Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-12
AT A CHINESE CAFE
COMPOSITION OF THE DISHES
WITH THE STRANGE NAMES.

"When the earthquake and fire wiped
out San Francisco one of the principal
features of interest in the city, Chinatown,
went too" said a visitor from the Inflated
city to Star reporter in an uptown hotel.
aside from the other interesting fea-
lures Of this section of the city, it's res
taurants were one OF the most marked.
Many of these eating places were very
deliberately fitted up in costly oriental
style, and a visit to Chinatown without
eating a Chinese dinner was like going to
Rome and missing St. Peters.
1.-The occidental mind is sadly askew on
the subject of Chinese cooking, and its in
gradients, it's supposed ingredients, are
viewed with skepticism, If not in stronger
terms. But this is entirely through lack of
familiarity and because the terms or
names under which the dishes are served
are not understood by US. AS matter of
fact the Chinese are good cooks, and are
thus universally employed on the coast.
And, then, many of us still adhere to the
impressions of childhood regards the
supposed oriental craving for fat animals,
which we esteem as pets. but you can take
my word for it that the serving of these
esteemed pets is largely mythical and the
idea belongs where we all used to see it-in
the school primers Whatever may be the
individual Chinese taste as regards food,
the edibles served in the restaurants are
nese names.
THUS the chop-suey suggests to the
average occidental mind admiXture of
chopped suet or fat and meat. On the
contrary, the chOp-Suey is of the most
appetizing of dishes and is composed Of
epicurean reishes. 1t is made of chopped
celery mushrooms and ham with small
green bean sprouts added. 1t is cooked
over a red-hot coal fire on griddle or
especially used stove lid and turned over
and over during the process of cooking
with thin cake turner, not unlike that
used In the cooking of pancakes. 1t is
served and eaten steaming hot and pos
sesses peculiar and agreeable flavor
The Popular Dish.
among the rank and file of those who
patronize Chinese restaurants the yako-
main is the most popular dish, mainly be-
cause it is the cheapest and the most
filling for the money. 1t is simply the
Chinese way of serving wheat dough, which
the Italians eat in the manufactured
form of sphagetti, Germans in the shape of
their beloved boiled dough-dumplings and
Americans in the form of noodles. The
Chinese make their noodles in a slow and
laboriouS manner by hand, and they do
not buy the American noodles. After the
lump of dough is made ready it is placed
upon a large table, and athletic Chi
nese begins with a small regulation roller
the operation of reducing the lump to the
thickness of cardboard. 1t takes him
job with long roller, for the dough sheet
is then several square feet in extent. 1t is
then itself rolled into compact form like
a rolled-up window curtain and the ends
are sliced off into shavings with a sharp
knife. The shavngs are made into little
balls about as big as the fist, dried and
are ready for use. When yakoman is
ordered a ball is dropped into a caldron
of boiling water for a few seconds only, is
removed with a little wire net and drop
ped into bowl of hot, clear chicken
~; &C. =. e H. 1f
the dish. Four little squares of Chinese
smoked ham, which has a different but an
agreeable flavor from American ham, are
placed top of the floating noodles, or
two pieces of ham and two of chicken,
according to the individual taste of the
customer. The yakomain is likewise,
served and eaten steaming hot A pot Of
clear, unsweetened tea goes with the
yakomain, as it does with all Chinese
dishes, without additional COST the tea
being slipped from diminutive cups.
Gastronomical Creations.
eff you wish regulation Chinese
omelet, to be served with ham and herbs,
which is the same as our own ham
omelet, you ask for a foo-yong-dan. If
you prefer lobster omelet, you vary
1t into a fooyong-har. If you prefer the
good old American standby of ham and
eggs, Just ask the Chinese waiter for a
e-ruie-dan. The chow-main is made of
needles with homeless chicken and bamboo
shoots, and it is one of the more expensive
Chinese dishes, costing 81 to see If it
agrees with your idea of bamboo shoots.
1.-The chow-ga-pen is made Of homeless
chicken and Chinese fruits and has an
agreeable flavor. Beef does not find a very
prominent place upon the oriental bill of
fare, as with us, but if you want to try
some boiled beef with green peppers you
have only to ask for a lot-jungoW yok, |
and see if it reminds you of washday at
home. They also prepare a palatable dish
of chicken with green peppers, termed the
lot ju-gai. The chow-lang fan is fried rice |
with ham and vegetables, while the bark |
charm-gai is just plain boiled chicken. |
low che-gai, is one of the more expensive |
dishes, as is the homeless fish, perch, |
usually cooked in fancy sauce, and called |
the sui-wu-goey. One of the higher-priced |
dishes is the chup-gum- tenn soon -goey
and it is fish with a very sweet and pun |
gent sauce
The Chinese soups are good, the prin |
cipal of which are the gai-soo- main, with |
noodles and homeless chicken; the gal |
yong gan, a broth with chopped chicken |
and ham; the moy-yok-gan, a broth with |
ham and nuts, and the gai-chock, which |
is just rice soup with chicken. While the |
names given to these astronomical crea-
tions OF the Chinese may seem a little |
odd and difficult of pronunciation to the |
American tongue, you can call them any,
thing you like and the waiter will under |
stand you even If you do not understand |
him."