The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-07

Moro National Than tho British Hi or Faro.

From the Pail Mall 0asstfs.
It In habitual with most Englishmon to do
nouncc the Chinese as filthy feeders. But II We
take . look at homo and compare notes, wo may
ind We have judged them by a wrong standard.
The Chinaman Is philosophical in every act, no
has a reason for everything he does. He finds q
far reaching connection between cookery and
civilization, and he much disapproves the Eng
hshmsn's why OF feeding. He will tell you that
an Englishman makes his dinner table q slaugh-
ter-housc. and that in his country they sit down
to table to cat, not to cut up carcasses. Ono
does not SOC the unpleasant suggestion OF the
live animal in the shape Of legs, shoulders, loins.
hcads, &C., on a Chinese dinner table. as
ono certainly does on an English dinner
table. An Englishman's idea OF good, whole
some food" Is 4 more or less raw ~joint-in many
cases the gravy being somewhat too realistically
red.and n badly prepared vegetable. Whether
food 30 cooked 10 wholesome. or not is a question
We are not prepared TO go into at the present
time; but the fact remains undisputed that in no
othor country In the world, not even excepting
America, doss the hend dyspepsia rule so su-
The Chinaman looks upon the derided chop
knife and fork as remnant Of barbarism. He
can produce knives and forks II requested to do
SO, but mover uses them himself; II Is u question
OF the slaughter house again.
In China The natives see and arc taught Eng
fish cookery In Its worst possible form. A din
neI thoio IN I1onE hOuk OF onunKnul III the sum-
mer time u an anything but pleasing spectacle.
The animals TO DO eaten are OF necessity Killed
the same day. and the tissues arc as tough as
fault OF the climate. not OF the cook. you will
say; but give "a Frenchman such meat and SEQ
something oatable. At the same time. though
u cannot he said that q Chlnaman Is O born cook,
he is remarkably apt at pieking up ideas. Show
ever afterward he will mix the ingredients In
exactly the same order and quantity as he has
and utensils, or he cannot DO quito happy over
his work, SO initiative creature ia he.
of Adl iet 7. 1H pieS taS snd fh f,as sSsr ,ee D; sssp,o Ark 70
both wholesome and nutritious when cooked AZ
perfectly as the ChinaInan alone knows how to
dogs and rats, but in all probability this taste
arises more from necessity than choice. To try
and discover how dog broth is made would take
but the natives seem to eat II With relish. Az a
rule an Englishman Is very chary about ventur-
OF adventurous sailors-all before the mast. OF
c~ourse..who have tried. but they. are monot.
ing somehow discovered the origin OF the disn
put before him, and having left prccipitately.
Forecastle yarns are interesting. but Outlines
Every street has its complement Of cookshops,
where wonderful preparations In the way OF
surprisingly low pricts. Here great pots contain
dumplings hlled with minced meat, which arc
soI Unpleasant to the taste provided one 10 sui.
tackle them. After all, have we not our sausages
But The oil they fry with. and the smell there
Oft Over this department OF their cookery II is,
perhaps, kinder 10 draw a veil; suffice Ii to say
that the oil employs cd In popularity supposed TO
that.
At the same time tho upper classes are very
taken over the preparation of favucite dishes.
Here Is the menu~a typical one-of q banquet
given this year in Singpo:
pirtasp s.t snan
stewed sea siugs-
sturgeon skull cap.
Steve ed shark Una ard pork.
Crab soup.
stswed piuns and preserved fruits.
Ducks tongues.
beers tendonA-
This Ia not quito 30 impossible az 10 reads, tho
seA-slugs are really a Kind OF limpets, and there
Is no reason why a European should not eat
them; and shark fms are "a dish much esteemed
by sailors on tho cast African COST, and said 10
DO very good. Moreover, n sturgeon is a royal
dish, and only q short time ago 1t figured on tho
menu OF n swhgger London restaurant. Really,
looked at from an ethnographical point OF view.
there Is no reason for horror ~ a Chinese dinner.
Indeed, It Is not half SO disgusting as. say, an
ancient English funeral feast, at which. for ex.
resent bits OF tho body Of the corpsu-a rathor
curious and distinctly primitive form Of sacra-
ment.
The truth OF the matter is that Chinese cook
cry depends on tho meat and the cook. They
have literally no peculiar implements and no OK.
traordinAry methods. Despite Charles Lamb,
they do not burn down n house 10 roast n suck.
ing pig. They have, in fact, too little initiative;
grumbles at her Chinese cook generally has only
herself to blame. She has shown him too much;
80 much that he Is firmly convinced that tho
example Ia TO he copied on each and every occa-
sion. and " a Chinaman has a fault IL Ia that an
idea once In his head is never got out. Tho truo
lar occasion, and again and again for each vari.
alton OF food; then he will be.omes AN ideal cook,
only In such circumstances tho question arises,
Id IL worth while TO nave n COOK al all