JAPANESE PLAYS

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 June 1922, Page 2

JAPANESE PLAYS

FREE MEALS IN THEATRE When I kneel down on the cushion in my accustonicd box at the theatre in Tokio an old man brings mo a teapot filled with a pale green fluid and an infinitesimal cup from which to drink—a receptacle that'holds hardly more than three swallows (writes Zoe Kincaid in the “Daily Mail”). The beverage is guiltless of sugar or milk. On a tray is an oblong bar of yokan, made of sweet brown bean paste or’ chestnuts thickened by a gelatine obtained from certain seaweed. Thus the theatre dispenses its hospitality as the play begins, which is generally about 1 o’clock in the afternoon. In a pretty bowl are certain tempting bits to whet the appetite —pounded and steamed shark cut into cubes; portions of tasty roasted lobster; sweet omelette moulded into fancy patterns, and all arranged on top of each other to form a pyramid ; while on the side are delicate greens of mustard leaves boiled tender and sprinkled over with a salty brown sauce as relish. Two new wooden chopsticks convey the dainty morsels to tlje mouth, and those are broken and discarded when they are no longer needed. During the interval for dinner two lacquered boxes are brought in. The contents will vary with the season, but in most cases the playgoer discovers in one hot boiled rice, and in the other crisp slices of lotus root ; pieces of boiled bamboo sprouts, the

first bud-like growth that is to shoot up rapidly into the tall, slender stem of full development; sweetened chestnuts and soft-boiled sugared beans. Then follow melon-rind preserved in sake, little pickled white onions, and a slice or two of fresh ginger with dried mushrooms that have been steamed, together with more substantial things, such as fish roasted over the charcoal embers and balls of minced chicken—all washed down with frequent draughts of tea. After such a plentiful repast therS is little danger that the playgoer will feel the pangs of hunger; but about 8 o’clock, when the audience begins to feel well warmed to the actors, a dish of sushi, or sandwiches, is offered for inspection—little balls of cold rice stuffed with seasoned vegetables or fish, and wrapped about by thin layers of green seaweed that adds considerably to its toothsomcness. Later on fruit is served, and fresh cups of tea are industriously provided by the indefatigable attendant. What with the changing scenes upon the stage, the varied sights afforded by the audience, and the frequent invitations to indulge in refreshments, the long performances, that; last from nine to ten hours, arc less formidable than might be expected.