Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-20

hash and recook them before eating. An
Idea seems to prevail among foreigners that
the Chinese live on rice and rats. There is
no greater mistake in the whole dictionary
OF errors which are current concerning the
Chinese. In the northern part of China
where L now am, the common people are
too poor to afford rice and they live upon
millet wheat and corn. great deal OF
bread Is consumed, but ii is boiiei instead
of baked, and as to the better classes, they
have as many dantes and as good food as
we have. The fish of Chira are among the
finest of the world. They have a shad
which is fully equal to that of the Potomac,
but which has not hslf so many bones.
You can buy quail and snipe and Venison
In the market here and / have never seen
finer mutton than that furnishe! by the fat
taNed sheep of north China. There is no
country in the world where so many fowls
are eaten and there are chicken farms,
duck farms and goose farms here. There
are duck villages In south China and goose
boats which carry thousand of these hiss
ing birds along the lowlands of the river
and stop for them to get off upon the mud
flats and fatten on the worms and snailS
which they find there. In every Chinese
city you will find stores which do nothing
but sell smoked ducks and geese, and they
have a way of drying ducks in the sun-and
Of sailing them SO they will keep like we
keep ham. j see many duck peddl.rS go
ing through the cities Tying a bushel or
so of these dried ducks III baskets swung
from the two ends Of a pole which rests
across their shoulders and have ridden on
boats filed with live ducks and geese going
from one side of a river to the other. a
great many other fowls are artilicialy
Matched and the experience of ages is
shown in the skill with which they raise
fowl.
Fond of Old Eggs.
Speaking of curious food. the Chinese are
fond CT eggs about one hundred years old,
and old eggs here are worth about as much
as old wine is in America. They have a
way of burying the eggs, and it takes about
thirty days to render a picked egg fit to
eat. Some of the old eggs have become as
black as ink, and one of the favorte dishes
for the sick Is made up of eggs which are
preserved in jars of red clay and salt water.
The Chinese seldom eat soft-boiied eggs,
and 1t is the regular custom to serve hard
boiled eggs at birthday celebrations. l have
seen no dogs. rats or cats in Tien-Tsin
though l have no doubt that some of the
very poor eat them, and l was told the
other day that rat flesh is often eaten by
old women as a hair restorative.
AS to the cooking this dinner of Ii Hung
Changes was as well cooked and served as
any dinner ever given at the White House
The Chinese chef, after a few lessons in
foreign cooking, surpasses the French. and
they have the best of taste in table dec
GRAFTON. 1t Is much easier to give n big
dinner here than in the United States. A
high-priced cook might cost Won perbans
twenty dollars in silver or ten dollars in
gold month, and he would board himself
For such sum you would get a man who
would take entire charge of a diplomatic
dinner, and who would serve you the finest
OF everything. from soup to dessert Your
bills for the same would be about one-tbird
what a similar dinner would cost Vol, in
america, and all you would have to saw to
the cook would be to mention the number of
guests, as, for instance, John, my wan
chee number one dinner for thirty niecea
men tomorrow night, you go makee all
proper You could then leave your house
ana come back at the hour set for the dir
ner IN your dress suit, and you would find
your table beautifully set, the wines pron-
eriy arranged, and first-class menu for
wonderful people "ie "