The Morris County chronicle., 1908-10-27

the best proof of the cosmopolitan
character of the city. and the demand
for some articles, coming as it does
from native New Workers, is a pretty
fair indication that the blood of many
nations runs in the veins of the aver
age American. An Englishman will
stick to his roast beef as his grand
father and great-grandfather did be-
fore him, the Frenchman, the Ger
man, the Italian, and representatives
of other foreign countries like their
native foods, no matter what country
happens to be their home, but the
American likes little of everything,
and will hail anything that is new
and novel in the way of things to eat
So great is his desire and his curiosity
in this regard that he will go Drowl-
ing among the markets maintained
by foreigners for the trade of foreign
citizens colonized in New York to
stock his larder with the delicacies
which other and older nations have
used and pronounced good.
History tells us that Confncius
liked sharks fins and sea-slugs and
birds nests. Well and good. If a
man with an intellect like that of the
great Chinese philosopher found
these, to us, unusual foods palatable,
they must be worth trying. Then
there are the preserved grape leaves,
the picked squash, and the dried
okra of the Syrians These people
of the Orient were civilized long be-
fore America was even thought of
being discovered, so there is no rea-
son, argues the epicure, why their
knowledge and choice of foods should
not be well worth investigating The
other countries have their specia,
delicacies which, if they are sought
out, appeal to the universal taste and
form an agreeable and inexpensive
addition to the daily menu of the
average mortal who must eat. Bear
steak from the West, kangaroo tails
picked, which come from Australia,
preserved gold fish from the Nile,
canned abalone from California, and
dried goose from Sweden are only a
few of the queer foods kept for sale
N
quantities every day.
Until recently people who relished
snails were regarded with sentiments
which savored of disgust; but that
notion has changed, and at the pres
ent time that delicacy can be pro-
cured in almost any of the first class
hotel and cafes in New York. To the
one who knows, there are few more
succulent foods to be found in New
York than can be bought in the for
eign colonies. A variety of cheese,
delicious and rare, and which cannot
be found in any of the uptown stores
kept by Americans, can be bought
at any grocery in little Italy" Dried
chestnuts, which are favorites of the
Italian cook, and bacon which has
been imported from Italy, and which
has flavor unlike any other bacon,
are few of the articles which at
tract the seeker of unusual foods. A
delicacy unrivalled as a relish is the
dried goose flesh, which can be found
only in certain grocery which caters
to the Swedish trade and makes a
speciality of foods from Sweden. In
the Chinese quarter the epicure finds
a quantity of native grown and i'm
ported articles which tickle the palate
and nourish the body. A dish which
caused considerable curiosity in an
American home was rice macaroni,
which is a staple article of diet with
the Chinese. The macaroni comes in
bundles, and it is in long, curly sticks
of milky white, very clean and dainty
looking. Dried oysters, plump,
brown, and shiny, are another Curl
osity which, if properly cooked, are
well worth trying. The oysters are
imported. In China the oysters are
fed with the peanut pulp from which
the oil has been extracted, and their
flavor from this diet is extremely
pleasant and very different from that
of ther oysters.
The canned abalone, which is pret-
ty generally known as shell fish,
with beautiful mother-of-pearl shell
with row of perforations along the
edge, is largely California product.
and is delicious and delicate sea
food which differs from other fish,
and is something like combination
of lobster and chicken A vegetable
called the Chinese market speciality, .
and much sought by the epicure, is
bean sprouts, which are sold in any
quantity, and which in their delicate
green-white tenderness are delicious
as cooked salad Sharks fins and
the birds nests are simply gela-
tinous matter perfectly clean, but
somewhat tasteless to the average
palate, although when cooked with
other ingredients they are savory
enough. In little Syria" fish which
can be bought only from the Syrian
importers is in demand by those who
know about them 1t is called the
sanmoura, or sacred fish from the
Nile. 1t is preserved in oil, and III
flavor and delicacy the epicure de-
clares that it outrivals even the fam
GUS pompano of the South Atlantic
coast. An oil made from the sesame
seed is the principal ingredient in a
sauce which has made certain chef
in Fifth avenue establishment. The
oil is cheap and is simple to use, be-
ing mixed only with little lemon
juice and parsley to render it ready
for salad dressing or a sauce for
ish.
In the Syrian quarter there is a
grape honey especially good for chill
dren, and much used by all Syrian
f q. =