Show Want to Eat Polar Bear Paws P ws ws at ht a Portion 2 H Z Shark Fins Birds Birds' Nests and Sea Lion On Menu 0 By Dy JAMES POWERS NEA 1 Service Writer NEW V STEW YORK Oct 29 Lurn Lum Lum Fong Pong PongS S pudgy little celestial cEle with a but but- yellow ter-yellow face and hooded heavy eyes is a Tal soo one of the few re remaining re- re craftsmen of an ancient cul cul- culinary culInary cul- cul inary hoary art Now the Tal-soo-foos Tal have hae an old saying Translated it goes something like this this- Man listens to no one but his belly That perhaps explains why every every- everyone everyone everyone one in New Yorks York's Chinatown with l its littered narrow streets and its cramped buildings plastered with scarlet and gold signs loves Lum Lurn It may explain too why v.-hy the police call caU Lums Lum's ramshackle red brick build build- building buildIng buildIng ing the barometer of Chinatown Outside it has all the appearance of an ordinary nondescript chop suey sue Joint But inside are private din din- dining dinIng dinIng ing rooms hung with heavy tapestries of forgotten dynasties voilet and gam gain gamboge gamboe boge boe paper lanterns teh chen glaze cups prized heirlooms from mud saud chinked huts In far off of provinces There teems a motley life utterly Oriental and ages old STRANGE FACES F. Many strange and varied faces cross Lums Lum's doorway Well groomed consuls from the Chi Chi- Chinese Chinese nese legation a visiting mandarin per per- perhaps perhaps perhaps haps In stripe pin worsted orsted and neat nest Prince Albert merchants rich from trade in silks and teas embryo J. J J P. P Morgans from a troupe of ot Chinese actors fresh from Shanghai two almond eyed coeds from Crom Croma a local campus and occasionally an Ameri MacrI- American can or two of prominence Dan police detective extra extra- extraordinary extraordinary ordinary tipped this writer off of to the story of Lum Lena Fong Tong And nd he told why they call Lums Lum's place the barometer of Chinatown If it is for Instance the time of the autumn festival and there is little merrymaking the police know trouble is brewing for otherwise all ell wealthy wealth families hold birthday and family cel cel- celebrations here During Diring the bloody war var between the Hip HII Sings and the On when hatchet men roamed the alleys alles and no tong long mans man's life was safe Lums Lum's place was a deserted building of covered white tables Here prosperity depression festival and mourning are reflected Lum has an office full of auto auto- autographed autographed autographed graphed photos of his patrons He proudly showed them to me Corne Come Cornelius Cornelius Comelius lius Vanderbilt Jr Al Jolson Rube Goldberg HI Phillips Billy DeBeck George George Jesse Dale Art Ho- Ho Hoban Hoban ban Hal Kaufman and Will Rogers flanked those of General Consuls Chang and Yung But the most singular angle Is the type of or food served when v.-hn high Chi Chi- Chinese Chinese Chinese nese society gathers There are feasts that would shame a Croesus South sea waters are searched for fish steep cliffs curfs are scaled for gelatinous birds birds' nests the Arctic circle is hunted for game ame And the prices are in keeping with the Lu Lu- cullan quality A FEW DELICACIES Polar bear claws or hang dong chong thong sell at an order There are south sea shark fins or hong soo chee at 25 a portion terrapin or col son with soft sort shell ShEil crabs stewed slewed with at 10 SIO a portion broiled sea lion or kow hol with stuffed chicken chopped water lily Illy seeds and andrice andrice andrice rice at 15 a portion Singapore birds' birds nests or yen chan with v.-ith mush mush- mushroom mushroom mushroom room heads and LI nuts 10 The recipes are centuries old They require great skill in preparation Lum Fong when a boy of 11 11 apprenticed himself to a soo foo in Canton He is III one of the crack members of the guild That perhaps is 15 why he is greeted with smiles whenever he lie waddle his way the merry crowds On on Pell Poll Pelland Pelland and Mott streets For all Chinese are essentially gourmets And nd soo Tal-soo-foos are arc scarce fellows In America I W q r iL A I t J jf 5 1 q pj Kv 1 M. M East Ease meets west C at cL Lum |