1870.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
267 
3B©Yg & UIRM* (mWMMo 
Rambles in China—Chopsticks. 
BY “CARLETON.” >- 
I wonder how the young folks of the United States 
would get on at dinner if they were to try to eat boiled 
rice with chopsticks instead of a spoon or a knife and 
fork 1 X should like to see you attempt it my young 
friends. But in imagination I hear you all asking this 
question, “ What are chopsticks?"— Well, they are small 
sticks a little longer than a pen-holder and aboutas large. 
Those used by poor people in China are made of bamboo, 
while the wealthy people use those manufactured from 
ebony or ivory, or of silver and gold. They hold them 
very adroitly between the first and third fingers of the 
right hand—separated by the second finger and steadied 
by the thumb. If you wish to gratify your curiosity in 
the matter, just whittle out two sticks ten inches long 
and as large as a pen-holder, and the next time you have 
boiled rice for dinner see how you will get on; or you 
may pick up kernels of wheat for practice. 
The Chinese handle them just as easily as we do our 
knives and forks. They would laugh to see our manoeu¬ 
vring with the sticks, but we should have the fun on our 
side if they wore to sit down to our dinner table; they 
would make awkward work of it.“ Don't they use 
Knives?" —Not to eat with. In preparing their food they 
whip a knife from their pocket and use it for cutting up 
a chicken or a puppy_ A puppy /—I don't wonder you 
stare to hear it. It is well for your pet, who looks up into 
your face, licks your hand and wags his tail when you 
speak to him, that his master lives on this side of the 
globe, instead of on the other side, for he would not he 
permitted to enjoy long life in barking at the hens, in 
showing his teeth and putting on airs, but lie would 
come to an inglorious end in a stew-pan! A Chinaman, 
though, might think it glorious. You would see some 
strange things were you to visit the land beneath your 
feet, especially in the eating line. Eating-houses and 
hotels in the great cities are more numerous than they 
are in New York or Philadelphia. They have traveling 
eating-establishments. You may see what they are by 
looking at the accompanying picture. The man who 
CHINESE EATING WITH CHOPSTICKS. 
the lower end into the ground. The arms are also of 
bamboo, the ends set against the pole are inserted into 
notches which keep them in place. Loops in the edge 
of the canvass hold the outer ends of the braces. This 
great umbrella can be spread in two minutes, or it can be 
taken down and rolled up quite as quickly. The pedler 
of puppy stew walks through the street with a broad, 
shallow basin filled with the food already cooked, on the 
top of his head. He carries a small sheet-iron furnace 
on his back, and his big umbrella on his shoulder. lie 
finds a place to suit him where customers are plenty, sets 
up his umbrella, lights a charcoal fire in his furnace, and 
in a few minutes the piece of fish, chicken or dog, mixed 
with rice, is warming and steaming in the pan. He 
takes his bowls and chopsticks from a basket and in a 
few minutes is ready to serve the hungry crowd. For a 
cent you can get a bowl full of nice, hot, dog stew ! 
See how that old fellow in the picture sitting upon the 
ground facing us, relishes it 1 The woman with a bowl 
in one hand and her money in the other, looks as if she 
was going to sit down to a splendid dinner. You see 
that she has a child on her back. It is in a bag. 
What a funny way to carry babies! -When I was 
in China I saw a great many babies in bags. If they 
cry, the mothers quiet them by jumping as high hs 
they can, which gives them such a thorough shaking 
up that the little creatures are glad to hush their crying. 
We are not to think that all Chinamen live on puppies, 
cats, and kittens; it is only the poorest people who are 
obliged to live on such food. You would not be able to 
obtain much beef in China ; but in the provision shops 
are excellent hams—also,ducks, geese, chickens and fish • 
and in the vegetable markets you can always find a sup¬ 
ply of potatoes, beans, peas, and likely you will find 
all of those in the bowl of stew which the pcdlers sell. 
To cat after the common manner you must hold the 
bowl to your lips and poke the food into your mouth; 
but if you would be genteel, you must pick up the bits of 
meat, the beans and the kernels of rice with the chop¬ 
sticks, and carry them steadily to your mouth, and then 
drink the broth. If you want some fun you can have it 
without going to China in search of it, but in your own 
home, eating dinner with chopsticks. Try it. 
The picture gives an out-door scene; but if we were to 
go into the house of a wealthy Chinaman and were in¬ 
vited to dinner, we should be 
three or four hours at the table, 
and have at least three hundred 
different dishes containing food 
placed before us! I dined one 
day with a mandarin—or rather 
we had only a lunch—and there 
were so many dishes, and such a 
variety of food that I lost all 
reckoning of the number. First 
we had roasted pumpkin seeds, 
then drank some cherry cordial; 
then ate some sweet cakes and 
drank several cups of delicious 
tea—not such meadow-hay stuff 
as we get in the United States— 
but the very best China affords. 
Then the waiters brought in a 
great variety of dishes. Some of 
the food was sweet to the taste 
and good, and of other dishes a 
smell satisfied us. We should 
have had an uncomfortable time 
if we had undertaken to eat 
heartily of every dish. To be 
genteel in China you must only 
taste and nibble a little of every¬ 
thing brought on by the waiters. 
That is no light affair at a great 
dinner where three hundred 
kinds are served for the guests. 
The Chinese drink a great deal of 
tea at their dinner parties, but 
do not have wines or liquors. 
You hear no popping of cham¬ 
pagne corks. The guests are 
able to walk straight and talk 
straight as well, which some 
people in this country arc not 
able to do after dinner. We 
think of the Chinese as being 
uncivilized; but they do not 
make beasts of themselves by 
getting drunk, and then, in their 
drunkenness commit horrible 
crimes by beating their wives 
and children, or shooting their 
best friends. The Chinese are 
owns this establishment has it very ingeniously con¬ 
structed. The large pole,—or handle of the huge um¬ 
brella,—is made of bamboo, which, though it is large, is 
strong, yet light, the bamboo being hollow. He sticks 
wise enough not to drink whiskey, brandy, or any such 
liquors; and in that matter I hope all who read the 
Agnculturist and those who do not, will, in this respect, 
follow the example set by the inhabitants of China. 
JLet tlie flEirdss’-Nests Alone.—It is 
thoughtlessness that makes a boy rob a bird’s-nest. If ho 
would stop a minute and think how unkind it was, and 
how little good the prize would do him, he would never 
take a bird’s egg nor break up a nest. A boy who destroys 
eggs and nests does not deserve to have any fruit. Ho 
you know that just in proportion as birds diminish, in¬ 
sects increase, and as insects increase, the fruit di¬ 
minishes? In many parts of the country the insects have 
it all their own way, because there are no birds to keep 
them in check. Recollect then, no birds, no fruit. 
Answers to B'rolileins anil Puzzles. 
3S1.—The 10 trees are to be planted as 
shown in the annexed diagram, where the 
dots represent the trees and the lines the di¬ 
rections in which the rows may be count¬ 
ed to make nine. 
382. —The 40 lb. weight must be cut into pieces weigh¬ 
ing 1, 3, 9, and 27 lbs. ; by the use of these any number 
of pounds from 1 to 40 can be weighed. For example, 
to weigh 25 lbs. the 27 lb. and 1 lb. are put into one scale 
and the 3 lb. into the other. 
383. —At the commencement the men sold 7 eggs for a 
cent. The 1st sold 7 cents’ worth, and the other 4 cents’ 
worth, and the 3d 1 cent's worth. Afterwards they raised 
the price of their eggs to 3 cents apiece. It will be seen 
that by selling" their eggs at this price, each received 10 
cents. 
384. —Think before you speak.—Th-ink-Bee 4 u’s-peak. 
385. —A life beginning in pleasure and ending in misery 
is often the fate of the inconsiderate.—Ale 1 F E bee-gin- 
in-G-in P Lease Ewer and n-d-in-g in miser-y is o F 10 
thief 8 of the in c on S I D It 8. 
The following have sentcorrect answers since our last: 
It. M. Downie, W. P. Brown, M. F. Herron, Liss Hall, 
L. E. Sliriver, C. Ilicods, Louis Fox, E. S. Vacher, J. P. 
Treece, O. A. Towne, W. W. Cutter, M. II. Sue, B. Mani¬ 
fold, Lizzie M. Gilchrist, A. Garrett, W. Kingsbury, C. A. 
Sage, 3. II. Snyder, Geo. M. Ilemmingway, G. I). Bunyan, 
“ T. II. J.,” N. II. Rice, T. Lausdale, M. B. Eshleman, 
G. Edgar Leach, J. Ferris, A. M. L. Goldcr, L. P. Hitch¬ 
cock, Belle Greeley, Isaac Shaver, Jas. II. Williamson. 
New Puzzles Bo l»e Answered. 
No. 3S7. Illustrated Rebus. —A poetical quotation, which, 
unfortunately for human nature, is too true. 
