The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-11-21
NO TIPS TO WALTERS.
SMALL CHECKS THE RULE IN CHINESE
RESTAURANTS.
Rooms Are Dirty, but the Food Is Clean
AID Well cooked-Rice the National
Dish-Tea Il Served Free-Contrastina
Types at the Tables-Beggars and n1i-srs.

Especial Correspondence
Annoy, Oct. 10.-While China is q
very rich land, it is also very poor. a
iaborer in a city like Canton or Annoy
considers himself happy and prosperous
if he gets six Mexican dollars a month.
He can live well from his own point OF
view upon g.. This is about 50 in
American money today. Upon this in
come Of Is cents day he can afford tc
take two meals in a cheap restaurant.
These restaurants are small, dark and
dirty. In the front near the doors is the
kitchen. where the proprietor begins toll
at O'Clock in the morning and keeps
on as long as there is possibility of
customer putting in an appearance He
keeps q sharp eye upon the street, and
whenever he sees a person pass who
looks as if he were hungry salutes him
with a CHEEKY request to come in and
buy his wares. His position also enables
him to prevent any customer escaping
without paying his bill. His stock in
trade, no matter how dirty the sur
roundings, is clean, neat and well cook
ed. First and most important is q huge
globular pan full of boiled rice. Every
grain is white as snow, thoroughly cook
ed, and at the same time dry and sepa-
rate from the others. Rice is prepared
early in the morning in quantities suf-
ficient to last all day. What little is
left over is not thrown away, but is
made up that night or the next day into
other dishes.
Bill of Fare.
Then there is cabbage boiled with
piece of pork and cut into pieces about
an inch square, picked cabbage, which
comes close enough to sauerkraut to
satisfy the most critical German;
ell 1t -
raw macaroni I'D saucers containing
chopped onions, garlic, green peas, dried
fish and smoked snails. A number OF
little pots and pitchers contain plain
vinegar. garlic. clarified peanut oil,
pork drippings and sssoy. - There are no
napkins and no knives and forks. There
are no plates and saucers, excepting
those on which the foods are served.
In the back part of the room there
are one or more tables, originally light
in color, hut SO oiled and CREASED. clean
ed and rubbed, polished by hands and
elbows. darkened by dirt and smoke, as
to be a rich red ranging almost into abb
solute black BY the side of the table
are ingeniously constructed and neat
looking BAN boo stools. The table is sub
stantial, strong and handmade. It costs
in our money from 20 cents mp to 81.
according to its size. The stools cost
from cents to Is cents apiece
The worlxingman enters, is welcomed
by the host and seats himself at ta-
bic. He orders a bowl of rice, and
it costs cash, which is about one
sixth of a cent; a bowl Of cabbage at
the same price; a saucer Of smoked pork
cut into small pieces, which costs i
penny, and little fish stewed with on
ions, costing about ne-fourth Of a cent.
This he washes down with two cups of
tea, which are supplied gratuitously, the
same as water is in civilized countries
IF he is very extravagant, he will take
. glass of wine at the cost of a half a
cent. When he arises, he pays his bill,
which varies from u cents to 3 cents,
and goes on his way rejoicing. When
he pays his bill, the proprietor first
casts his eyes over the table to see if the
customer has robbed the house of d cup
worth half q cent, a saucer worth q
quarter of a cent or the chopsticlzs. cost
ing about one-eighth OF a cent.
For swell Customers.
For guests who are aristocratically
clean there is a small washstand against
the wall, where a brass basin contains |
about a quart Of water. This in well
regulated establishments is filed fresh |
every morning. There is also an ancient
duty for d towel Fashionable luxuries |
like these are rather despised by the al
mond eyed son of toll. Out of 100 GUS
toners, one or two may utilize this
primitive lavatOry. The rest regard it as
a waste of raw material.
The Chinaman does everything differ
entity from everybody else and applies
the same rule to his eating. He may
take a cup of hot tea in the morning,
but generally waits until 10 O'Clock,
when he INDUCES in a meal such as has
been described At he takes a second
similar to the first To the heavy eaters
Of our own race it seems impossible for
a man to live on such fare and retain
his health and strength, yet nevertheless
upon this food the average cody will
work all day long under the burning
sun, when the thermometer is in the
without resting or breaking
down. Under such circumstances our
own race, no matter what they eat, can
seldom work more than six hours a day
without very serious consequences. The
total amount Of food used by the aver
age Chinaman each day varies between
two and four pounds in weight, Of
which rice IS about So per cent, vegeta-
oles 30 per cent, fish 8 per cent and pork
z per cent While the wealthy classes
use a finer quality and variety Of food,
yet the same proportions apply to them
Types of the East
During the crowded hours and espe-
sally in the afternoon you get a glimpse
INTO Chinese life such as no books can
ever give. Your eye may first fall upon
stalwart stevedore. who has just come
il from the docks. All that he viii have
N viii be a pair Of trunks. Fastened to