Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-25

of the restaurant by one of the farmers
representatives clad in gorgeous silks, who
gives your chair or rickshaw coolies direc-
tons about the time fore 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. arc bare of everything ex-
cept the usual silxefware, with ivory chop
sticks added. The big eXpanse of white
cloth has a peculiarly hospitable and res
taurant-like appearance, which, however
does not last very long. u
The walls are covered with Chinese flags
and Union Jacks tWined together, and hang
ing by the hundred from the ceiling are
gay lanterns of all designs and coors, in
closing electric lights. About three, hundred
guests find seats at places where their
names are written on pieces of pasteboard
Round the head of the center table the
ebony chairs of the host the governor of
the colony, the chief justice. and sometimes
the senior naval officer of the port. Here
and there among the other diners are veal
thy Chinese merchants, their costumes in
startling contrast to the colorless white
Elton mess jackets of the rest of the COM
pany.
When all are seated the opium farmer en-
tiers. He comes in through an alcove door,
in rather STACEY ma amer, and smiles at
the applause that greetS him he takes
his place. A minute later he rises to thank
his white friends for their presence at his
lowly board and apologies for the humble
character of the fare" he is about to set
means. Then he turns to the back of his
chair and strikes a gOrg. Dozens of swift
footed walters at once appear laden with
silver ice-buckets filled with champagne,
port, sherry, Frontinac and a variety of
native wines. hundred young women fol-
lew with trays of wine glasses and tumblers
and in a few moments every guest Is sup
Piled. '
Immediately the affair develops into a
feast magnificent enough for an old Roman
banquet hall. The women, imported from
northern China for the occasion, station
themselves behind the chairs of the guests
and play stringed instruments. singing an
almost continuous accompaniment Flower
girls, bearing sweet blossoms of the lchee,
enter and Irvine garlands across the tables,
among chair backs, about the flags and In
the long lines Of lanterns.
The tables are rapidly spread with food
and a strange mixture Of oriental and occi-
dental dishes it is. In addition to roast
beef, ham, chicken, turkey and mutton, are
dozens of Chinese delicacies. curries of
every kind, sharks fins, jellied eggs, picked
fish, baked hedge-boar. spitted rice birds,
drawn pelican meat, preserves of all sorts,
mangoose, mangostines, paradise fruit and
dozens of wonderful Chinese buildings.
There Is no menu card and no sequence
of courses. You just pick out what you
like and tackle it, irrespective of what your
neishbor is eating and regardless of wheth-
e- you begin with dessert or end with soup.
The dishes in which these foods are served
are the most magnificent and costly sam
pies 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. If you go away early enough
you are generally wise enough to do this.
If you stay till thingssbesin to get warm,
you are apt to forget all about such pro-
sale thing as dishes. is:3ct G-s
When midnight conRs and the host, the
governor and the chief. justice have dis
creetly retired. the sfHgilR jubllating and
toasting begin in earnest. zhAs daybreak APP
proaches the faithful rirksha men who have
been kicking their basF iIe9ls on the brick
roads for several hours begin to think deep
boiling-oil thoughts abufut ttse foreign devils
inside who are yelliHeg sdnnie Rooney
I'VE Won't Go Home Jfill Morning., Aud
gods. ,yr PCS