Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1894-07-21
CHINESE GROCERIES.
AN ORIENTAL STORE WITH QUEER
KINDS or EDIHLES

81. Louie Firm THAT sells Things That
tine Chinese Eat.
On the corner of Tenth and Locust
streets Ia a little Chinese shop that has
about il the red and white air OF laun-
dry, but II isn't. The sign In front Of
the store says Chinese and Japanese
groceries. Sun Yah Sue d Co. II was
at one time fancy goods shop. but the
owner concluded groceries would pay |
better. People are compelled to eat.
he says, in explaining the change. The
owners name In not Sun Yah Sue. how |
ever, and there in no company to the |
concern ut NIL, but II Is run by single |
proprietor. The proprietor's name Is
Jeu Hon Yee, and he put ''& Co. on his
sign because he saw Il on several other
signs In the neighborhood. and thought
Il had an air Of business about 1t. AS
for Sun Yah Sue, that Is not the name OF
any parsonage whatever. but 10 simply
motto chosen by Mr.. zee. Its literal
meaning is 'sl3elieve in Jesus 20 that
any one passing along the street and
translating the sign would be surprised
to see a grocery store run by Believed
Jesus e. CO..
Mr.. Yee sells groceries. but none OF
the kind that are seen upon the table OF
an American. IL we except q little rico
and tea The kinds he sells ara those
which tickle the paiates OF the jewellers
In the land Of Confucius-
The writer yesterday had the pleasure
Of witnessing u shipment Of freight I'M
packed which had just completed It's
long journey from China. The ten or
twelve large boxes covered with the odd
but well known green paper and mimi
table characters. all securely wrapped
with strips Of cane. had at glance
foreign look about them. Wien the
boxes were opened. however. and some
of the goods taken ont. the foreign APP
pearance was increased many times over.
Everything was stored away In very
careful and compact manner. each arti-
Gle being separated from every other by
little improvised but effective partitions
in the large boxes. There were strange
looking nuts OF all sorts--some from the
marshes along the Yellow and Blue
rivers. and some from the rugged upland
region between the Yangtze and its great
| tributary, tho Min. The water nuts
from the low lands. growing In the
ponds and the swamps like lilies--the
root forming the nut-had the soft black
| mud from their eastern home still cling
| ing aronnd them. When cut open with
knife the juicy white meat was evil
IDENTIFY as fresh as il was the day 1t had
been taken from the PARKWAY banks OF
some lonely swamp
There were dozens of kinds Of dried
\ mushrooms. numerous kinds and quali
ties of macaroni, Jars OF the most de
licious % sauce. boxes of queer red
rasins, casks Of dark brown oysters
which, it in said. swell TO many times
their size when cooked; ginger root 50
strong and biting that none but an &c
customed tongue can endure its taste
dried fish i'm endless variety and appear
ance, sticks Of sugar cane, which wers
really quite palatable, beautiful little
bamboo baskets Of the finest tea, kegs oi
long, slender cucumbers in a thick
black sauce: vegetables something like
beets and carrots and potatoes, bal
really like none of them: black seagras.
or seaweed, which. when wash wi
flesh water" Is supposed to become |
most luscious auxiliary cooked with
stewed meats; and last, but not least In
price), the inevitable birds nests
wrapped in tissue paper and inclosed II
delicate half pound paper boxes-at fou
dollars per pound.
Indeed. while the amounts Of each kin'
was not very great the variety scenes
almost endless, and the prices were
revelation. The water nuts, whicl
looked like buckeyes. sell at thirty cent
pound. They are used, sliced mp YER
fine. TO cook with meats. etc. tn
mushrooms are eighty cents to q do
lar a pound, and look very much lik
our own. The lowest priced dried fis
are thirty cents n pound, and thu baz
kinds dollar. They are shipped i
great numbers during the summe
months, when other meats cannot we
, stand the journey. There Is a kind Q
duck, however, whose legs are dressed
J placed In tin cans. which are filled wit
! oil, and shipped to any distance. Packe
: In this oil these legs will keep fresh In
, definitely and are considered wonder
} full delicacy. retailing at ten cents each
The black seaweed which IL cooked wit
: meats sells at seventy-ive cents poun
: and other things in proportion. Will
: the little yellowish sticks known q
r birds nests bring four dollars a pound
l Mrs.. Yee says II 10 an excellent thin
l for children and q magnificent ingred
: emit for soups, AS no doubt 1t ought to b,
8 In explaining the different articles an
their characteristics Jeu Hon Yee had
show considerable dexterity with th
English language. He would call owe
o the name ''ho She some little time befoI
o he could explain with clearness that
a was an oyster. When he picked mp
!, "hung jor neither Its name nor its appeal
o ance gave any evidence OF its being
a raisin. which 1t was. Gum gum chui"
1 sort Of c..ulifower kind Of vegetable
r which Is not gum ut all. nor Is It NEAR
Z for chewing. except incidentally In soup
!, while ''cha gua," little box Of four wa
d balls containing medicine (selling /
n &i.50l, never did secure its English nam
y while the writer was present. In fac
the entire shop. with everything jamme
ny close together. and with it's stranp
appearance. name and odors, has an M
0 uiistakable foreign air about IT. On
n can close his eyes and with bal sligi
t effort Of the imagination find himself |
y some faroff oriental village.--St Lon
o diobe- Democrat.