MANNERS AND CUSTOMS
two meals a day. His chief food was, of course, rice, everything else being regarded as a relish, and his normal allowance of the grain was a pint and a half daily. This he simply boiled in a pot or cauldron, instead of resorting to the more aristocratic method of steaming it in a covered jar. In the intervals between his morning and evening meals, he regaled himself, if his resources permitted, with vermicelli, macaroni, bean-jelly, rice-dumplings, and various kinds of cakes and fruits, washed down by tea or hot water scented with pickled cherry-buds.
There is no special change to be noted in the manner of serving meals or in the utensils employed, except that the use of tables in Chinese style went altogether out of fashion, and the viands were ranged upon a tray standing about four inches high, which was placed upon the ground. Every diner had his own set of trays, one for each course or class of viands. The greatest refinement of manufacture marked the various apparatus, the cups, bowls, and trays being of rich lacquer, and the wine-pourers of silver or gold. This description does not apply to the case of commoners, of course. They had utensils of plain black or red lacquer and wine-holders of unglazed pottery. From the fifteenth century China sent over vessels of porcelain decorated with blue sous couverte, or of stoneware covered with céladon glaze. At an even earlier date she had supplied objects of the same class though techni-
107
