until past midnight, saki was served constantly yet no one felt its
influence in more than a sense of increased exhilaration. It is
customary to let the emptied bottles remain on the table until the close
of the meal, and there was a mighty showing.

It was impossible to eat all that was set before us, but Japanese custom
forbids such a breach of etiquette as an indication that the food was
not perfection, consequently the serving maids appeared bearing six
carved teak boxes, and placed one at each plate. Into these we arranged
the food that was unconsumed, and when we went away we carried it with
us. To cap the climax the Japanese stripped the room of its bounteous
decoration of chrysanthemums and piled them into our arms and we went
home loaded with food and flowers.

Proprietor and all his household accompanied us to the door with many
bows and gesticulations, wishing us best of luck, and we went back to
our homes in the desolated city with the feeling of having been
transported to Fairyland of the Orient.

We discovered later that our Japanese friend was of the family of the
Emperor and was here on a diplomatic mission.



Old and New Palace

One cannot well write a book on Bohemian restaurants of San Francisco
without saying something about the great hotel whose history is so
intimately intertwined with that of the city since 1873, when William C.
Ralston determined that the city by the Golden Gate should have a hotel