Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-08-19
Eating and Gambling in a GemOese
Tavern.

A Genoese tavern is curious sight, worthy OF
the pencil of Teniers Down by the harbor there
are number of them having so antiquated
look that one might believe them to have existed
in the days OF the Romans One plunges from
the broad daylight Of the sunny street 80 sud
denly into their gloomy darkness that it takes
some time to recover sufficient sight to look
around. At the extreme end OF the apartment
is usually an image of the Madonna, with a lamp
burning before it. Down the room are ranged a
number OF benches and little wooden tables for
the accommodation of guests, and huge coun-
ter covered with quaint-looking wine-flasks. The
walls are cleanly whitewashed, and bordered
with certain gaudily-painted 'wall-of- Troy
design frequently met with in the frescoes of
| Pompeii In one corner under the chimney il a
charcoal stove with about fifty little fires in it,
each the size of an octave volume. Behind is
an enormous oven. The stove and oven are pre-
sided over by cook in white apron and cap who
manufactures wondrous culinary mysteries un.
known, even in Italy. beyond the walls of Genoa
Here are constructed gigantic pastes, literally of
the size and shape Of wagon wheels, the founda-
tion OF which are of batter and the upper crust
adorned with circles Of most artistic design made
of huge snails forced out of their shells by means
of boiling water and salt. Here cocks combs,
chopped up into finest mincemeat and
mingled with similar preparation of
fowls liyere, are thrust up the thin pipes
OF the maccaroni sticks, sealed at the ends
with strong-tastei cheese, and then boiled in a
rich sauce. Here delicious risot.o, or rice a la
.Httdnutst, is made and ground chestuuts are
formed into pie crusts. The ceiling s thickly
hung with Bologna sausages and bladders full of
yellow saffron. At twelve o'clock the trattorie
are crowded with working men aud women, who
rarely cook anything at home. On fine Sundays
and festas the locdn1ls (inns) and rdttorle (tav-
erns beyond the city walle) do roaring busi-
ness, and are used not only as eating g-houses,
but also as gambling saloons, the Ge-
noese being passlonately addicted to
10 play. Next to the national lotto or lottery at
| which many OF them ruin themselves, the favor
lite game is mora, one of the simplest forms Of
gambling imaginable To play it you require
neither cards nor other aece=hoIies-only your
ten fingers. Two only can play. The first man
| calls number-say six-while throwing out
three fingers, and his adversary must precisely
| at tue same moment throw out az many flyers az
make up the balance. The rap,dity with which
1t is played is perfectly amazing, and only sur.
| passed by the nolse made by the players They
get excited they dispute, and their shouts be.
come 30 loud, and they yell out 40 Justify the
number OF fingers, that providential law ena.
bles the inhabitants of quiet neighborhoods tC
prevent mora from being played in their vicinity
On holidays this game is to be seen, and above
all heard, going on in at least dozen adjoining
wine-shops and beer-gardens at once. and unless
aware OF the true cause of the uproar stranger
might easily imagine the Genoese to be the mos
quarrelsome people i'll the world. From Gliinp
ses Of Genoa, by X Darcy, in LippincoTs Mdg.
dztne for September.