The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-02-01
BREAD IN CHINA.
Curious Sights In Peking-DispOsing z
of Perishuble Wares.


Among the many curious sights in
China none presents Il stranger aspect
to our American eyes than the bread
peddlcls aud their methods of dispOS.
ing of their wares. They carry their
stock in trade about with them, either
in oval boxes strapped to their backs Or
in two boxes depending from yoke
across the shoulders OF Oh trays he'd
by strap hung from the neck and car
ried in front Of them, after the manner
in which the pieman OF Simple Simon
fame is invariably pictured by all orthO-
dox illustrators OF Mother Goose. IN
the city OF Tientsin these street venders
offer three different kinds of bread for
sale. Two of these are twisted in oval
shape: 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 Forty Thieves. How
little we ever dreamed when we lis
tened spellbound in our childhood days
to the thrilling account of Ali Baba's
far less taste, the fateful sesame, the
name of which proved so illuslve 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 carries
three dice, held in little dish
In Peking, the capital of the Celestial
empire, the bread peddlers generally
come from the provinces, mostly from
Shangtung. They are called popo sell
ers. Their street cry, "Yao-chin-man
toa?" ('Can l sell you pound of
bread?') is often heard until late in
the evening. Their bread is made of
wheat -four and baked in hot va
pors, distinguished from another kind
which is baked in hot pans. They also
sell several varieties of popo, or baked
goods, a special favorite with the Chi
nese being an oval oil cake made of the
very best flour, usually eaten with
pork, sausage or liver.
ht III Shlllu nave IL
reputation for good bread and evident
ly wish to be known as pure food adj
vocates, for in order to enable Gus
toners to distinguish their wares from
those Of other venders they ornament
their carts or boxes with the Moslem
emblem. This consists of a vase con-
tanning branch of the olive tree, on
the top of which is perched the Mo
hammedan cap. On each side of this
design is inscribed the motto "Purs
and True Islam" These Mohammedan
peddlers also sell kind Of patty filed
with a mixture Of meat, vegetable,
oil and sago. Another of their prod
ucts, which is called "la shounlng va
chakuei," is large roasted cake or
dumping baked in oil. Many of these
petizing than one would imagine from
the description; but, like many foreign
dishes, the taste for them must be ac-
quired by cultivation before they can
be thoroughly appreciated.
The average Chinaman eats very lit,
tie bread prepared according to our
American formulas; consequently the
bakery and confectionery shops are
few and far between. Like all other
stores in China, they are open in front,
with no partition to protect them from
the heat or cold or the dust Of the
streets. Wooden shutters are used to
close them up at night. One finds
practically the same wares at the bak-
ers' as the bread peddlers offer for
sale. Among them is one special kind
Of cake having the figure Of hare
imprinted on it, which is eaten by
the Chinese in honor Of the birthday
Of the moon. AS soon as the festivi-
ties celebrating this anniversary are
over the cakes are withdrawn from
sale and are not again displayed un-
til the next moon birthday, which cor
responds in season to our Easter
Living Church