Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-06-13
A JAPANESE DINNER.
HOW The DlsrhsTeFut FOOD IS
SERVED AND EATEN.


waited Jpon by Bsrcfooted minds.
To an American given 10 stiff joints
and corpulency japanese dinner is a
tedious experience, especially when
he's used to business lunches and the
like. But 1t Is worth trial and dis
comfiturc IL one is fortunate enough
to be the guest OF n rich man, for in
Japan hospitality is one Of the cardinal
virtues.
Western customs and usages 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
real japanese dinner, including chop |
sticks. lacquer trays and tiny cups, Is |
thing never to be forgotten.
japanese houses are made up of slid |
ing screens instead of our solid partl. |
tions and in sumner 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 thousand flowers blows in with
every breath of air.
The guests remove their shoes on
/ entering the house and, except when
! provided with n pair Of cotton over
shoes, must spend the evening in
stocking feet unless happily the host
has an extra pair. The wife of Jap
anese gentleman does not preside at
his table unless there are ladies in the
party, but appears with the tea and
sweetmeats, which always precede
dinner, as do our cocktails and sherry,
etc. She merely greets the guests and
appears again only when the goodbys
are said.
Silken cushions are scattered about
the floor and the guests are arranged
according to rank, for the japanese
are, of course, great sticklers for form
and ceremony. Little tables, some sir
inches high, are placed before each one
and barefooted waiting maids In grace
fnl and prettily tinted kimonos bring
in lacquer trays with several tiny COW
cred 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
of knives and forks; but, unlike our
weapons of attack, are made of wood.
They are never used twice, unless fam
lily heirlooms, when they are of carved
ivory Of the most exquisite workman
ship, as are also the lacquer trays,
bowls and cups.
The host sets an example by remov-
ing the covers from the tiny bowls, and
the guest, doing likewise, finds an as
sortment Of food quite new and gen.
orally most distasteful. Mastering up
much skill one attempts getting the
food on chopsticks from the tables to
ones mouth. The first few times most
Of It falls on the floor or on ones lap.
The wretched sticks wabble and cross
each other as II focused. When al
most desperate, the good host is apt
to come TO the rescue by suggesting
lifting the bowls, and, with the aid of a
chopstick, shovelng the food in, as
one would potatoes into barrel.
, In each course there are half a dozen
dishes, and the host tells what they
are. First. suimOno, bean soup;
kuchitor, chestnuts boiled and crushed
into a mush kamaboko, fish picked
fine and rolled into little balls and bak-
ed sashimi, raw fish cut into thin
slices and covered with ice. This is
Z 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. Nap
kips and bread are unknown guam
titles.
The second course is n small fish
boiled whole. One has a 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 few
! leaves of lettuce: sunomono. sea snails
= served with eggplant mashed, and cha
r man mushi, thick soup made of FISH
and vegetables, with mushrooms for q
relish.
The third course is a. curry of rice
and picked vegetables, and for fourth
D and final course you have sobo, a sor
E Of buckwheat vermicelli served witt
l soy and a sweet liquor called mirin
t shiruko, rice cakes, seaweed and con
S fectionery of all sorts, which are verJ
sweet and tasteless.
During the dinner each guest rises
and proposes the health of the host anf
! one other guest until the whole party !!
! disposed of. This custom is rather
hard TN tie guests, for sake is fiery
= stun and goes TO ones head more
quickly :han our own brandy. It
: make matters worse after one ha!
drunk the health of all the company 1
q Is customary TO drink the health OF th'
e mattresses, who bow their foreheads t
= the floor In acknowledgment.
At the close Of dinner the tabak'
bon, trey holding hibachi with lir'
Goals in a conc of ashes and sector
OF bamboo for an ash receiver, is pu
:. before each guest, and cigars and cisa
K rettes are passed around. When all i
over, one feels very hungry. stif in tn
! Joints and, IL the dinner has heen
l. large one, very much in need OF a stim
[. ,,I,nt noctnn Vronscrtpt