Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1901-04-19
CHOPSTICK DINNERS.
A FAD WITH WOULD BE BOHEMIANs
IN NEW YORK.

Chinese Restaurants There Tolerate
IL Free and Easy Etiquette. and Ey-
crybody Does just About as lie or
She Pleases.
In the last few years a surprisingly
large number of Chinese restaurants
have made their appearance in up town
districts in New York. The tawdry
outward decorations of red and blue
lights and huge gilt Chinese characters
are In every case the same. The same.
too, are the unattractive entrances the
walls. decorated with colored pictures
of pretty Chinese girls and marvellous
specimens of landscapes, the little ta-
bles covered with white oilcloth, the
general dilapidation of the establish
ment. Nothing about them seems at
tractiye, and yet these places thrive,
and their number increases with aston
ishing rapidity. The reason is not far
to seek if one Is at all familiar with the
facts. There are several characteris-
ties of the Chinese restaurant which
recommend it highly to certain classes
ana seem to indicate that its popularity
is not mere fad.
In the first place it should be under
stood that most Of these places are
really what they are supposed to be,
eating houses carried on under Chinese
management The cooks are invaria.
bly, true CcleStialS, and In only Il few
cases are the pr0prietors Americans.
The food Is prepared, therefore, accord
ing to the most approved methods Of
the Middle Kingdom, with the result
that in cheapncss and savoriness Qf
you like it, it can easily outclass SINH
lar places run by American cooks. The
ing palatable dishes out of next to
nothing or rather a little of everything.
Not even the French cook can rival
him. The insipidity of cheap chop
houses and the samencss of the dairy
lunch counters are thus escaped by
freQuenters of these restaurants. More
over in spite of appearances the food
is prepared in an extremely cleanly
manner. No one is debarred from en-
tering the kitchen, and a visit thither
sends one back with renewed appetite
to the untidy eating room. So many
who while possessed of small share
of this worlds goods still affect sport
mess" frequent the restaurant for its
cheapness and grow to enjoy the highly
favored dishes.
There is also a free and easy atmos-
phere about the Chinese eating house
which attracts many would be "Bohe-
mians" as well as a goodly share of a
class below the lowest grades of the
city's many graded Bohemia. Visitors
loll about and talk and laugh loudly. |
When the waiter is wanted some one
emlts a shrill yell which brings an an
swering whoop from the kitchen. fol- |
lowed sooner or later by n little Chi |
nese at a jog trOt Any one who reefs
like it may stroll into the kitchen dnd |
try little pigeon English on the cook
The proprietor will teach anybody to
use the chopsticks and roar with laugh
ter over the failures of the novice. Ev'
does as he or she pleases With
in certain very elastic bounds. inc
limit is reached sooner in some places
than in others, for while some OF the
houses are before midnight at least
perfectly well conducted others are OF
more than questionable respectablllty.
1t is curious and interesting to note
that under American management the
tone of these places is lower than when
the Chinese are in sole control.
These new up town places are not so
good, either in moral or a culinary
way, as those down in Chinatown 1t
Is usual to speak as if Mott ana zen
streets were the city's sink of inlqulty'
and so they are in some respects. Dnt
there are no Chinese restaurants III the
neighborhood as disreputable as one OF
two up town. The clientele of the
down town places is above auspicion as