The Forrest City times., 1893-01-27
JAPANESE DIET.
it IL Made Up Principally of Vegetai

" IL Made Up Principally of Vegetables.
1t is somewhat curious circum-
stance, says London journal, that, at
the very time when we are told that
that characteristic Japanese flower,
the chrysanthemum, is about to be in
troduced to public favor both in a hot
and cold state of preparation, the
Japanese have come to the conclusion
that vegetable diet, especially that i'll
which rice is dominant, is menu
which should more properly he dis
couraged than advocated for the food
of the Japanese people. Sir Francis de
Winton, addressing the Manchester
Geographical society, has stated that
instead of the vegetarian food To which
the Japanese had hitherto largely ac-
customed themselves il had been de-
cided by the government to encourage
meat diet, it being thought that by
the adoption of such a policy the stat
ure of the race would increase, and
their physique be consequently inn
proved. Sir Francis furthermore point
ed out that if the denizens of the land
of the chrysanthemum could only be
persuaded to eat more meat the cattle
ranchers of western Cadada. and espe-
cially of British Columbia, who would
find in Japan a new and remunerative
market fer their cattle. 1t should not,
however be ignored that European
travellers in Japan have pointed out
that the native cuisine, although, per-
haps, it slightly errs in adherence to a
system of cookery mainly consisting of
odds and ends Of various kinds of foods,
is quite capable Of applying not only
palatable but elegant meals. Others
have not taken quite so 'roseate a view
of Japanese culinary economy, but have
animadverted on the fact that not only
do these remote Asiatics eat too much
rice, but that they consume too much
fish. 1t is commonly and truly said
that in England we do not make half
as much use as we should properly do
of the harvest of the sea; and, although
the fisheries exhibition was socially
and financially brilliant success, the
price of fish has not appreciably dimin-
ished nor its consumption largely de-
veloped since. 1t is at all events GER
tain that among the poorer classes fish
is not only too dear, but does not seem
to be relished to any marked degree by
those whose lot it is to labor: whereas
in Japan fish is a general article of
diet, just as it is in the Sandwich
islands. Rice, again, although the
staple of the diet of many millions
of Asiatics in India. China and Japan,
has not. so many medical authorities
maintain, the sustaining power as an
article of food possessed either by meat
or bread or by pulse. The professed
vegetarians warn us that we are tray
cling rapidly along the road to pcrdi-
tion because we eat meat: but. while
depreeating the bigotry OF these mild
fanatics it is certain that we might,
with advantage to ourselves, consume
a much larger quantity of vegetables
than we actually do. The idea of n
parti-colored chrysanthenum salad may
at the first blush appear slightly fan
tastic; still, the mere question of such
novelty in our cuisine may be ulti
mately beneficial in awakening the
people and their advisers TO the expe
diency of making vegetables a much
more important factor in good living
than has hitherto been the ease. Chi
cago Tribune