That Was. There has never been
much of Chinatown that savored of Bohemianism, but
it has always been the vogue for visitors to make a trip
through its mysterious alleys, peering into the fearsome
dark doorways, listening to the ominous slamming
doors of the "clubs," and shuddering in a delightful
horror at the recumbent opium smokers, pointed out to
them by the industrious guide. And when they were
taken into one of the gambling houses and shown the
double doors, and the many contrivances used to pre-
vent police interference with the innocent games of fan
tan and then were shown the secret underground pass-
age leading from one of the gambling houses to the
stage of the great Chinese theatre, two blocks away,
they went home ready to believe anything told them
about "the ways that are dark and tricks that are vain,"
for they were sure "the heathen Chinee was peculiar."
Chinese restaurant life never appealed to Bohe-
mians, and when it became necessary to entertain vis-
itors with a trip to a Chinatown restaurant the ordinary
service was of tea and rice cakes, served from lacquered
trays, in gaudy rooms, and the admiring visitors could
well imagine themselves in "far off Cathay."
Then came the fire and Chinatown, with the rest of
the down-town portion of San Francisco, passed away.
In the rebuilding the owners of the properties concluded
to give the quarter a more Chinese aspect and pagoda-
like structures are now to be found in all parts of the
section. The curiosity of the tourist is an available
asset to Chinatown, and with queer houses and queerer
articles on sale there is always plenty of uninitiated to
54
SAN FRANCISCO
keep the guides busy, but from a city of more than
twenty-five thousand Orientals in the midst of an en-
lightened city — an Asiatic city that had
its own laws and executed its crim- A BREATH OF
als with the most utter disregard for THE
American laws, it has changed into ORIENT
one of the most law-abiding parts of
the great city. With the passing of the queue came the
adoption of the American style of dressing, and much
of the picturesqueness of the old Chinatown has disap-
peared.
But with the changed conditions there has come a
change in the restaurant life of the quarter, and now a
number of places have been opened to cater to Ameri-
cans, and on every hand one sees "chop suey" signs, and
"Chinese noodles." It goes without saying that one sel-
dom sees a Chinaman eating in the restaurants that are
most attractive to Americans. Some serve both white
and yellow and others serve but the Chinese, and a few
favored white friends.
Probably the best restaurant in Chinatown is that of
the Hang Far Low Company, at 723 Grant avenue. Here
is served such a variety of strange dishes that one has to
be a brave Bohemian, indeed, to partake without ques-
tion. Ordinarily when Chinese restaurants are men-
tioned but two dishes are thought of — chop suey and
chow main. But neither is considered among the fine
dishes served to Chinese epicures. It is much as if one
of our best restaurants were to advertise hash as its
specialty. Both these dishes might be termed glorified
hash. The ingredients are so numerous and so varied
with occasion that one is tempted to imagine them made
of the table leavings, and that is not at all pleasant to
contemplate. ✪ Snails, China Style
Page 29 · 1 recipe record on this page
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
That Was. There has never been much of Chinatown that savored of Bohemianism, but it has always been the vogue for visitors to make a trip through its mysterious alleys, peering into the fearsome dark doorways, listening to the ominous slamming doors of the "clubs," and shuddering in a delightful horror at the recumbent opium smokers, pointed out to them by the industrious guide. And when they were taken into one of the gambling houses and shown the double doors, and the many contrivances used to prevent police interference with the innocent games of fan tan and then were shown the secret underground passage leading from one of the gambling houses to the stage of the great Chinese theatre, two blocks away, they went home ready to believe anything told them about "the ways that are dark and tricks that are vain," for they were sure "the heathen Chinee was peculiar."
Chinese restaurant life never appealed to Bohemians, and when it became necessary to entertain visitors with a trip to a Chinatown restaurant the ordinary service was of tea and rice cakes, served from lacquered trays, in gaudy rooms, and the admiring visitors could well imagine themselves in "far off Cathay."
Then came the fire and Chinatown, with the rest of the down-town portion of San Francisco, passed away. In the rebuilding the owners of the properties concluded to give the quarter a more Chinese aspect and pagodalike structures are now to be found in all parts of the section. The curiosity of the tourist is an available asset to Chinatown, and with queer houses and queerer articles on sale there is always plenty of uninitiated to
keep the guides busy, but from a city of more than twenty-five thousand Orientals in the midst of an enlightened city — an Asiatic city that had its own laws and executed its criminals with the most utter disregard for the BREATH OF THE
American laws, it has changed into ORIENT
one of the most law-abiding parts of the great city. With the passing of the queue came the adoption of the American style of dressing, and much of the picturesqueness of the old Chinatown has disappeared.
But with the changed conditions there has come a change in the restaurant life of the quarter, and now a number of places have been opened to cater to Americans, and on every hand one sees "chop suey" signs, and "Chinese noodles." It goes without saying that one seldom sees a Chinaman eating in the restaurants that are most attractive to Americans. Some serve both white and yellow and others serve but the Chinese, and a few favored white friends.
Probably the best restaurant in Chinatown is that of the Hang Far Low Company, at 723 Grant avenue. Here is served such a variety of strange dishes that one has to be a brave Bohemian, indeed, to partake without question. Ordinarily when Chinese restaurants are mentioned but two dishes are thought of — chop suey and chow mein. But neither is considered among the fine dishes served to Chinese epicures. It is much as if one of our best restaurants were to advertise hash as its specialty. Both these dishes might be termed glorified hash. The ingredients are so numerous and so varied with occasion that one is tempted to imagine them made of the table leavings, and that is not at all pleasant to contemplate.
Records on this page
Snails, China Style