The record-union., 1899-01-30

| the attention, no music to divert one
from the main object. and no irritat-
ing humorist to waste time. Your
Chinese may be effete, but he can eat
and drink like a Gothic hero.
The method of serving was peculiar.
Before each guest was placed little
cup, not much bigger than thimble,
to contain the hot liquor beloved of the
Celestial; a plate about two inches IN
diameter. a porcelain spoon, and some
ivory chop sticks. Each course was
brought on in a large basin, placed IN
the center of the table, and the guests
helped themselves as they pleased. The
plate was so small as to be quite use
less. and so the chop sticks moved
from the guests lips to the basin direct
in a manner which was little repel-
liant to European ideas. The plate and
cup. I should add, had to serve for
about twenty courses.
The first course was of trifies-
parched almonds, melon seeds, kind
of radish. and field bananas. Fancy
any one but Chinese commencing
dinner in that dry way. Melon seeds
in particular strike one as Impossible
as part of a menu. After toying with
these for few minutes the next course
arrived. 1t was no other than the
famous bird's-nest soup. Like Huckle-
berry Firms dream of being rich, it's
mot what it is cracked up to be-" but
1 can imagine 1t being quite edible it
one is hungry. Then came sharks
fin. which my palate told me was not
at all bad, though my reason rebelled
against the verdict. Then there was
a pigeon done in mysterious fashion,
chicken. and some unknown fungus,
translated to me as mushroom (Which
it was not); salmon stewed in mysteri-
GUS sauces. and fried chicken and BAN
boo
Young bamboo roots are common
dish with both Chinese and Japanese.
and are almost as succulent and nour-
ishing as deal chips. Then there was
the brain of the wong fish, which APP
pears to be quite an intellectual fish,
for there was more than enough brain
for the 600 present. What the wong
fish is, its size, shape, habits and moral
character, I have no idea. Then fol-
lowed a duck which had been cleverly
boned and boiled in its own skin. Then
came the awabi shellfsh (of which,
again, l am ashamed to ronfess igno-
rance, a preparation of pork as fat as
an Alderman and as rich as Rockefel-
Ter; more mushrooms and bamboo in
cryptic sauces, chicken and ham, and
one or two other things, the component
parts of which not even Lord Raw
leigh could have determined. Finally
a blessed relief!-cakes, tea and fruits.
A cigarette was smoked religiousy after
each course, and at the end of it all
each guest was given little box OF
outlandish confectionery.
The Chinaman makes a jolly host,
and, when we'll educated, is by no
means an uninteresting companion. /
was speaking with one who could talk
English like professor. who bad en-
lightened ideas on the necessity Of a
free press and the advantages of rail-
ways and telegraphs for China. He
had passed stiff English examination
in mathematics and ancient and mod
ern languages. A Japanese Of similar
attachments would have made of him
self greasy. ock-coated horror, with
napless pot hat and brown boots But
this man stuck manfully to every de-
tail of his national costume. He had a
most pronounced pigtail, yellow silk
tunic and blue satin breaches. One re-
spected him for it-London Star.