SIXTEEN COURSES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 361, 24 October 1932, Page 2

SIXTEEN COURSES

EASTERN BANQUET NEW ZEALANDER'S EXPERiENCE \ ' AT JAPANESE DINNER PARTY. ATTENDED BY GEISHA GIRL. — i l "On more than one occasion we in- j dulged in a ceremonial Japanese din- j ner," said Mr. J. R. McKenzie, tyho has returned after a tour of Japan and the East. "This is no mere snack, it takes three hours, and in our ca'se consisted of sixteen courses, everything being prepared in the Japanese fashion. T'wo of the courses consistsd of raw fish. I tasted hoth of these. One was flavoured with some peculiar kind of sauce that was quite pleasing. "There were tHree married couples at one particular dinner, which we enjoyed very rnuch. The first th'ing we were invited to do upon arrival, was to have a hath — to us a quite out- of -the way heginning for a dinner — hut in the East you must do what the Easterners do, and, as it was extremely hot, the bath was nqt at all unwelcome. Then we were requested to don kimonas instead of our own clothes, and so in these easy-fitting clothes we sat on cushions on the floor to partake of our meal, served on, a table only a few inches high. Really, undsr the eircumstances we could not have bean more comfortably attired. "Every one present had a gsisha girl in attendance the whole time," continued Mr. McKenzie. "This was sometimes rather emharrassing to us, but was the usual thing. Each girl attsnded to the wants of her guests exclusively throughout the meal, and afterwards danced and played for our amusement. What was surprising was that these girls, after doing their native dances, which are very graceful, would get up> and jazz with their guests in the modern way. When we visited Japan thirteen years ago such a thing was unheard of, but Japan is becoming westernised very rapidly, and jazz music and dancing are just as popular there as they are here."