The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-04-11
COOKS FROM FAR CATHAY.
Nen of Yeast and of Resources That Are
Superior to Recipes.


had been expecting my Chinese
cook for some time: his roll of bedding
and clothes had been dumped at our
door by the freighter three days be-
fore. Finally, just at dusk, spied him
as he came leisurely jogging along
over the Divide, carrying tin pail
carefully in his hand-that was his
only luggage. My curiosity was ex-
cited. What could that tin pail hold
50 precious that it must be personally
conducted fifty miles by stage and
eight miles on foot? 1t proved to be
yeast!
Since then l have had half dozen
Cinnamon in my kitchen at various
times and each one came to me in 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 by the Thoughtful, sixty loaves
in batch, you do not feel like quar-
reling with them if they prefer their
own private brand of yeast to yours
How they make it is an enigma. A
Chinaman is never out of yeast, yet 1
never caught one preparing it. He
bdL4Su ulS CNCIy GllhSs Juo0 do lS NOuAU
foil my every effort to watch him mix
pie crust. There is either some super
stition or a secret rite connected with
yeast and pie crust that admits of no
lockers on.
Before ! attempted to teach China
man anything new, l left him to his
own devices for week or SO and
watched results. Generally I found
that in housekeeping the Chinaman al
ways has an eye for appearances This
showed itself in many ways. best per-
haps in setting the table. With cary
ing knives like razors, they sliced
meats, bread, and fruit so that they
looked most appetizing: their fritters
never were in tatters, their Goldfish
balls did not OOZe at the edges, the
pies never disgraced themselves by
overlooking their banks, each maca-
roni potato strip, which they were
fond of cooking, was an exact geomet-
rical par".llelopipedon done to a crisp
As a rule, Cinnamon are good bakers,
managing an oven admirably: the
bread was neither over nor under done;
meats were never dried up; they excel
III NCohlliS lShpDlCs ClllChCIs anu IOdob
pig. The latter may not be as perfect
as the pink perfumed pig sometimes
served in New York restaurants, but
the Hualapais Indians of Arizona pass
no criticism upon the Chinese cuisine.
They follow devoutly the trail of the
Chinese roast pig professions to the
burying- ground. and offer whole vol
umes of Thanksgiving when the reli
gious Chinese leave the pig to darkness
and to them. These Chinese cooks, as
far as | came in contact with them,
also understand how to fry in boiling
lard-nothinG was sent to the table
charred or greasy, and this was to me
novel surprise. 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 caste by falling
asunder; we wished they had; they
held together as compactly as though
they had been glued. We longed for a
juicy cherry pie that could not help
never quivered or shook. 1t couldn't,
it was starched too stiff.
Yet these were nothing compared to
the Chinaman's cakes and buildings.
His loaf cake was never known to fall;
it rose defantly and kept on rising.
Nothing not even blast of air fr0m
an ice factory, could have prevented it.
1t rounded up in the center and broke
open; it did everything that flour and
baking powder could make it do; it
looked like a poem, but before it was
cold it was nearly as dry as hard tack
But the buildings reached the climax
of culinary art Cinnamon seem to hold
a secret veneration for buildings, espe-
cially gelatine and bread buildings. A
friend who boosted quite a superior
cook. and who INDUCED freely in lunch
parties, was in the habit of finishing
off the luncheon with a most delicate
charlotte russo. At this her cook re-
monstrated, contemptuously calling it
''foth," and asked to prepare the
luncheon next time himself. She con-
sented. Its courses were well chosen
and well served, but when it came to
dessert IL was nOJHlng more nor less
than bread pudding, guiltless of any
tiavoring whatever. In Chinese esti-
nation, bread pudding is the sine qua
non of frst-class dinner only eXcelled
by snow pudding, which appears on
festal occasions. Snow pudding, skill
fully tinted and lost in labyrinths of
stately frosting, is ushered in with
great ceremony on Christmas and New
Years day. One might imagine
that the gelatine jelly would have
trembled like an aspen under such ex-
element; but 10! there was not trace
of vacillation. 1t had to be literally
carved to be served up at all, as a spoon
made no impression on it. 1t tasted
like frosted gristle, wholly devoid of
seasoning. but it looked superb.
In this day of specialties, it is diff
cult to secure a Chinaman who is will
ing to undertake the general care of
house 1t is only when isolated from
other Cinnamon that you find out his
versatility. 1t is when off on the desert,
away from provision stores and con-
veniences to work with, that the China
man rises to the occasion. Empty tin
Z