Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1895-09-07
COOKS FROM FAR oATHAx.


! had been expecting my Chinese
cook for some time; his roll Of bedding
and clothes had been dumped ut our
door by the frciyhter three days be-
fore. Finally, Just at dusk, I spied him
rs he came leisurely jogging along
over the Divide. carrying Q tin pail
carefully In his hnnd-that was his
only luggage. Ny curiosity was ex.
cited. What could that tin pail hold
20 precious that It must be personally
conducted fifty miles by stage and
eight miles on foot? II proved 30 be
yeast!
Since then I have had half dozen
Cinnamon In my kitchen et various
times. and each one came to me In this
same way, equipped with his little pail
Of yeast. hut rs their bread Is sweet
and good whether made one loaf ut
time or by the Thoughtful, sixty loaves
10 q batch. you do not feel like quar-
rsiing with them II they prefer. their
own private brand Of yeast to yours.
How they make Il Il an enigma. A
Chinaman 10 never out Of yeast. yet I
never caught one preparing It He
bafiisd me every time, just rs he would
foil my every effort TO watch him mix
pc crust There is either some super
stition or . secret rite connected with
yeast and pie crust that admits Of no
lockers on.
Before attempted 10 teach China
man anything new, I left him to his
own devices for week or so and
watched results. Generally 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 pnralielopipedon done to crisp
Asa rule, Chiramen are good bakers,
mp nag ing an oven admirably; the
bread was neither over nor under done;
meats were never dried up: they excel
in cooking rabbit. chicken. and roast
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 upoh the Chimes, 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, rs
far as ! came in contact with them.
also understand how to fry in boiling
lari-nothing was sent to the table
charred or greasy, ana this was to me
novel surprise. Possibly they found
II the quickest method Of preparing
food. However. that may be. they
were never known TO resort to a frying
pan II hot fat would answer rs we'll.
But the Chinese love OF appearances
had another side to 1t. To be sure, the
croqucttes never lost caste by falling
asunder; we wished they had; they
held together rs compactly as though
they had been glued We longed for II
juicy cherry pie that could not help
but run over: even bowlful of jelly
never quivered or shook. II couldn't,
1t was starched too stiff.
Yet these We're nothing compared to
the Chinaman's cakes and buildings.
His loaf cake was never known TO fall;
IL rose detiantly and kept on rising.
Nothing. not even blast OF air from
an ice factory. could have prevented II.
II rounded up In the center and broke
open; it did everything that flour and
baking powder could make it do; 1t
looked like poem, but before 1t was
cold IL was nearly rs dry as hard tack.
But the buildings reached the climax
, of culinary art Cinnamon seem to hold
a secret venerntion for buildings. espe-
cially gelatine and bread puddings. A
friend who hoas,el quite u superior
cook. and who indul red freely in lunch
parties. was in the habit of finishing
off the luncheon with most delicate
charlotte russo. At this her cook re-
monstratei. contemptuouslv calling 1t
'.fipth." and askel t. prepare the
luncheon next time him, self. She con-
sented. Its courses were well chosen
and well served. but when 1t came to
dessert II was nothing more nor less
than bread pudding, guiltless OF any
fiavoriny whatever. In Chinese esti-
nation. brell padding is the sine qua
non of tir,t-class dinner, only excelled
by snow pudding. which appears on
festaI occa ,ions Snow pudding. skill.
fully tinted and lost in labyrinths OF
stately frostins, Is usnered In with
great ceremony on Christmas and New
! Years day. One might lima zinc
I that the gelatirc jelly would have
trembled Ike an aspen under such ex-
citement ;sbut 10! there as,not trace
OF vacil!ation. 1t had to be literally
carved to br served up ut all, rs spoon
made no impression on It, It tasted
like frosted gristle. wholly devoid OF
seasoning. but IL looked superb.
In this day of spec ialties. II Is diff
! cult 10 StCuTc u hc "H'
ing TO undertake the general care OF n
house. It is only when isolated from
other Cinnamon that you find out his
versatility. lis when of on the desert,
away from provision stores and con-
venienees To work with. that the China
man rises TO the occasion. Empty tin
cans serve in lieu Of saucepans; stray
piece Of sheet iron suffices for fry pan;
given a lari pail and Ratchet he will
make a steamer; n small brad and n
hammer and he will manufacture a
grater; n picre OF baling wire ANA he
will twist yon broiler lie knows
how TO butcher and dress beef; he
will shoot AMI prepare game, even
cultivate your garden patch for you, II
II be worth while TO plant one. He Il