Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1908-01-17
B Y L. LODIAN.


makes a point of putting up lines @
snow white biscuits or crackers. T
produce them, they just use the ric
nour-whitest of all flours. The pur
white goods are always made yer.
sweet and solid-sometimes quite har,
In fact. The sweetening agent is jus
the sorghum syrup peculiar to China
For 1t is only the Chinese who seen
10 Affect this snow white cereal con
Iectonery. Our own American whites
crackers would look dingy white il
comparison. first came across thes,
during travels in the Orient in 1896
but never cared much for their pecu
liar ricey intensely sweet taste-almos
reminding one more of candy than o.
confectionery.
Why the Chinese should rival each
other in the production of these snow
white biscuits never learned, but be-
lieve 1t is only a fad. Possibly one
reason is this: The Chinese are much
given to bestowing presentation boxes
or these snow white crackers. The
boxes are snugly lined inside with the
crude woven but exquisitely beauti-
ful light-as-air silk known as woven
snow"-a fabric inimitable outside OF
the Orient. 1t is so called because the
weave resembles the irregular effects
OF wind driven snow as we sometimes
see 1t on snow swept fields, purely
fanciful name-for as IL there could
be thing as woven snow!"-yet suf-
ficiently expressive.
Now, these silk-"woven snow
lined confectionery boxes must have
a snow white confectionery to match,
as ordinary crackers would look dingy
or "untidy" therein. Such the explain
alton vouchsafed by the captain of one
or the China steamers as we were one
Day passing through the charming in
land Sea of japan.
A couple of specimens of this unique
Chinese confectionery silk "coddling"
brought home with me. Its remark
able feature is that 1t will-being made
OF raw ungummed silk-last more than
a decade, stand a hundred washings
and yet never shrink-not even lit
tie; while 1t ever retains its chaste
wind-driven-snow effect which has
earned for it the singular name of
woven snow"
A peculiar contrast from this land
Of oddities is the biscuit of China
which is jet black cracker. 1t is
made of carbonized cracker dust, de-
prived of all taste of burning" which
would be extremely disagreeable, and
slightly sweetsned. In the dark, you
could not tell the difference between it
and an ordinary medium sweet crack
er. 1t is much esteemed by the Chin
ese for their-what corresponds to our
tea; in fact, supply-suf-
fcient for the following day-is often
dropped into the tea caddy the day
previous, to use when it absorbs con-
siderable Of the fragrant odor of the
tea with which 1t is destined to be
served. This peculiar absorption prop
erty is due to the aforementioned car
bombed cracker dust used as the basis
Of manufacture. The odor also i'm
k<~i 70 q bCd-AlhC ldStS " lAC DAoCull.
The Chinaman Is wonderfully |
strong" on confectionery. but lacks |
the art of adornment of the Italian,
Or the powdered glass .veneerings Of |
the Partisan. The Oriental prefers his |
choice tropical fruits in the juice; the |
Italians go in for initiating them in |
sugar and mystery.
Probably the uniquest thing In the |
italian patiseria trade-apart from
heir really clever and able fruit imi-
atfons-is their skin-chocolate known
Is sanguinacio. For all the world this
ooks like glossy new black sausage
Or black pudding. but Is much softer.
t Is used, especially during the cool
months, in the better class of con-
ectioner's stores throughout Italy for
quickly making cups of chocolate for
for consumption on the
pot. A little is squeezed out at time,
sufficient for cup, on the same prin-
.iple as the lead-container artists COL
'rs; the hot water is added. and pres
o! your cup Of chocolate is ready with
'ut even need Of sweetening
For-to keep 1t always in paste form
as the cocoa beans are being grounds,
heir natural butter fat intact, between
leated rollers. the inspisated Juice of
he sugar cane is added, insuring a
'erfect mixing. This is the sweetening !,
gent, though many people still like to
id sugar In the cup. Sometimes, but
lot always, a little Of the dark high
,rade southern Italian wines, extra
trong in alcohol, is added to the mix
ng in the cocoa mill as a slight pre-
ervative.
This peculiar skin-chocolate is q
eature in preservation worthy of note
y Americans. The ordinary pig cas-
az is used for the bladder.
In Mexico, outside of the larger cities
nd towns, the people have no other
weetmeats than the concentrated-to-
ryness sap of the sugar cane, |. e.,
rude sugar. But it is concentrated to
peculiar shape and form, sfRe so many
title laths, about ten cenrimeters png ,
y three wide. and About one cntsnne- ;
er in thickness. 1t Is of agreeable
yrupy sweetness, with the pleasant ,
atural flavor of the cane well retained. i
he color is rich looking brown. Mexi- I
ans like 1t that shape, because 1t is |