The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-03-02
WONDERS OF The SEA

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In its great variety Of food fishes
Nagasakis market is one Of the three
greatest fish markets in the world,
says Eliza r. Scidmore, the Chicago
Tribune's correspondent, writing from
Nagasaki, Japan. Shell fish from banks
and beaches, deep sea creatures ana
those hooked and seined near shore all
come in infinite variety to the clty's
fish market and everything from
whale. porpoise and shark to the little
white bait feed Nagasaki's 100000 and
more people.
The fish market is a great sight, the
four streets surrounding a city block
lined on either side with shops and
stalls. where the fshermen's catch of
the night before is displayed each
morning.
The royal fish of Japan, the tai, the
piece de resistance at great banquetS
and festival occasions, is first to catch
the eye because of its beauty, We're 1t
not put to the front everywhere. Il
is a deep rosy pink with iridescent
scales, gracefully, curved crea-
ture, and in the large ten and twenty
pound sizes is a study in lines and
curves, color and shading.
There are small tai, just under a
pound in weight, that are the prettiest
fish that swim Neutrality-suspicious.
mouths. rosy shoulders and backs and
a body all dappled and shining with f.
pale iridescent scales. Three Of these /
pretty tai may be bought for ten sen
6 cents)-they would cost ten or TWEEN |
ty times that much in the Tokyo mar |
kets-so that even the coal cody may /
feast like a prince on the firm, white, |
delicate flesh of the noble tai
Among formal presents sent on cere-
monial occasion an arrangement OF |
fish, a still life picture, carefully COM
posed by an artist Of fish posing, Is |
most highly considered. One such fish
picture sent to a princess after the |
birth of a son had the noble tai COM
bined with crayfsh and other symbolic
creatures of the sea arranged on the
plain white pine stand of ceremony.
The cost of the set piece was 80 yen,
and as more than a score OF friends
sent similar gifts of ceremonial felicia
ton there was such a display of the 4
art of exquisite fish arrangement as
the barbarian will never see in an
other country.
Beside the beautiful, yellow beaked,
rosy backed and rainbow tinted tai
there were sardines In greater prOfu-
sion, green backed, silver sided little
things that slipped through the fish
wife's fingers 50 easily that one longed
to play with them too
Elsewhere in Japan fish are priced
singIy, by pairs or tens, but in Ma
gasaki's market everything goes to
the scales and is sold by weight. There
were cod and mackerel, sole and pom
PIANO, halibut and pale salmon, I'M
known kinds of small fry and awabi,
or abalone, with its tough muscle con
tracing and relaxing when one turned
the glittering green univalye. Sea
urchins and starfsh, devilfish with
huge pink tentacles and fiat white jel
lylike bags of cuttlefish tempted many
purchasers, as did oysters, clans and
gigantic mussels.
Sea cells squirmed in tubs and jars,
and smaller Jars flashed with the per
petual motion of the little cells of the |
rice fields. Large crayfish and small !
crayfish, the symbolic ebi, whose bent |
back symbolizes old age and long life, |
curled comfortably on the wet boards, !
most delicious members of the lobster |
family and one of the sDccialties Of |
Nagasaki. Fish tiffins at Mogi, across |
the narrow neck of land that separates |
the harbor from another arm Of the |
sea, are renowned in the east. and |
when mail steamers are coaling pas
sengers fly by jinrikisha over the d.
vide to tifIin on lobster Ia Newburg
and a la mayonnaise and tartare, lob
ster deviled, curried and done in cut
lets, at the little hotel kept by M.yash
ia, one of the famous old tourist guides
of Japan.
Chunks and slabs Of horrible. coarse