﻿August, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  299 
  

  

  Chinese 
  Chestnut-flour 
  Macaroni, 
  a 
  Most 
  Nutritious 
  Food 
  

  

  these 
  are 
  dingy 
  brown 
  in 
  color 
  and 
  are 
  used 
  as 
  a 
  curry. 
  

   Famous 
  the 
  world 
  over 
  is 
  the 
  Chinese 
  birds' 
  nest 
  soup. 
  

   The 
  twigs 
  from 
  the 
  edible 
  birds' 
  nests 
  cost 
  from 
  $1 
  to 
  $10 
  

   per 
  ounce, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  dearest 
  food 
  known 
  to 
  man. 
  The 
  

   nests 
  are 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  China, 
  but 
  are 
  imported 
  from 
  Java. 
  If 
  

   you 
  are 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  taste 
  of 
  cooked 
  blood 
  albumen 
  you 
  

   can 
  surmise 
  the 
  taste 
  of 
  these 
  edible 
  birds'-nest 
  twigs 
  plus 
  the 
  

   taste 
  of 
  dried 
  cherry 
  tree 
  gum 
  and 
  stale 
  bread 
  crumbs 
  thrown 
  

  

  Sun-dried 
  Chinese 
  Compressed 
  Seaweed 
  Mat, 
  Used 
  in 
  

   Soap- 
  making, 
  Etc, 
  

  

  in. 
  I 
  hardly 
  believe 
  it 
  has 
  any 
  more 
  nutritive 
  properties 
  than 
  

   calf's 
  foot 
  jelly 
  or 
  beef 
  extracts. 
  

  

  The 
  birds'-nest 
  twigs 
  can 
  be 
  cooked 
  without 
  previous 
  soak- 
  

   ing, 
  although 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  practice 
  of 
  good 
  cooks 
  to 
  soak 
  them 
  for 
  

   days. 
  They 
  retain 
  their 
  form 
  (like 
  high 
  grade 
  macaroni), 
  al- 
  

   though 
  swelling 
  to 
  about 
  double 
  their 
  size, 
  after 
  an 
  hour's 
  

   vigorous 
  cooking; 
  this 
  is 
  proof 
  of 
  their 
  purity, 
  showing 
  

  

  freedom 
  from 
  adulteration. 
  As 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  fact, 
  it 
  has 
  never 
  

   been 
  found 
  practicable 
  to 
  imitate 
  or 
  provide 
  a 
  substitute 
  for 
  

   this 
  singular 
  product 
  of 
  the 
  saliva 
  of 
  the 
  Java 
  swift 
  bird. 
  

  

  In 
  China 
  tea 
  is 
  not 
  only 
  drunk, 
  but 
  also 
  eaten. 
  A 
  most 
  

   palatable 
  salad 
  is 
  made 
  from 
  the 
  leaves. 
  The 
  salad 
  is 
  made 
  

   from 
  the 
  exhausted 
  full 
  leaf 
  of 
  the 
  biepjcki-chai 
  (virgin 
  tea) 
  

   — 
  the 
  entire 
  pure 
  unfired 
  leaf 
  — 
  the 
  same 
  tea 
  you 
  drink 
  in 
  an- 
  

   other 
  crumbled 
  form, 
  the 
  debris. 
  After 
  the 
  silk-tied 
  little 
  

   bunches 
  of 
  pure 
  tea 
  have 
  done 
  duty 
  in 
  the 
  teapot 
  they 
  are 
  

   lifted 
  out 
  by 
  the 
  silken 
  thread 
  intact 
  and 
  suspended 
  in 
  a 
  glass 
  

   vase 
  full 
  of 
  water-white 
  vinegar 
  for 
  a 
  fortnight. 
  They 
  are 
  

   then 
  ready 
  for 
  the 
  cold 
  meat 
  lunch 
  table. 
  They 
  make 
  the 
  

   most 
  exquisite 
  and 
  rarest 
  of 
  salads. 
  Only 
  the 
  tender 
  leaves 
  

   are 
  edible; 
  the 
  stalks 
  are 
  thrown 
  aside. 
  

  

  Another 
  delicacy 
  is 
  the 
  cuttlefish, 
  which 
  appears 
  mostly 
  on 
  

   the 
  table 
  with 
  rice 
  dishes. 
  The 
  fish 
  itself 
  is 
  caught 
  for 
  two 
  

   important 
  reasons 
  — 
  for 
  its 
  sepia 
  or 
  ink-bag, 
  from 
  which 
  is 
  

   derived 
  the 
  perma- 
  

   n 
  e 
  n 
  t 
  China 
  or 
  

   India 
  ink 
  of 
  com- 
  

   merce, 
  and 
  for 
  

   food. 
  It 
  is 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  the 
  most 
  

   solid 
  and 
  satisfying 
  

   of 
  fish 
  foods. 
  Un- 
  

   fortunately, 
  it 
  is 
  

   quite 
  a 
  gritty 
  food, 
  

   the 
  fine 
  sand 
  which 
  

   has 
  been 
  drawn 
  

   into 
  its 
  thousands 
  

   of 
  suckers 
  being 
  al- 
  

   most 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   wash 
  out. 
  

  

  Strawberries 
  

   with 
  stones! 
  Such 
  

  

  is 
  the 
  peculiarity 
  of 
  the 
  Chinese 
  white 
  strawberry. 
  As 
  it 
  is 
  

   seen 
  growing, 
  it 
  is 
  red, 
  like 
  our 
  own; 
  as 
  found 
  in 
  commerce, 
  

   preserved 
  in 
  jars, 
  it 
  is 
  almost 
  snow-white, 
  with 
  a 
  delicate 
  

   pinkish 
  tinge. 
  For 
  preserving, 
  the 
  stones 
  are 
  first 
  removed; 
  

   these 
  are 
  quite 
  solid, 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  filbert 
  nut. 
  

   This 
  white 
  strawberry 
  is 
  reputed 
  the 
  most 
  luscious 
  fruit 
  in 
  the 
  

   domain 
  of 
  Oriental 
  fruit 
  luxuries. 
  Even 
  with 
  the 
  big 
  stones 
  

   removed 
  it 
  is 
  still 
  a 
  meaty 
  fruit, 
  large 
  as 
  our 
  largest 
  straw- 
  

   berries. 
  Its 
  taste 
  is 
  a 
  peculiarly 
  exotic 
  one, 
  totally 
  unlike 
  the 
  

   American 
  fruit, 
  but 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  like 
  the 
  most 
  luscious 
  

   muscatel 
  grapes. 
  It 
  is 
  never 
  served 
  with 
  cream, 
  but, 
  in 
  

   China, 
  with 
  the 
  freshly 
  pressed 
  juice 
  of 
  the 
  sorghum 
  sugar 
  

   cane, 
  itself 
  a 
  most 
  delicious 
  juice. 
  It 
  is 
  preserved 
  in 
  glass 
  

   vases 
  and 
  cans 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  pure 
  sorghum 
  undiluted 
  juice. 
  

  

  Many 
  Chinese 
  culinary 
  curiosities 
  do 
  not 
  admit 
  of 
  illus- 
  

   tration, 
  or 
  are 
  too 
  difficult 
  to 
  procure 
  — 
  as 
  the 
  roast 
  monkey 
  

   of 
  extreme 
  southern 
  China 
  ; 
  the 
  potted 
  alligator, 
  or 
  Kaman, 
  

   imported 
  as 
  a 
  great 
  delicacy; 
  the 
  diseased 
  dried 
  goose 
  livers; 
  

  

  The 
  Peculiar 
  " 
  Water-chestnuts 
  " 
  Used 
  in 
  Making 
  the 
  

   Chestnut- 
  macaroni 
  

  

  Sun-dried 
  Earth-worms 
  (rom 
  the 
  Padi 
  (Rice) 
  Fields 
  

  

  