The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-04-16
Observations
Contrast Seen in
Dinners Given Now,
Before War
By HELEN EssARY

I thought OF old hates and new
hates and OF crazy killings last
week when | was Launching one dog
wood blossoming day at the Chi
nese embassy
Twin Oaks. sitting comfortably
or its towering hillside near Rock
Creek Park, was a pleasant place
TO be. Under the influence or
Madame VETS genius for hospitali-
~ we felt happy and laughingly
struggled TO eat Chinese delicacies
with chopsticks,
Suddenly | remembered another
time when ! had struggled 10 eat
Chinese food with chopstocks. II
was almost traitorous TO think now
OF that other time. But there it
was sharp in my memory. A
luncheon given by Madame SEE
wife OF the Chinese ambassador
OF the moment) in honor of Mad
anne Saito, wife OF the Japanese
ambassador. II couldn't have been
=. but il was. Not too long ago,
either.
What remarkable food we mad.
Birds nest soup. Thousand-year-
old eggs. =. Extraordinarily cut up
little bits OF things stewed and
fried and Drowned and seasoned 10
the Oriental taste.
The wife OF the Chinese smbsssa-
dor and the wife Of the japanese
Ambassador were good friends
then. Perhaps under the veneer
of Eastern manners they hated and
feared each other. But we, the
Occidental guests, did not suspect
ripple OF misunderstanding. We
were very gay. All Of US. We
laughed a lot and ate a great deal
more. And went home thinking
what fun ii was to live in Washing
ton.
Not long after Madame Sees
luncheon, she, herself, was the
guest of honor at a luncheon given
by the Japanese ambassadors wife.
| The luncheon was at the japanese
embassy. Before We sat down TO
the lovely table with its particular
presents for each guest we had
lesson in flower arrangement by
Japanese woman. II was a charm
ing, relaxed afternoon. Undoubted-
" subtle propaganda. But we
didn't worry too much about propa-
ganda then.
At the next entertainment OF this
little round Of international party
ing the hostess was Madame Troy
anovsky, wife OF the first Soviet
ambassador TO the United States.
Madame Troyanovsky. like Mad
anne SEE and Madame Saito, was
popular in Washington.
Madame Troyanovsky's luncheon
was a real fiesta. Such amusing
Russian trimmings the meal had.
Paper caps and crackers. All sorts
OF imported trick gadgets that blew
up and squealed and made you
laugh. And such food, And drink!
Russian plenty at its best. .
What cheerful days those we're,
I though. Madame Wei carrying
on the tradition OF Chinese hos
pitality. The Japanese had be
came a synonym for evil. When
someone asked me at the Chinese
embassy. What tree is that lovely,
red one. See? Down there on
the left" | couldn't say. Why
that's a japanese maple -. IL
didn't seem decent. So | answered,
THAT is some sort OF an Oriental
maple"
And yet the last time I saw Gen.
Douglas Macarthur, who now is
driving back the enemy in the Far
East, he was the guest OF honor at
a dinner. a splendid dinner given at
the Japanese embassy by Ambassa-
dor Nomura. 1t was a ticklish sort
OF entertainment.
By this time everyone suspected
Japan OF the very worst intentions.
But, suspicion or not, the meal
was good. The sprays OF cherry
blossoms against the gold drawing
room screen we're too exquisite to
| be real. And General Macarthur
was a gracious guest.
And as for this wretched war
with Germany. And all the insani-
| ty OF our international relation
SnlpS. AS L Sat al the Oulnebe
embassy table-maybe IL was the
red wine and the spring sunlight
that set me TO reminiscing-sny-
how, remember a spring party at
the ugly. old German embassy on
Massachusetts, Ave. A most poetic
spring party. Done In the most
poetic German manner. II was the
marriage reception for the little
daughter OF German Ambassador
Luther
The air was thick with romance
and sentiment DR.. Luther besmed
like proud Billiken. Brides
maids in ruffled dresses and blue
ribbons scattered rose leaves on
the embassy carpets for the bride
and her new husband.
wonder how soon again We shall
be walking on rose leaves at the
German embassy. Lately II has
been land mines that carpeted Ger.
man territory: What an insane
Transition.
DUBLIN-AP-E Fires parliament