The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-04-18
WITH THE CHINESE.
Tastes Of tho Inhabitants Of the
Celestial Empire,
rhcy Have Fondness for Dishes That
Seem Anything hut Inviting
to nm Amcrican--Sonc
Queer Dainties.


astonishingly large number OF cook
shops interest and attract the foreign
passcr-by. Ones curiosity Is often
aroused to know the ingredients of the
messes he sees being ccncocted. but I'M
resignation very often ends in some un-
pleasant disclosure and unless one Is
possessed Of a veritable cast-iron
stomach and nose well hardened to
Chinese smells, he had better beware
81 even Chinese Delmonico's. These
places are unplcasnntly pressed upon
the pedestrian, however, for the front
Is invariably open to the street, and in
order to tempt customers by the sight
and smell of viands the cook prepares
his dishes over charcoal fire In full
view and sets samples Of his materials
and his bill OF fare ont on show
board before him. Tables and
stools arc placed IN the rear,
md hero the hungry wayfarer
may banque, off such delicacies
as particularly tickle the Chinese palate.
Among the common people an ordinary
meal consists Of boiled rice, coarse
green's and little fat pork, goats flesh
81 fish At tho public eating houses
iainties out Of the ordinary line are to
be had, and Chinese cookery Is executed
with a flourish MS II were. All sorts Of
Gsh. desh and fowl, beasts Of the sea,
air and land are represented In CHI
nesc menu. The Frenchman Is not the
only one who has his froglegs and snail
soup. for the Celestial, too, reyels In
Ehcac dainties, and many more even
moro strange. Snakes and cells alike
know the fryingpan, and when skinned
and dressed appear very much alike.
Many varieties Of non-poisonous snakes
are nsed for food. Silkworm grnbs IRE
regarded as q choice morsel and are
stewed in lard and eaten as relish,
and O multitude Of other insects are
deemed edible. One variety commonly
seen in the fish stalls looks like an
American locust before it has takenon
wings, and large white grub that in
habits the bamboo sprouts Is much
sought after In the south. Another va
ricty Of edible worm Is found ut the
root of the sugarcane. The cane Is gem
erally pulled up, the roots being used
l&r fuel, and the harvesters as they go
along pick up these worms and drop
I them into q little basket which they
strap about the waist.
Many Chinese things taste very good,
but their food is, on the whole, any
thing but tempting. Their cookery
abounds in made" dishes Of compli-
Gated construction, highly favored
with apices and herbs. and, ON account
ofthe limited use to which the chop
sticks can be put, the ingredients are
cut up into small pieces. Boiling,
stewing and frying are popular meth
DDS Of preparation, and the cook shops
show q variety Of nauseating- looking
lnesscs whose doors arc not to DO met
with outside Of China. The worst ! have
yet encountered come from the duck
eggs that have been kept In wet clay
until they are "high,' and fermented
radishes which bear strong family
resemblance to saucrkraut, and these
can best be described by the southern
expression-''p powerful bad Although
wc turn up our noses at John China
mans bill Of fare, he In turn looks
aslSancc at ours and thinks we are dis
gushing creatures to drink milk and
eat cheese, and he cannot be induced to
touch butter.
It seems to be the general impress
sion that dogs and cats form staple
articles Of diet. This is not true. They
nre eaten to o greater or less extent by
the poorer classes only, and vary in
popularity according to the district
In the seaports. where animal food is
readily obtained. they are not con-
sumed, and in Canton there are only
three or four stalls whore their flesh
Is sold. but in country districts
many people eat these animals,
and rats, also. The Hakkas, a wild
hill tribe occupying the mountainous
district west Of Annoy, go In
for cat and dog more largely than any
other people and their method Of pre-
pairing them for culinary purposes Is
horrible in the extreme. Dogs paws
are frequently Seen among their meats
in Tie butchers stalls. Black cats are
universally deemed more desirable than
white or spotted, and tortoise-shell cats
are seldom eaten. A well-known mis-
sionary to these people, In relating his
experience with these animals, says
that his family can always keep tor
toisc-shell, while black cat invariably
disappears. Horsehesh IS extensively
consumed throughout the empire, but
Is horribly tough, for only old beasts
unfit for use are killed for food. Both
house rats ard kind Of wild rat that
iulaBits the rice fields aye eaten and
arc itawls about the streets strung up
nv the tails