Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-09-01
MISS SHARK FINS,
Lack of Chinese Delicaries il MOurned
by American MOngOlians.

LACK OF chinese DelicarteS Ia MOurned
by American MOngOlians.
From the New York Tribune.
The trouble in China is beginning to
come home to the residents Of Chinatown
in an entirely new way. The prospect Of
a serious shortage in the food products
which they import from the fowery king
dom is staring them IN the face, and with
it comes the terrible probability that they
will be forced to learn to eat American
food. Many articles of Chinese food are
for this city coming from farms on Long
Island and in Delaware and North Caro-
lima. Chinese fishermen at San Francisco
have succeeded In finding many of the fish
varieties of which their countrymen are
particularly fond But there are many del
icacies which are thoroughly oriental
that there Is no hope Of their ever being
found anywhere else.
There have been no large shipments of
Chinese fOodstuffS since the trouble began.
Most of the delicacies of a perishable
nature. and large stock of them cannot be
kept. 1T takes regular shipments to keep
the market supplied. Prices have already
begun to rise in Chinatown. and the wise
Mongolfans filling their refrigerators
with advance supplies Only few Of them
care for American food. and all of the
delicate morsels which they particularly
like come from China.
Any one who has ever eaten thoroughly
Chinese dinner will realize how impossible
1t Is to raise many Of the items on the bill
OF fare in this country. Take birds nests
for instance Can any one imagine even a
heather Chinese eating the combination of
stubble leaves and twigs which the Ameri.
can bird is content to call home? The fact
of the matter is that America has not the
right kinds of birds. The particular Chinese
bird whose nest has fine a taste builds
its home in the rocky cliffs along the Chi
anI
struct.on material. The nest looks like
jelly and sells here for $50 portion
although it will not be sold at all should
the war continue much longer.
Sloot gee is another Chinese food article
that Is found only In the northern part of
the empire 1t springs up through the snow
and is hard to find. Sloot gee Is black,
fungus-looking substance, and sells for SIG
a pound when there is any in the market
OF course, there are plenty of sharks of
the Atlantic shore, but their fins are not the
same as those Of the Chinese shark. The
chinese have tried to eat Atlantic shark
fins, but they found too many bones and
much tough skin.
They might use celery in place Of their
bamboo shoots, but with hardly more de-
light than the lover of good Havana leaf
would smoke cabbage leaves should there
be a shortage Of tobacco The shoots are
exported to America both in the natural
and preserved state, and no attempt has
ever been made to raise them here. Chi
nese think there Is comparison between
the egg laid In America and the similar ar
ticle which is sent them from China pre-
served in black clay. They hod the same
views about oysters, and would rather have
one Chinese dried oyster, althoughiit looks
like leather and smells like poor varnish.
than a whole basket of Rockaway bivalves
Duck gizZards. lychee nuts and dried mush-
rooms are other articles which must come
from China if the Chinese taste Is to be
satisfied.
There are plenty of dried lizards on the
market, thanks to the enterprise of a San
Francisco importing firm. Before the Box
ers took up their big knives for the pur-
pose Of discriminating everything Chris
tian, even to the fourth generation, this
firm found that the market was short on
lizards and imported a quantity. The price
took jump. however, owing to a decision
of the customs officials. The lizard is gen.
era.ly used to make medicinal tea after
simmerng on the stove, the back-coun-
try farmer SINNERS herbs. Consequently
the appraiser ruled that 1t was a medical
preparation. and should pay Is per cent ad
valorem duty. The Chinese claimed that
1T was an extract of meat. and should
come in for 10 per cent under the head of
''unmanufactured articles" OF course, the
customs men had their way, and dried liz
ards are almost as expensive as the food in
which the war has caused shortage