, 1921-05-26
can
Iced-Hot Dish
By h HOWARD cAwTHoRNE


Hung-Ho. by the hardest of labor
pnd most economical living, amassed
a hoard of several thousand. cash, and
took passage on n devil-boat for Van
couver, whence he was mysteriously
transported to San Francisco. and
presently became my cook.
During an idle visit to the kitchen
the slant-eyed worthy mentioned the
battling quest which had caused so
many heartburnings and cue-stretch-
lngs in China. At first l laughed
heartily at the ludicrous tale, but my
laughter ended in n gasp of astonish-
ment as l suddenly realized that Hung
Ho had put a fortune within my grasp!
For numberless centuries, so he told
me in his iowery language. the Gu
linary artists of far Cathay had
Itriven manfully, though in vain, to-
ward the acme of epicurean attain
ment, the iced-hot dish.
Since the unenlightened ages a ira
aition had existed in the East that the
Celestial who shall concoct such a
toothsome delicacy. having an ice-cold
middle part while hot, odorous, and
go "iliibhAf snail pt u an
fxalted place in heaven, as well as
%honors. palaces, and retinues of kow-
lowing servants during the remainder
ef his stay on earth.
From the lord high purveyor of
sustatory delights to her serene high
ness the dowager empress, down to
the humhlest cookie in a chop suey
Joint, 1t had been the sublime goal of
al dreams and efforts among cooks.
When a Chinese cook is found dan
cling at the end of his cue from a
bamboo beam in his workroom, II is
commonly remarked that Zi-An, big
Joss of the cook cult and jealous
guardian of the secret of the iced-hot
aish, had claimed another victim.
Hung-Ho, crafty descendant of 40
generations of chop suey house cooks,
bad essayed at various times to elabo-
rate a pie or pastry that should at
east approach perfection as nearly as
bad the productions of his honorable
ancestors.
l had recently become interested in
an African development company own
Ing vast tracts of land where grew
valuable woods, notably the tree from
which the well-known material called
vegetable ivory Is obtained. From the
Inner bark Of this tree 1 had pre-
pared a unique substance which I
had named vegetable asbestos. a prod
uct that resembled real asbestos as
closely as vegetable ivory does the
tony mass OF an elephants tusk.
That is to say. exactly. And. In ad-
dition. vegetable asbestos is edlblel
I was casting about for a use to
which the new food product could be
put, and Hung-Ho had given me the
clue to II. Thus. l hastily concluded,
I war fairly on the road to millionaire
dom.
Securing from the refrigerator a
piece of ice the size of n walnut Gas
the cook books say), / quickly rolled
II in dough made with a vegetable as
bestos and water, and passed 1t on to
my prince of pots and pans, who placed
IL in the center of a preposterous as
semblage Of unlike condiments, form
Ing some famous Chinese dish.
Hung-Ho. who was now hopping
about and jabberlng In a clownlsh and
unnatural display of emotion. popped
The cake Into the oven. / feared the
usually stolid Asiatic would go into an
.ppoplectic fit, so excited did he wax.
And really the occasion justified eI-
element. Should success crown my
endeavors. I could sna my fingers at
commonplace western mIllionaires and
join the esoteric circle Of oriental
wealth and luxury.
Manlfestly no trace Of ice could re-
main unmelted within that steaming
loaf, and my expectations went up with
the fragrant. appetizing odor Of vege-
table asbestos that filled our nostrils.
With trembling hands Hung-Ho
seized the cake and deftly broke II in
halves. Nesting within-mirabile
dictu-like a mandarin's diamond In
Its velvet case, lay the bit of glittering
Ice still the size of a walnut Success
was ours Or, rather. mine. for / did
not regard the Celestial as other than
\ means TO an end.
During the following day I made
arrangements TO take a long vacation,
engnged stnterooms on the steamer
Manchuria. soon sailed for the Orient.
and obtained from my laboratory I'M
pie supplies Of vegetable asbestos to
take with MS.
Arrived at Picking, we found II ad-
visable not to attempt to exhibit our
discovery there and win the long-prom-
ised reward from the emperor himself.
for western notions had iatterly in
fected the imperial court t. sueh an
extent that we were laughed at and
scofed numerically when we present
ed u plea for an audience before
the Son Of Heaven. Undaunted by
this early setback. we departed south
ward for the province of Shan-Tung.
A gloriously bright md serene mid.
summers morning found us at the
gate Of the thrice-blessed city OF Chin
fu-Hsien, blessed in being the natal