trade only. a native set
consists Of simply d great number oi
D0wis OF diiferent sizes, coiors and
shapes, chopsticks, and chinaware
spoons, about the size of a dessertspoon,
with short, curved handles Tho chop
sticks are OF silver. ivory or wood, and
are held in the hand much rs we would
hold lead pencil A very slight mo
ton causes their tips to approximate.
and pieces Of food are easily grasped
by them, and they are only used In
grasping and showing, for q Chinaman
can no more eat liquids with them than
we can eat soup with fork. The dex
terity with which they are used V rash
| " over-estimated, for food Of semi
solid nature. such as rice, Hi eaten by
placing the bowl to the lips and push
| ing the contents into the mouth with
the sticks, and one viewing d family 81
the best cultured eating a meal in the
| most approved fashion thinks It any
thing but dainty process
A cup of tea finishes every repast
| but 1t Is not such a cup as would satisfy
our depraved taste. for the native arti-
Gle is a tiny affair scarcely larger than
! a thimble. Tea is taken upon all oc-
| casions, by both sexes and all classes,
and q tea-drinking Is simple yet al
| ways formal affair. A native tea set
| consists Of large pot for water,
smaller one for tea and ever 50 many
tiny handleless cups set in groups q
six upon little trays Of lacquer or Of
| china. Boiling water is brought in the
larger and poured over the tea In the
smaller pot and then almost inmedi-
ately poured off into the cups The
| host or hostess then takes a tray in
both hands--it would be very impolitc
to take 1t ia one--and bowling low Of
fers 1t. Tho guest selects tho very
nearest, bows low and receives It In
both hands Ne must then ask the
host to drink with him, and both con-
sumo the amber liquid in little sips.
InChina tea is never drank with milk
and sugar, and, though always very
strong, never has that ''puckery' taste
that comes Of long boiling. All vari-
cites have o flavor much like our best
grades Of black tea, for the green tea
81 commerce Is vile compound not even
tolerated on native soil. The real
green tea cannot be exported. because
It Is very liable to undergo fermenta-
ton when exposed to the damp sea air.
II then turns black, and the substitu-
ton for expectation that comes to onr
market Is made by coloFing the leaves
with Prussian blue and gypsum. None
OF the exported teas possess their orig
inal flavor, for all that are intended
for shipping are submitted to an extra
drying process at the seaport. This Is
very injurious, for 1t drives of much Of
the Havoring principle and aroma
The caravan teas Of Russia owe their
superiority to having escaped this last
port drying, which Is so fatal TO fine
flavor Detroit Free Press.
why Red Angers an or.
The reason why anything Of q red