The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-22
New York Times.l

arrived: at least, they called them oysters,
and they had shells ON. il they we're real
genuine oysters they must have been delin-
quents from Shrewsbury that mad been kicked
down southwark TO die. They were small
enough to eat four or five dozen OF them, but
nobody would want to- Il Is not on oysters,
however, that Mexico prides herself.
stranger meets on entering Mexico is the de-
liberate snail. He finds this at Vera Cruz at
all the hotels. A hungry party, OF which the
writer was a member. Went TO the pfmelpai
hotel In that queer old city, on the arrival OF
was served 10 the public dining room, just off
the street, with stone floor, plaster wallis,
stone pillars, and heavy tlmbers In the high
ceiling. The first course was bread, WlInOub
any butter; the second course was butter.
without any salt; the third course WAS snails
and toothpicks-a great heaping big dish OF
steaming, OdOrous snails. and the toOthpicks
In a tumDIer. The toothpicks were TO coax
the snaiIs out Of their shells with; but II the
future adventurous traveller will take the adj
vice OF person who has been there, he will
eat the Whole tumbierful OF toothpIcks rather
than touch single snail. AS q frightful ex-
ample OF sloWness, the snail ls useful IN
sect; b ut as an article OF diet he is glaring
fraud. Yet he - much sought after II
Mexico. He is raised and fed and fat
tened; he is encouraged to immigrate; all
sorts OF inducements are held out TO him.
There was In the center OF the stone floor a
loose stone about q foot square. with an iron
ring in it. The hole exposed by raising this
stone WAS receptacle for sslops' and SUCH
dirty water as the waitress desired to make
way with. It looked Shiny and snaily and
yellow feverisfl down Ia the hole, and could
not get the notion out OF my head that that
hole was the snaiI-roost: that down there the
snails were kept In peace and quiet, ana lat
tened and left TO enjoy themselves. However,
the snails on the table looked white and clean
enough, and we all tried them. They were
not the inpecunious little snails We see crawl
ing about rotten old boards up Ia the North,
but majestic old fat fellows, as big as Little
Neck CLAIMS, some OF them. / picked out an
aldermanic-Iook chap, and went fishing
SNAIL compared with the quantity Of shell
and toothpick is In apout the same
ratio as q bent halrpin to q half
cracked hickory nut. But presently got
him out He was cross between asln 1
was rich gray. His smelI-well, no mast
ter about his smell. No orthodox American
OF sound mind could look az one Of these
creatures long and then eat him, 80, with
hurried into the yawning ehasm for which
be was cooked. When the teeth shut down
ON him he squeaked-he did. indeed-and
Shiny juices Began to run out OF all his
pores. He filed his way all around my
mouth, took fresh start, got half way
down my threat and stuck. He wouldn't
20 further down, nor he wouldn't come up
again. &c would have been worth SO to
have him start either way. After few
minutes, being sufi iently rested. he went
on One Of the other members OF the party
said he liked them; was very fond OF them,
but couldn't eat them because he had dyspep-
STA. They're so slow you see, II taxes them
80 long to digest. Several other people VINO
were there were very fond OF them, but
didn't see anybody eat any OF them except
/ the natives.
| But the snail is a luxury. The two great
Mexican dishes OF the common people are
tortiiIas and frijoles., The tortiila lby
| Is shaped like a buckwheat cake. It's eaten
almost exclusively on the table-iands, for
| down by the coast all sorts OF fruit are SO
| abundant that the natives don't take much
trouble to cook anything. The process q
takes great deal more nerve TO eat It. The
Indian woman takes big double-handful O
white and yellow corn, pours II into 9 rouRI
| hollow stone, prepared for the purpose, anG
| pounds and grindS It with another stone til
/ It is reduced to corn meal. This IS the great
Mexican grist~niII, patent applied Tor sOf
years ago. a hollow earthern dish can bt
bought at any potter's for q cent. The Wo
4 man has oneof these, II his lordship hash
come home full OF pulque and broken it, ant
A she puts the meal Id the dish, pours Id |
i little waters, and mixes 1t up. Clean water
i not all necessary to make good tortllIaa
Il Well mixed up, this makes dough. Sn
takes a little wad OF the dough i
her left hand, laid out on the fiat palm, an
i spanks it briskIy with her right hand. ThI
she continues until the little Wad OF dough Il
4 converted into d buckWheat cake In shape
!, round and thin. The fire has been burning
Il by the door all this time, and the ashes ar
hot. The cock spreads her pancake out II
the hot ashes, covers It over with more %
ashes, and lets 1t bake. In five minutes
so, wnen It is done, she pulls It out. n
ashes stick to 1t q little, but what the COO
can't blow off with her breath she wipes q
with her hand. She makes them 10 snl
way as fast az cock makes buckWneaL cakes
!. and then the family fall to-, and eat tnem
, a skepticaI American might think That ines
things would not be ht for CIVILIZED pei
'. son to eat And they're not: u some Prise
: and work them 10 into shoes, they would q
serviceable; but it would take camel TO q
! | e,paf one III them Yet they are not only %
STABLE article OF food among the poorer peopi
all over the table lands OF Mexico, pelne =
them what bread ts ~ us, Dut .ney afs aesaL
/ There uas wealthy old Mexican planter
j with two young daughters. on the steame
Going They had been spending some Jime
3fausna and when we reached Campecnt
and fine ship anchored, the old fellow sent
servant ashore To buy some tortilias 1or ta
dear girls. They had been away 80 long sne
were homesick for them.
TortiIlas and frtjoIes pronounced freen'
liesl generally go together: Fri1oies az
lbnana1llttIe brown beans. Ihey grew veE
easiIy Ia Mexico, as everything does, a1n JE
Mericans ali eat them, high and low we
fhev are cooked they look az u they we
= covered with chocolate very Tien nroW