The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-09
DINNER A LA JAPANESE.

To an American given to stiff joints
and corpulency japanese dinner is a
tedious experience, especially when he's
used to business lunches and the like
But it is worth trial and discontinue If
one is fortunate enough to be the guest
OF rich man. for in Japan hospitality
is one of the cardinal virtues,
Western customs and usagea have
found their way into many homes of the
wealthy whose dinners and lunches are
the counterpart of those with which we
are all familiar. But a real Japanese
dinner, including chopsticks, lacquer
trays and tiny cups is a thing never to
be forgotten.
japanese houses are made up Of slid
ing screens instead of our solid parti-
tons and in summer are all left open,
so that seated at dinner one looks out
over the gardens, seeing the lights of
the city in the distance and the scent of
a thousand flowers blows I'm with every
breath of air
The guests remove their shoes on en-
tering the house. and except when pro-
vided with a pair of cotton overshoes,
must spend the evening in stocking feet
unless happily the host has an extra
pair. The wife of a Japanese gentle
man does not preside at his table unless
there are ladies' in the party but APP
pears with the tea and sweetmeats
which always precede dinner, as do
our cocktails and sherry, &c. She mere
ly greets the guests and appears again
only when the good-byes are said Silk
en- cushions are scattered about the
floor and the gpests are arranged ac-
cording to rang, for the Japanese are, of
course, great Sticklers for form and
ceremony. Little tables, some six inch
es high, are placed before each ane and
barefooted waiting maids in graceful
and prettily-tinted kimomos bring in
lacquer trays with several tiny covered
bowls. Before leaving the trays on the
tables they set them on the floor, and
dropping on their knees make their best
bow, touching their foreheads to the
floor Chopsticks take the place of
knives and forks, but unlike our weap-
ons of attack, are made of wood. They
are never used twice, unless family
heirlooms, when they are of carved ivo-
ry of the most exquisite workmanship,
as are also the lacquer trays, bowls and
cups.
The host sets an example by removing
the covers from the tiny bowls and the
guest, doing likewise, finds an assort-
ment of food quite new and generally
most distasteful. Mastering up much
skill one attempts getting the food on
chopsticks from the tables to ones
ba ,0p =
falls on the floor or on ones lap. The
wretched sticke wabble and cross each
other as if focused. When almost des-
perate the good host is apt to come TO
the rescue by suggesting lifting the
bowls and with the aid Of a chopstick
shovelling the food in, as one would po-
tatoes into a barrel.
In each course there are half a dozen
dishes and the host tolls what they are.
irst, suimono, a bean soup: kuchitori.
chestnuts boiled and crushed into a
mush; kamaboko. fish picked fine and
rolled into little balls and baked; sa-
shimi, raw fish cut into thin slices and
covered with ice. This is dipped into
rich sauce called soy, and is really very
good, Little cups of warm sake, the |
native brandy made of rice, are served |
with each course. Napkins and bread |
are unknown quantities
The second course is a small fish |
boiled whole. One has chance here to |
get in some fine play with the chop |
sticks; umani, bits of fowl boiled with
potatoes or lotus roots; salad of on
ions peas and string beans, with a few
leaves Of lettuce: sunomono, sea snails
served with eggplant mashed and cha
man-mushi, a thick soup made of fish
and vegetables, with mushrooms for a
relish
The third course is curry of rice and
picked vegetables; and for fourth and
final course you have soho, a sort Of
5uckwfeat vermicelli served with soy
and sweet liqueur called mirin; shiru-
lo, rice cakes seaweed and confection-
cry of all sorts, which are very sweet
and taSteless
During the dinner each guest rises and
proposes the health of the host and one
other guest until the whole party is dis
posed of. This custom is rather hard on
he guests, for sake is fiery stuff and
goes to ones head more quickly than
our own brandy To make matters
worse, after one has drunk the health of
Ill the company, it is customary to
rink the health of the mattresses, who
DOW their foreheads to the floor in ac-
At the close of a dinner the tabako !
BON, d tray holding a hibachi with live
oals in cone of ashes and a section of
bamboo for an ash receiver is put be
ore each guest and cigars and cigar
ties are passed around When all is
Dver one feels very hungry, stiff in the
oints and if the dinner has been a
arge one, very much in need of bran
ly and soda.-Boston Evening Tran
cript.