Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1904-11-25
PEDDLING BREAD IN CHINA.
Street Vendors Garry Various Kinds
About on Trays Suspended
| About Their Necks.

among the many curious sights In
iChina,. none presents a stranger as
tpect to our American eyes than the
bread peddlers and their method Of
ldisposing of their wares. They carry
their stock in trade about with them,
says the Living Church, either in oval
boxes strapped to their backs, or N
two boxes depending from yoke
across the shoulders, or on trays held
by a strap hung from the neck, and
carried in front of them, after the
manner in which the pieman of Sim
pie Simon fame is invariably pic
tured by all orthodox illustrators Of
Mother Goose. In the city of Tien-
.tsin these street vendors offer three
different kinds of bread for sale. Two
lof these are twisted in oval shape, and
the third is a thin, crisp cake
sprinkled with seeds of sesame. that
magic word which at once recalls TO
our minds the wonderful tale of Ali
,Baba and the 40 thieves. How little
We ever dreamed, when we listened,
spellbound, in our childhood days to
the thrilling account of Ali Baba's adj
ventures, that We should ever behold,
far less taste, the fateful sesame, the
name of which proved so Elusive to
our hero at the crucial moment when
he was confronted by the rock of diff
Guilty. But the peddler's bread is not
more curious than his method of SELL
ing it, for it is frequently disposed Of
by rattle, for which purpose he car
-jries three dice, held in little dish.
Z In Picking, ethe capital of the celes-
al ~ no ha
ally come from the provinces, mostly
from Shantung. They are called po-
po sellers. Their street cry, "Yao-
,chinmantoa' (Can 1 sell you a pound
TOT bread0 is often heard until late
DIN the evening. Their bread is made
cf wheat flour and baked in hot
fVapors. distinguished from another
kind which is baked in hot pans. They
also sell several varieties of po-po, or
baked goods, a special favorite with
the Chinese being an oval oil cake
made of the very best -four and usual
ly eaten with pork, sausage or liver.
: Thine Mohammedans in China have
. reputation. for good bread, and evil
identity wish to be known as pure food
advocates, for in order to enable GUS
those of other vendors they ornament
sfheir carts or boxes with the Ntoslem
s9mblem. This consists of a vase, con-
leaining a branch Of the olive tree, on
the top of which is perched the Mo-
hammedan cap. On either side of this
design is inscribed the motto: pure
9 and true. ISLAM These Moham-
medan peddlers also sell kind oil
patty filled with a mixture of meat
vegetables, Oil and sage. Another OF
their products, which is called "ls
Shouping, va chakuei," is largs
roasted cake or dumping baked IL
oil. Many of these Chinese CONNECTIONS
are much more appetizing than one
would imagine from the description
but like many foreign dishes. the taste
for them must be acquired by cultiva
ton before they can be thoroughly
appreciated
The average Chinaman eats very lit
tie bread prepared according to oul
American formulas. consequently the
bakery and confectionery shops are
few and far between. Like all othel
stores in China, they are open il
front, with no partition to protec
them from the heat or cold. or thu
dust of the streets. Wooden shutter.
are used to close them up at night
70ne finds practically the same ware.
mt the: bakers as the bread ,peddler.
offer for sale. Among them is on,
special kind of cake having the fgur,
u hare imprinted ON it. which Il
eaten by the Chinese in honor of tn,
Birthday Of the moon. AS soon as thu
Festivities celebrating this anniversar!
are over. the cakes are withdraw
E66m sale and are not again displayet
ern.il the next moon birthday. which
-eesr ssponds in season to our Easter.
A Mountain Tourist.