But with the changed conditions there has come a change in the
restaurant life of the quarter, and now a number of places have been
opened to cater to Americans, and on every hand one sees "chop suey"
signs, and "Chinese noodles." It goes without saying that one seldom
sees a Chinaman eating in the restaurants that are most attractive to
Americans. Some serve both white and yellow and others serve but the
Chinese, and a few favored white friends.

Probably the best restaurant in Chinatown is that of the Hang Far Low
Company, at 723 Grant avenue. Here is served such a variety of strange
dishes that one has to be a brave Bohemian, indeed, to partake without
question. Ordinarily when Chinese restaurants are mentioned but two
dishes are thought of--chop suey and chow main. But neither is
considered among the fine dishes served to Chinese epicures. It is much
as if one of our best restaurants were to advertise hash as its
specialty. Both these dishes might be termed glorified hash. The
ingredients are so numerous and so varied with occasion that one is
tempted to imagine them made of the table leavings, and that is not at
all pleasant to contemplate.

We asked one of the managers at the Hang Far Low what he would order if
he wished to get the best dish prepared in the restaurant, and he was
even more emphatic in his shrugs than the French or Italian managers. He
protested that there were so many good things it was impossible to name
just one as being the best. "You see, we have fish fins, they are very
good. Snails, China style. Very good, too. Then we have turtle brought
from China, different from the turtle they have here, and we cook it
China style. Eels come from China and they are cooked China style, too.
What is China style? That I cannot tell you for the cook knows and