Omaha daily bee., 1883-11-09
HOME LIFE IN MEXICO.
A Mexican Dinner, The Menu, Fable
Manners and Customs.
The Dining Room and Kitchen,
Tortilla Making.
Dish.washing with the Dirt Floor for
n Table.

AGoZA, OCTOBER ZO.-l invite you 10 ulne
with me to-day, dear friends, a la Mexi-
AS am myself a guest, we must
touch the subject tenderly. While the
truth may be told at all times, we would
not abuse the generous hospitality shown
us on every hand by indulging in invidi-
Gus comparisons. In a spirit of mutual
good feeling, then-remembering that
the habits and customs of all lands differ
from each other, and that many of the
ways here are doubtless better than some
of ours-let us repair to the dining room.
The words ''vamos a conner" (let US 60
TO dinner) are welcome ones, for in Mexi-
co we do not breakfast American fashion,
but take only a small cup of chocol ate
with a tiny loaf of Mexican bread, with
out butter or other accompaniment, i'm
mediately on arising. Therefore, by l
o'clock p. m, our healthy appetites are
"sharp set" enough to do justice to any
dishes, however an unguessable a conun-
drum their ingredients may be.
THE CORRIDOR,
unlike the other rooms in the house, is
seldom paved or %cemented, but has
mother earth for a floor, and is never
carpeted-for obvious reasons, as we
shall see by and by. Much sweeping
and showing about of chairs has worn
this dirt loor-which is almost as hard
as stone-into hollows and gulleys. Be-
ing a few inches below the level Of the
court, when the brief torrents of rain
come, which are frequent in this latitude,
a small food pours in and makes little
lakes in the hollows aforesaid, which the
servants bale out with plates. Our one
wide window, with its absence of glass,
and shutters like those of a barn, is
never Enclosed, but as there is no COM
municating passage between the dining
and kitchen the outer door is hos
wide open, beth summer and
winter. In rather uncengruous contrast
to the floor, is a handsome side-board,
with much glassware shining upon,
eme distracting pieces of old blue china
and quaint articles Of Guadalahara pot
terry in the way of pitchers, which
we long to possess. Wash stands, with
bowl and towel accompaniment, adorn the
corncrs, the convenience of which is ap-
parent in lieu of finger. bowls. The most
distinguished guest is given the post of
honor at the head of the long table. and
nthaN <,xauku ~ aaaknl ~ L.. ~..1S o~l
left, while the host and hostess place
themselves wherever it happens. There
is nothing upon the table but a heap OF
knives, forks and spoons, a pile Of plates,
and a cluster of goblets, all at one end
whore the head waiter stands. Among
the better classes dinner Is always a GER
enormous meal, each dish served sepa
rately in courses, necessitating a number
of plates to each person. There is little
variation in the bill of fare, one dinner
being nearly the exact counterpart of all
others during the year. Az the servants
emerge from among the flowers of the
sunny court,
BEARING OUR AMBRosIA, =.
we think of fairy tales and the Arabian
nights-only these ireados do not greatly
resemble orthodox FAIRIES, nor is the fooc
they bring the ambrosia Of our imagina
ton. If the waiter is q woman, her heat
and shoulders are always wrapped in hel
rebosa, and if a man he wear no coat, bu'
retains his wide sombrero. First broth il
served in small China tea cups, each cuI
covered with a pot tertQId (pan-cake mad,
of crushed corn and water) and Is set upor
a plate which also holds o huge bras!
spoon. Mexicans have a great fondnes,
for fat of all kinds, a passion for chill
and consider onions as much a necessity
of life as we do salt. Hence the brotl
land every other dish for that matter) i.
always very greasy, very garlicy, and red.
dish with chill pepper. If there happens
to be any ripe grapes in the house they
are put into the broth and eaten with it,
The other day saw with delighted eyes
some big, misunderstanding peaches being
carried into the corriedor, and l went t.
dinner in happy anticipation Of some.
thing like home. But what do you think
was done with those peaches2 They were
sliced, every one, into the garlicy, greasy
broth. :
The second curse is always sopa-
either vermacilli, macaroni or rice, frs
boiled and then fried in oil with muci
garlic, and garnished with slices of greer
peppers. With it goats-milk cheese ii
served, most persons crumbing thechees,
into it, and eating the exceedingly oil,
mixture with a spoon. Then comes tn,
main dish which never v~eries-the sam,
at three hundred and sixty-fve dinner
to the year, through a Mexican's natura
life-always boiled beef or mutton, wit
cabbage, onions, small green apples or pears
with various queer tropical roots, seed
and bulbs, all boiled together in one POT
1t is served with chill in some shape
generally made into salad with ahuacates
Ito which red hot Goals are q mild CON
parison. The amount of pepper whic,
the smallest children calmly devour, q
ours do candy, is something astonishing
and incline, one to the belief that tn
Mexican "inner man" is
opp LINED AND DOUBLE PLATED.
The merest approach to roast mea
comes in the fourth course-a piece @
pork or kid, stuffed with spices, herbs
chill and chopped onions, and ''boile,
down" in the pot till the surface i
slightly Drowned. What we consider
roast is no more obtainable in the Mex
can market than a beefsteak. In tn
first place the cattle are the leanes
and lankest of creatures, and when kille
the meat is cut into Jumps and strips, re
CARELESS of grain" in a way that woul
strike an English butcher dumb-wit
especial reference to boiling, as there ar
no convenience 'fors roasting and broilin
such as We possess with our stoves an
gridirons.