The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-12
ODD CHINESE DISHES.
Appetizing Description of the Way
They Are Made.

They Are Made.
Chinese cooks and Chinese foods are
acquiring more and more popularity N
America. The manifestations of this
popularity are:
First-In some American restaurants
such Chinese dishes as chop suey" and
..geish V main are served side by side
with soft shell crabs and boiled lob
ster.
second There is hardly n American
city that has not its Chinese Iestau-
rants. 10 which persons Of every class
Third-Few Bohemian gatherings are
brought fresh and hot. from China
town
Fourth-Many rich families employ
Chinese cooks-men expert in the best
French and American dishes. and ex-
pert also in the best dishes of China,
which. row and then. they servs-
1t IS not strange that Chinese food, in
a cosmopolitan country like America,
should be popular. for Chinese cooking,
an art as difficult as French cooking.
has a, taste that is as pleasant to the
occidental as to the orinetal palate. while
Chinese cooks and Chinese kitchens are
as clean as many white-tiled dairy.
Some Chinese restaurants are furnish
ed extensively with teakwood stools and
tables inlaid with ivory and mother OF
pearl They have entrances SO con-
structed that the patron. to reach the
dining room, must pass through the
kitchen. the idea being that the patron
should examine the kitchen-should see
how clean II is-before he eats the food
that comes out of it. Chopsticks, as well
as the customary knives and forks. are
provided with the food. and the Amer
can finds it interesting to try to learn
to eat with these Two little ebony or
ivory utensils
s= varzz1fr0 Is
composed of dishes with such names as
mo gu sue ki,' Chow main, 'geish y
main" '-yock a mbain.'' FIN ka nau
yol<." Ii chez" Isl u all" up tread
pan." etc. All these dishes are agree
able to the American taste. They
range in price from $50 to 81 for mo
gu sue XII (Which is made of chicken
Is cents for -yOck a MAN," a compost
ton of noodles. chicken and pork
"Gsish V main" and chop suey' are
the dishes that Americans like best
In each of them chicken. pork. mush-
rooms and celery figure, and over each
of them very salty aDDetizing sauce.
called ..see YOU" is poured Bread Is
seldom served in Chinatown: rice takes
is Dlace-rice steamed instead of boiled
Tea is served with almost every order:
a not of tea. drunk out of little handle
less cups Neither cream nor sugar
should go with it. for the Chinese
and sugar spoil the flavor of good tea,
which they knew how to brew long be-
fore the Occident was aware that such
a beverage existed. In the best Chinese
restaurants every pot and pan is
washed after use. even though il is to
be used in the making Of the same dish
again Immediately Thus, if a cook is
preparing an order for chop suey" and
another order for chop suey'' comes
in before he has finished. he does not
begin on the second order until. having
emptied the pan of the first one, he has
scraped and washed it thoroughly
The Chinese range has an odd look,
because its front is protected by
double wooden casing. with panels that
can be lowered when the cook wants to
rake out ashes or to put in coal The
advantage of the wooden casing is that.
warding off the heat. it allows the
cook to stand close to the fire contln-
ually
The principal cooking utensils are
huge basins of brass or copper. The
chopping block IS in constant use. for
all meats and vegetables are chopped
into small pieces before they are cooked
Otherwise il would not be possible to
eat them withf chop sticks. Here,
though. one exception must be made in
the case of roast meat. Meats to be
roasted are first cut in strips three
inches wide and six inches long, and
afterwards spitted on rods of iron ana
hung in the oven The oven is portable
It is set on the range. A hot fire is
started under it. and over it a dome
shaped cover is placed Some roast
meats-pigs. chickens and ducks@are
rubbed with honey before they enter the
oven This gives them a lustroGs red
brown color.
In Chinese cooking the desserts are
of interest Some of these desserts have
a poetical and delicate quality that
should cause them to find favor at
women's luncheons. What could be
more tempting to a young woman. for
instance. than a dessert made OF chrys-
anthemums. another made of violets, a
third of rose petals, a fourth of peach
blOSsoms2
Each of these flower desserts is made
in the same way. Take, for instance,
the chrysanthemum one
A fresh chrysant hemum is selected and
II Is carefully washed Then its petals ara
piucked off. and little Of the green Leaf
is chopped and stirred into a batter made
of beaten eggs and -four. Now the petals
themselves are dipped in the batter. and
afterward they are dropped lightly into 4
pan Of boiling peanut oil. which browns
them in moment They are taken out OF
the oil and placed on absorbent paper,
which drains the grease from them They
are served warm and sprinlled with pow
dered sugar
Chop suey'' is made Of chicken breasts.