Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-08-04

AAcnek, dalnah, Snind, NAV d
running expenses Of the kitchen also
include wood, which Is rather expen-
sive, and salt, which I buy by the
load, at about 40 cash kin. Kerosene
for lights also comes in my domain,
and that is expensive-S2.95 for AVE-
gallon can.
The Chinese eat fish or pork prin-
cipally as meat, considering beef not
worth eating. (And most Of what they
have 10 mot, as it Is sometimes water
buffalo, and oftentimes an old COW or
q sick one that has shuffled off this
mortal coil in time to come to n1arket)
Chicken. goose and duck are Injuries
We get beef tongues occasionally and
when we can get good beef use 1t for
soup.
The native fruits are very nice. Tho
pineapples are smaller and coarser
grained than the Hawaiian pineapple.
but who cares when they are plentiful
and cheap? Some papayas taste like
pumpkins and some like squashes, but
a good papaya Is most delicious
melon. When was little girl Mt
home one Of the nursery rhymes RI
member said something about a land
where melons grow on trees" and this
is it A papaya tree with It's long un-
calmly trunk, a bunch OF melons clus-
tered near the top, and an awkward
umbrella of long-stemmed, Ave- pointed
leaves over them, IL not a handsome
thing, but the fruit Is good. Lychees
are peculiar to Hainan, have been
told. They are a fruit about the size
Of a large plum or small peach, with
thin rough shell and a medium sized
black pit, and layer Of Opaque Juicy
fruit between skin and seed They A.
delicious when fresh and are easily
canned for use in the winter season.
The jackfruit L. a favorite Of mine, the
it has such sickeningiy sweet odof
many foreigners do not care for ~
We get guavas, too, and caramboiaGl
which are shaped like an apple cora
dragons eyes and yellow skins
which seem to be tiny, tiny orangsH
growing in clusters and about the si1e
OF grapes. There are green oranges,
better than grapefruit, in my opinion.
and sweet yellow oranges and little
oranges from which the skin peels like
a glove, and pomelos and lemons. The
pomelos are not very good, but va
can get those from other parts Of
China that are fine. The lemons are
really lines. Bananas We have always
with US. day in and day out, month
after month. Custard apples are
neither apples nor custard, and are de-
licious, but ! can not attempt to de-
scribe them. The cocoanut is a prime
favorite OF mine, too.
The. climate Of Hainan does not eS-
pecially suit American vegetables, but
In our garden this year we have had
sweet corn. string beans, lima beana5
peas. carrots, beets Il think there vert
threeD. caulifiower, cabbage, lettuceS
radishes and red and yellow tonlatoes.
The tomatoes rot rather than ripen,
so they have been made into green. to-
mato pickles and chowchow. One kind
of native melon. is almost as good ~
Hubbard squash. Mrs. Kelly has had
very nice celery.
Except for butter, milk, -four and
sugar, we live principally on native
food and the products Of our gardens.
and enjoy 1t. For cereal there Il the
native popped rice" popped in hot
sand instead OF being shot from 3
gun. dogtail millet hulled. pounded
and then cooked in the double boiler.
or soft boiled rics For meat thefs
are eggs at 10 cash apiece. sailed duck
eggs. pork, fresh fish. fresh crabs
frog legs sometimes, beSf
as / mentioned before and OCCASIONAL
ly turtle and venison. Snake meat. TOO
but we never indulge. For noodles
there are the native preparations. some
much like real noodles and some more
like vermiceln but made Of rice hour.
AS an occasional luxury there are de-
licious bracket fungi gathered from
trees and dried, then cooked with fresh
pork. Altogether. living Is very cheap
out here IL we could get away from
such unnecessary things as milk ana
butter and -four which we have been
trained to consider Indispensable at
home. The native sugar is brown and
rather coarse, but the peanut candy
they make with 1t Is as good al any
one could want.
So when the cost Of living gets all
together too high, Just come out 60
Hainan and live on rice ana see now
good 1t Is Potatoes have no charm
for me any more. and why should they
have. except for yeast? We haye
white and yellow sweet potatoes. hairy
tubers that are fine and meaty when
steamed, and dark purple ones that
grow as large as Hubbard squashes.
am glad that rice Is to be popular.
lied" at home. II cooked as the
Chinese cook 1t it is not the sticky.
white mass we sometimes see In Amer
lea, but a wholesome, tasty, nourish-
Ing food Eat 1t with chopsticks from
a Chinese bowl with salt duck ees
to 70 with 1t and lychees for dessefL
and you have meal At for . king.
Yours very sincerely.
Margaret Moninger.