Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1920-11-29
CHINATOWN. ON SHOW
81 Frederie ]. Haskin

SAN FRANCISCO, Calf. Nov. Is
San Francisco has the largest and
most essentially Chinese Chinatown in.
America. People who knew it before
he fire declare that its charm disap-
peared with shat catastrophe. BY this
of course. they mean that most of its
colossal filth ard wickedness is gone.
But the visitor wandering about sts
queer. irregular streets, finds it still
exotic and picturesque.
One monen. Gu are in Portsmouth
Square, before the monument of Rob
ert Louis Stevenson, and a moment
later you are in q narrow Canton ny
way, containing numerous Chinese
markets, drug stores, restaurants ana
clothing shops. Cinnamon III dull ma
tive garb or second hand American
clothes throng the sidewalk, and oe-
casionally a Chinese housewife. a bril-
liant Chinese basket on her arm, trips
silently into market.
Tie markets are worth inves eating
in themselves. Always they are
crowded with tiers and tiers of wooden
coops reaching al 1.-THE way 20 the low
ceiling and containing nervous rabbits,
frantic hens, and Respondent ducks
and geese. Nearby the same species
are exhibited in their popular dried
form, looking very much as Is they had
received a coat OF yellow Varnlsh
Some of them have been chopped into
small withered pieces and strung or
bits of cord like necklaces. which is
also the state to which beef, pork anC
mutton are reduced.
But the principal trade of the mar
kets, as you can easily detect by the
smell. is in fish. There are big fist
and little fish; fresh fish and drice
fish: and fish of every hue and shape
Cinnamon, it seems, are devoted t
fish. and fish are sent from all parts
of the Pacific to crafty their fish.
sppetites. Here you find huge, black
hellied sturgeon. spotted sharks. pile
Of founders, carp and curiously vel
low cod.
Chinese Chow
Even the Chinese restaurants Of Sal
Francisco are more Chinese than thos
encountered elsewhere. Many of then
have a wide and permanent patronag
among san Franciscans of Anglo
Saxon stock, who are disappointed
they miss their weekly treat of a Chi
nese table dhote. Pathetic is tn
plight Of the visitor who happens Z
have several such acquaintanees. 70
each and all of them are eager and in
sistent to share this treat with hin
The fact that an appetite for Chimes
/ food must be created by strong an
| persistent effort of the win seem
never to have occurred to them.
Usually, the meal begins with che
! suey, which is a sort of complicate
| and comprehensive hash, apparent
containing, among many other thing!
old shoe leather and wooden shaving
favored with rusty pipe juice. TIL
second course, if you are lucky, ma
be nothing more alarming than f~ie
rice. chicken and shrimps rendered q
dr. and withered as possible. The
comes the prize Of the collection
Che Go Gong-a sort of soup suppose
to contain meat. eggs, mushrooms on
beancakes. II the diner is not carrie
away unconscious at this junctur
eggs are brought in. And such cge
only the Chinese know how to procur
They are the eggs of yesteryear, an
yet the year before, or maybe they al
eggs passed down like old wine frcl
the Ming dynasty.
No butter is served with a Chine.
dinner the Chinese holding buttet
fierce contempt. You smellee all san