Post by nzbc on Mar 20, 2022 13:29:36 GMT 12
CONTINENTAL AND CHINESE FOOD
Diners* Difficulties With Chopsticks ~ NEW RESTAURANT IN CHRISTCHURCH The New Zealander has often been criticised for the monotony of his diet His liking for mutton is acknowledged, and although the Year Book, in its coldly statistical examination of what makes the nation tick, overlooks the number of pies eaten by New Zealanders each year, there is no doubt that toe piq is not the exclusive preserve of the schoolboy. Recently, however, there have been foreign influences at work; in Auckland and Wellington, Chinese restaurants have' appeared, and a Christchurch restaurant this week began serving Chinese, Jewish, Dutch, Italian, other Continental and vegetarian dishes. At first glance, this gastronomic outpost looks like its less exotic brethren. There is a large card assuring t^e'diehards that they can still have their steak and chips, their oysters, their fish and chips. But on a display table in a corner there are some attractive pieces of china, obviously intended for something more exciting than bacon and eggs, and a set of diopsticks. When the restaurant opened yesterday, some of the more adventurous tried the chopsticks, but their performances with them- were quite as inept as the two-fingered performances of the pianoforte composition with the same quaint name. In a matter of minutes, there were demands for forks which were met almost before they were made. The chopsticks, it appears, should be held close together between toe thumb and the first finger, with an air of deep concentration. It would be simpler if the diner was not under the impression that he was wearing boxing gloves. Many Ingredients Gourmets and gourmands will both appreciate the fare served in this restaurant. There are 18 Chinese dishes alone, bringing with them some of the more acceptable odours of the Orient An order given in a spirit of frank curiosity may be answered, however, with a meal to sate the appetite of Gargantua. A brief inspection of the kitchen shows- that rice, steak, chicken, eggs, onions, spaghetti, noodles, curries, nuts, cherries, peas, soya bean oil, olive oil and lard are the chief armaments in the never-ending war against appetite. Chop Suey is one line of the menu which will be recognised by most, and its inevitable association with dim-lit Sohq streets can come only from the fact that it includes bamboo shoots—not, of course, in the usual inedible form. It also includes a variety of vegetables, bean shoots, shredded chicken, and boiled or fried rice Egg Fu Young is a chicken or pork omelette, Chun-Wah Min a variety of soup including sliced mushrooms and vegetables, Chow Min vegetables, meat and noodles. Short soup has nothing to do with a time limit on the table; it is made of chicken broth with meat dumplings. Long soup has noodles in place of toe dumplings. There are also cashew nuts from India, roasted with chicken. There are three Dutch dishes on the menu—Bami Gbrling, vegetable and meat with hot seasoning, and served with a sauce rather haphazardly named Shamble; Nisi Gorling, fried rice and meat; Bami Godow, meat done soup, with vegetables. There are vegetarian dishes derived from the other more romantic items, and the Jewish food consists of soused fish, pickled herring, and fish cooked in oils. The international flavour is increased by such items as Spaghetti a la Milanese, and Bombay curry and rice. The new restaurant also intends to provide something new in place of the tea and biscuits which break the working morning into bearable halves for most people and delicious quarters for others. Soup will be served, in bowls of such vast proportions as to encourage the thought that they could be used to give very small babies reasonably adequate baths. It will be a sad reflection on New Zealand’s eating habits if they are reduced to such a utilitarian role.
PRESS, VOLUME LXXXIX, ISSUE 27026, 29 APRIL 1953,https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19530429.2.155?items_per_page=10&page=5&query=chinese+diner&snippet=true