Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1895-04-12
THE cHEFs FROM FAR cATHAY.
From the Impress.


aud clothes had been dumped at our
door by the freighter three days before.
Finally, just at dusk, / spied him as
he came leisurely jogging along over
the Divide, carrying a tin pail care
fully 10 his hand-that was his only
luggage. Ny curiosity was excited.
What could that pail hold so precious
that It must be personally conducted
fifty miles by stage. aud eight miles on
foot? 1t proved to be yeast.
Since then 1 have had half dozen
Cinnamon in my kitchen at various
times, and each one came to me 10
this same way, equipped with his little
pail Of YEAST. But as their bread is
sweet and good whether made one loaf
at time or bg the troughful, sixty
loaves 10 a batch, you do not feel like
Quarrclling with them II they prefer
their own private brand Of yeast to
yours. How they make it is an enig-
ma. A Chlnaman is never out of
yeast, yet l never caught one prepar-
ing it. He baffled me every time, just
as he would foil my every effort to
watch him mix pie crust. There is
either some superstition or a secret
rite connected with yeast and pie crust
that admits no lockers on.
Before l attempted TO teach China
man anything new, l left him TO his
own devices for a week or so and
watched results. Generally I found
that in housekeeping the Chinaman
always has an eye for appearances.
This showed itself in many ways, best
perhaps In setting the table. With
carving knives like razors, they sliced
meats, bread, and fruit so that they
looked most appetisins; their fritters
never were in tatters, their Goldfish
balls did not ooze at the edges, the
pies never disgraced themselves by
overflowing their banks, each maca-
roni potato strip, which they were
particularly fond of cooking, was an
exact geometrical parallelopipedon
done to a crisp.
AS a rule, Cinnamon are good bak-
ers, managing an oven admirably; the
bread was neither over nor under done;
meats were, never dried up; they ex-
eel in cooling rabbit, chicken, and
roast pig. The latter may not be as
perfect rs the "pink perfumed Pig
sometimes served in New York res
taurants, but the Hualapais Indians
OF Arizona pass no criticism upon the
Chinese cuisine. They follow devout-
ly the trail of the Chinese roast pig
professions to the burying ground,
and offer whole volumes OF thanks.
giving when the religious Chinese
leave the pig to darkness and to them.
These Chinese cooks, as far as ! came
in contact with them, also understand
how TO fly in boiling lard--nothing
was sent to the table charred OI
greasy, and this was TO me a novel sur
prise. Possibly they found it the
quickest method OF preparing food
However that may be, they were never
known to resort TO frying pan If hot
fat would answer as well. But the
Chinese love Of appearances had
another side to it. To be sure, the
croQuetteS never lost cast;:by falling
asunder; 1e wished the had; they held
togethc. as compactly as though they
had been glued. We lolged for q
juicy cherry pie that could not helI
but run over; even bowlful of jelly
never Quiyered or shook. 1t couldn't,
it was starched too stiff.
Yet these were nothing compared
TO the Chinaman's cakes and puddings
His loaf cake was never known to fall
II rose deaantly and kept on rising
Nothing, not even blast OF air from
an ice factory, could have prevented
IL. 1t rounded uD in the centre and
broke open; it did everything that
-four and baking powder could make il
do; it looked like a poem, but before
il was cold IL was nearly as dry as hard
tack. But the puddings reached the
climax of culinary art. Chlnamer
seem TO hold a secret veneration FOL
puddings, especially gelatine and
bread puddings A friend, who boast
ed quite a superior cook, and who in
dulged freely in lunch parties, was il
the habit of finishing off the luncheon
with most delicate charlotte russo
At this her cook demonstrated, con
temptously calling it noth." anC
asked to prepare the luncheon mex
time himself. She consented Hi
courses were we'll chosen and vel
served, but when it came to dessert
1t was nothing more nor less thar
BuclSlen's Arniea saive.
The best salve in the world for cuts
I,rt,fooo pnrao ttloaro colt hat1n1 fav