﻿298 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  August, 
  1907 
  

  

  Curiosities 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  

  

  Chinese 
  

   Table 
  

  

  Chinese 
  Snow-white, 
  Intensely-sweet, 
  Rice-flour 
  Tea-crackers 
  

  

  Dried 
  

  

  and 
  Curious 
  

  

  Edibles 
  

  

  By 
  L. 
  Lodian 
  

  

  I 
  HE 
  shark's 
  fin 
  is 
  a 
  great 
  delicacy 
  to 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  epicure. 
  At 
  one 
  time, 
  ages 
  ago, 
  

   sharks 
  used 
  so 
  to 
  infest 
  the 
  Chinese 
  coasts, 
  

   on 
  the 
  lookout 
  for 
  "titbits" 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  

   bathers, 
  that 
  the 
  coastal 
  folk 
  dared 
  not 
  ven- 
  

   ture 
  far 
  from 
  shore 
  single-handed. 
  Then 
  

   one 
  of 
  the 
  mandarin 
  gourmets 
  discovered 
  

   that 
  the 
  shark's 
  fin 
  is 
  a 
  peculiarly 
  appetizing 
  morsel. 
  It 
  

   promptly 
  became 
  "the 
  rage" 
  — 
  and 
  has 
  so 
  continued 
  to 
  this 
  

  

  jet 
  black 
  all 
  through 
  and 
  retail 
  at 
  from 
  $1 
  to 
  $1.40 
  per 
  

   pound. 
  They 
  are 
  unsweetened 
  and 
  they 
  taste 
  much 
  like 
  an 
  

   unsweetened 
  American 
  biscuit. 
  

  

  Dried 
  oysters 
  are 
  a 
  much 
  prized 
  delicacy. 
  They 
  have 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  "substance" 
  in 
  them 
  — 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  would 
  think. 
  

   A 
  dozen 
  of 
  them, 
  with 
  bread, 
  will 
  make 
  a 
  fairly 
  "square" 
  

   meal. 
  To 
  dry, 
  the 
  fresh 
  oysters 
  are 
  simply 
  soaked 
  in 
  brine, 
  

   then 
  sun-dried. 
  They 
  can 
  be 
  eaten 
  raw 
  or 
  cooked. 
  

  

  The 
  Chinese 
  also 
  put 
  up 
  a 
  so-called 
  "oyster 
  oil" 
  in 
  cans 
  

  

  Dessicated 
  Giant 
  Cuttlefish 
  or 
  Devilfish 
  (Called 
  by 
  the 
  Chinese 
  " 
  Oclctopus"), 
  

   a 
  Most 
  Esteemed 
  Food. 
  Note 
  the 
  Shrunken 
  Suckers 
  

  

  The 
  Celebrated 
  " 
  Sam-ce-che," 
  or 
  Sun-dried 
  Shark' 
  s-fin, 
  

   of 
  the 
  Chinese 
  

  

  day 
  — 
  the 
  price 
  ever 
  mounting; 
  fishermen 
  pursuing 
  the 
  shark 
  It 
  is 
  so 
  heavily 
  salted, 
  that 
  the 
  receptacle 
  is 
  usually 
  one-third 
  

   instead 
  of 
  its 
  pursuing 
  them. 
  The 
  result 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  fish 
  has 
  full 
  of 
  the 
  settled 
  salt. 
  There 
  is 
  really 
  no 
  "oil" 
  in 
  the 
  can. 
  

   been 
  almost 
  exterminated. 
  Long 
  journeys 
  must 
  now 
  be 
  made 
  The 
  contents 
  consist 
  simply 
  of 
  the 
  squeezed-out 
  concentrated 
  

   through 
  the 
  now 
  sharkless 
  offings 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  it, 
  and 
  juice 
  (plus 
  the 
  sodium) 
  of 
  entire 
  semiputrescent 
  oysters; 
  

   the 
  price 
  ranges 
  from 
  $5 
  to 
  

   $6 
  per 
  pound. 
  The 
  specimen 
  il- 
  

   lustrated, 
  for 
  instance, 
  being 
  a 
  

   particularly 
  fine 
  piece, 
  weighing 
  

   y 
  2 
  pound, 
  cost 
  $3 
  in 
  United 
  

   States 
  currency. 
  

  

  To 
  cook, 
  the 
  fin 
  requires 
  a 
  

   couple 
  of 
  hours' 
  soaking, 
  then 
  a 
  ■ 
  ■ 
  j 
  /vr 
  tiit 
  .- 
  . 
  _ 
  

  

  couple 
  of 
  hours 
  1 
  boiling. 
  The 
  mk 
  f^^Sb^a 
  '•.* 
  I^Sfe^ 
  § 
  V 
  A 
  

  

  blade 
  of 
  the 
  fin 
  is 
  the 
  juiciest 
  .. 
  ' 
  <^ 
  V 
  '/'iPit 
  ' 
  

  

  portion. 
  

  

  Among 
  other 
  delicacies 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chinese 
  table 
  may 
  be 
  mentioned 
  

  

  the 
  black 
  tea 
  Crackers, 
  which 
  are 
  _^ 
  j 
  __ 
  Sun-dried 
  Chinese 
  Oysters 
  Jet-black 
  Chinese 
  Unsweetened 
  Tea-crackets 
  

  

  