The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-11-11

office theefarner sends ,out his invitations.
These are always verbal, delivered to the
lucky recipient by shroff, polite native
clerk, who comes to your door with a smile
and bow, clad in a long blue gown reach
ing to his heels, and tells you that his
master desires the honor of your presence
at the Wong Tai Lo restaurant Ito mod
| estly sup with him from little dish or
| two in token of your good will"
The invitation needs no response. The
shrof takes 1t for granted that you would
! postpone a trip to Europe to get to tina /.
/ dinner, and he is right. There are no va
cant seats when the ceremonies begin.
The Wong Tai Lo restaurant, where all
these affairs are given, is the Chinese Del
| monicos of Hongkong. 1t stands in the
heart of the native quarter, five-story
| frame building. deliberately carved, with
! broad balconies laden with Towering
plants and creepers and the usual huge
feast lanterns swaying in the wind.
You are met at the ground floor en-
trance Of the restaurant by one of the far
mers representatives clad in gorgeous
silks, who gives your chair or rickshaw
coolies directions about the time for their
return and shows you upstairs to the
great dining room on the third floor. The
tables, which run in three parallel lines
down the length of the apartment, are
bare of everything except the usual sill
verware, with ivory chop sticks added.
The big expanse of white cloth has a Pc
| culiarly hospitable and restaurant like ap,
pearance. which, however does not last
very long.
The walls are covered with Chinese
flags and Union Jacks twined together,
and hanging by the hundred from the
ceiling are gay lanterns of all designs and
rnln lnlin oil Ri liut,f
300 guests find seats at places where
their names are written on pieces of
pasteboard. Round the head of the CEN
tire table are the ebony chairs of the host,
the governor of the colony, the chief JUS
tice, and sometimes the senior naval Off
Ger of the port.
When all are seated the opium farmer
enters. He comes in through an alcove
! door, in a rather STACEY manner, and
smiles at the applause that greets him as
he takes his place. minute later he
rises to thank his white friends for their
presence at his lowly board and apollo
gizes for 1.-The humble character of the
fare he is about to set before them
Then he turns to the back of his chair
and strikes gong. Dozens of swift
footed walters at once appear laden with
silver ice buckets filed with champagne,
port, sherry, Frontinac, and variety OF
native wines. A hundred young women
follow with trays OF wine glasses and
tumblers, and In few moments every
guest is supplied.
Immediately the affair develops into a
feast magnificent enough for an old Roman
banquet hall. Flower girls, bearing sweet
blossoms of the lichee. enter and Irvine
garlands across the tables, among chair
backs, about the f.agss and in the long lines
of lanterns.
The tables are rapidly'spread with food
and strange mixture OF Oriental and Oc-
cidental dishes it is. There is nc menu
card and no sequence of courses. You just
pick out what you like and tackle It, ire
spective of what your neighb0r is eating
and regardless of whether you begin with
dessert or erd with soap. The dishes in
which these foods arg served are the most
magnificent and costly samples of Chinese
ware and are intended as gifts for the
guests. When the dinner is over you can
select what you please from among them