AMERICAN DISHES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13845, 3 September 1908, Page 5

AMERICAN DISHES.

CHINA'S EMPRESS OFFENDED. CORN COBS, AND CABBAGES. By Telegraph —Press Association.—Copyright. (Received Beptembe. 2, 10.30 p.m.) London, September 2. The Daily Mail, referring to the report that China is considering the advisableness of recalling Mr. Wu- ■ ting-fang, the Chinese Minister at Washington, states that Mr. Wu-ting-fang?s offence is not his advocacy of an entente between China and America, but the adoption" of Western fads. The Minister had, a Pekin telegram states, dared to suggest to the Empress that she should adopt Western dietscorn cobs, cabbages, and turnips cooked a la Americaine.

"Mi*. Wu," Hie Excellency Wu-ting-fang, authoi, diplomatist, humorist, and sage, the Chesterfield of modern China, returned a few months ago to the post of Chinese Minister in Washington, which he held from 1897 to 1902. The announcement, of the reappointment .of.Mr.. Wu was received in '■■■'America' with -widespread interest.' He :is an able lawyer, ■.who speaks ■.English fluently, having practised for years before the British Courts in Hongkong. .;: During hie former tenure of office in Washington he was exceedingly popular on account of his witty after-. dinner speeches,which proved a godsend to a newspaper press thirsting for .humour. M). Wu was nicknamed the human question mark, because, of his habit of asking on every conceivable occasion original and pointed questions. He was degraded in 1902 in consequence of the Chinese Dowager-Empress' dissatisfaction .with his diplomacy. Though he was a, prime mover in the boycott of American merchandise in China, the Administration is not disposed to bear him ill-will on that account, as it believes that the boycott was the natural result of several factors. Indeed, ,it is understood that the American Minister in Pekin expressly approved Mr. Wu's reappointment. With the smile that is childlike and bland. Mr. Wu veils the adroitness of the skilled diplomatist, v He is a master of innuendo, delivering his sharpest hit* with eyes drooping behind goldrimmed spectacles. Behind an appearance of benevolence almost grandmotherly, a boyish spirit of fun will not be repressed. Author of a volume entitled "The Wisdom of Confucius," and of an article in the Daily Mail, on "Why I Like American Women." Mr. Wu has also dealt exhaustively with "The Inability of the Entire American Nation to Properly Brew Tea." One of his most remarkable diplomatic achievements while in Washington- was the sending of a telegram to tho American Minister in Pekin. during the siege of the Legations, and the securing of a reply. The Minister and the Government we're completely unable to- communicate with each other. Mr. Wu was born in Hongkong in 1847, was taught English there, and was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn. He is, perhaps, the ablest living Chinaman since the death of his great friend and tutor, Li Hung Chang.