Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1912-05-11
| CHINESE SHAVING FEAST
Characteristic Ceiesrattsa In Hsasr
[ of First Born PaIled off In
Chfnafown.

/ Chafacterfstfc Seiebfatfo1 IN henoi
of First Born PaIled Off In
Chinatswa.
An invitation 70 . SHAVING feast" II
not TO, be despissd. common enough
though thsy be In San Francisco.
And what Ii shaving Feast? wher
q Chinese baby of either sex Is q month
old its hair is shaved to make II grow
ents in their baby.s honor. One Of thess
fessts was held not long ago on the third
floor Of a popular restaurant in san
Franeisoo,s Chinatown 1t was given b.
Yong Kay. an interpreter In the custom,
house, in honor Of his first born. Kathe.
rfns Victoria Kay.
Gone. alas! 10 the fascinating. dirty
crowded, picturesque Chinatown Of old
formerly q pure bit Of the orient In
stead are large impressive stores with
plate glass windows; shops partially filled
with American goods; the Chinese them.
selves wearing no queues and mostly clad
In American clothes
Yong Kay's feast disclosed some Of the
changes in the san Francisco Chinatown
The walls Of the large room were COW
cred with hideous American wall paper.
and had no Chinese decorations. friezes
or ornaments save one. This was q cheap
colored print fianked by hleroglyphics on
either side and denoted Peace, plenty
and prosperity"
About 800 guests were assembled, the
American and the Chinese women and
children being placed at one side, the lat
ter behind screens. The Chinese men
were principally merchants, interpreters,
students from the colleges and missions,
and were nearly all sans queues and
dressed IN American clothes.
Yong Kay opened the feast with an In.
vocation In Chinese The many round
tables. draped with American table
cloths, were covered with tiny dishes,
many not larger than our ordinary butter
plates. On these were placed different
kinds Of nuts. ginger. cherries, sliced
orange and sweetmeata At each plate
was placed pair Of chop sticks and q
small china ladle in It's tiny saucer.
Those were never changed and were used
To eat the fourteen courses. As q con-
cession 10 the Americans q large plate
and fork we're given to each OF us, but
no knife or spoon.
The fourteen courses were all hot,
served In small four-aded dishes, one
after the ether. with no vegetable or
bread accompaniment of any kind. Small
bowls were passed for the more liquid
courses. when the individual ladies' were
used. instead OF soup spoons. Soup OF
fishes fins. sliced turtle with green's,
garlic always sliced cooked with pickles
and small onions. pieces Of fungus with
greens and bacon, roast duck with grated
nuts on top, eel and green bamboo sprouts
cut In small strips. pigeon. chicken
noodles. chop suey. meat Of the sea fish,
the abelone, and peppers.
A. no knives were ever used, all these
meats or fowls. were shredded In snail
pieoee and shaped In Q mold. One could
not hslp making tho observation how use-
less are many Of our large dishes. and
how dainty and simple arc the Chinese
In their table equipment compared TO ours.
Chinese napkins were often passed, ana
many glasses Of sparkling champagne
cider drunk.
Katherine Victoria. always sonnolent-
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os'sv mo 5000 tsenns aooundsd.