Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-09-30
WHAT CHINAMEN EAT.
an AMERICAN DESCRIBES THE FEAST
or A CELESTIAL.

or A CELE5TlA
Eating Custom. 10 China piTer Radically
from Tho.s "a America Ceremoni-
Gus Babqart-Rare Chinese DeIIcacies.
Chinese and Vegetables.
When We were seated at the table a
dautiiy attired slave girl furnished ms
with IVORY chopsticks and asked us for
cur order We called for q regular dinner
WISHING 10 see just what the house sup
pied. u Chinese dinner begins, as we
would tb8nk. III the wrong end first, As
the first course we were served with tea ID
dainty itie cbina cups The second
course consisted 10 small dishes Of water
melon seeds These are a ftyurite delicacy
among the Chinese Next came Sliced
oranges. served 10 individual dishes
The oranges were small aud very sweet
and juicy. The fourth course was the din
uer proper and contained the substantiRi,.
Rice was the principal Wand and was
served Ia a large center dish, each person
being given bowl There were several
smaller dishes ~ different kinds ~ meats
and vegetables 10 eat with tile rice. such ~
duck meat pork. mutton curry heau
curl, stringed cocnanut. ete. 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 % diet through.
out the country. IL Is cooked by steaming
IN a basket or sieve suspended over a shal.
low iron Kettle partly filled with water
The other articles Of food are cooked IN
the same way and at the sans time, ~
q Il
nicely over each other and covered 20 keep
In the steam. which the water below sup
plies to all at once Baked bread i not
used; neither is milk, butter nor cheese
At first it seemed strange to me To sit down
to meal at which those familiar dishes
were lacking
WHAT CHlSAMES Eat
Perhaps the greatest variety 10 the Chi
nese bill % fare is found IN the vegetables
aud certainly much of their agriculture
consists ia raising them Bean curd aud
bean jam. such a, we had at the Motel din.
ner, Is made hy boiling and grinding black
beans and mixing the noar with water
gypsum a'h 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, cauiiilowcr. crrss.
colewort, lettuce, sow thistle, spinach
celery, dandcion, succary, swecn basil
ginger, mustard. radishes, artrmisia anna
ranthus, tacca, PIG weed hursauc, shep
herds purse clover. garlic, ireks, onions,
scallinns. atlautus and ChiyeS are some uf
the principal greens, many Of them de
cidedly oduriferous during cooking and
after eating
Carrots, eourds, squashes. cucumber..
watermclous, tomatoes. turnips. ralishe-,
brinials, pumpkins aud o6tr, may b..
named as most common among the scoie
or more garden vegetables Sweet pota
toes are very plentiful The Irish potato
has been grown for good many years,
but has no, come into general useamuu.
the people Fruits 81 most varieties are
abundant all the year oranges being the
most common
The few puppies and Kittens that are
sold for the table ARE fed gu diet OF rice
beforehand. so their iieshis probably much
cleaner and more wholesome than the
-will eating, mud w3.lpwiug hog thar
forms SO large part Of the food OF our
own country Rat, may be eaten IN some
few cases; in fact | believe | saw a string
~ dried rats hanging iu a market in Can
ton but they are neither common nor
cheap, and Ought not Ia be considered q
distinctive part of Chinese diet any more
than irog> legs and sHsiis should be az
American diet, Birds nest soup is eaten
occasionally 10y those who eau afford IL. II
s very expensive, costing a dollar an
ounce. WAS fortunate enough q taste
some once, and thought it was the most
delicious soup had ever eater. Sharks
Tins are also eaten now and then by cpl
cures.