First, a bowl of fragrant tea. The tea was renewed through the meal as often as a bowlful had been consumed. The first dish consisted of a rather tiny bowl of fish chowder. Then came rice, with more fish. With this were served lettuce, tomatoes, and onions, accompanied by boiled cucumbers and celery. A little dish of chopped raw carrot came to each guest. A small dish of some preserved fruit was served with dessert, and, with this, well-browned cakes of rice flour. Still more tea was brought on, and the men lighted cigarettes.
Fearing that my Caucasian tastes in food might not be satisfied, the host asked, early in the progress of the meal, if he should not send one of his people to the hotel for a steak or a cut of roast beef. But the meal was so dainty and appetising that to have tainted it with meat would have seemed like a desecration.
It will be noted in Japan that milk is seldom found in the diet. For this there is a very good reason. The people so seldom use meat that there is no profit in keeping cows. Butter is often met with, but this is usually tinned butter imported from the United States or
