The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-07-01
A MARKET IN COLOMBIA
EARLY MORNING SCENES IN A CEN
TRIAL AMERICAN CITY.

EARLy MORNING SCENES IN A CEN
TRIAL AMERICAN CITY.
Large Piles OF Fish-Rccf bought by
the Foot-Fruit in Plenty-Odd Sys
tenn of Marketing.
Alfred Balch says in letter from Ba-
ranquilla, in Colombia, Central America
Just before the first "palc strcaks OF
dawn begin to tighten up the East" as
some one somewhere has it, you have to
get up. The bed you leave is frame,
upon which is stretched some stout cot
ton, and upon this mat or sun-dried
and very smooth rawhide. Such things
as sheets arc looked upon as nuisances in
the tropics, and he must be a cold-blood-
ed person who asks for a blanket. There
is around YOU, however, tolda or mos
quito netting, without which it would be
impossible to sleep. Dressing and going
out into the streets-which are perfectly
tark-you make your way to the market.
This is by the lagoon, and consists of q
large open space, upon which arc few
huts or booths. At this carly hour,
about half.past three, the canoes are be-
ginning to arrive with the things for
sale. They are anywhere from twelve to
forty feet long, cut out of solid logs,
and generally propelled by poles, with
which the bogas push them along. Each
canoe has a patron or captain, who
steers, and it is his work to keep it when
going up stream just close enough to
tho bank to allow the men to easily reach
the bottom with their poles. Going
down they take advantage of the current
and paddle, or simply float.
But daylight is coming and the mar
ket men arc unloading. The market is
divided into sections, in which arc dis.
played the various classes OF raw mater
ial, out of which are to bc made dishes
savory or the reverse. Here TO the left
are the fish, piles upon piles of them.
The fresh specimens come from the river
or the sea. OF the former there is q
kind of giant catfish, weighing from
twenty to sixty pounds; the flesh f1abby
and tastcless. This is very cheap and
equally popular with the pcon class.
Another monster, species of Dream, is
remarkable for its enormous scales, some
of them being as large as the palm of a
mans hand. Perch weighing about two
pounds apiece are very plentiful and
cheap, as are the colIera, a long, thin
fish. may say here that this name ls
spelled as it sounds Of ocean fish the
red snapper is the commoncst, and very
good it is, too. Sometimes one comes
across Jew fish. or, as Tom Cringle
calls it in his Clog" q ''most noble Jew
fish," easily the best that is caught in
these Southern waters. Pompano are
rare, but none the less delicious when
found. Pinkish rcd piles of shrimps, IN
fiat, round baskets, are waiting for the
customer, and alongside of them are
heaps of ve!lowish brown things, the
meats of other shrimps dried in the sun.
These are very popular, but are almost
too tough and salt. The dried fish
hanging up find ready sale. One kind
of them tastes, when cooked, q good deal
like finnan haddie. In the meat market
beef is the staple, although sometimes
you see goat meat, called mutton-there
are no sheep and pork is very common.
The beef is all cut up in long strips
and is bought by the foot. l should
say that the animals are generally
killed about 4 o'clock, so that the meat
you buy is often still warm. The
vegetables are in heaps on the ground,
yucca, yams, potatoes, rice, plantains,
corn, onions, garlic in great gourds,
beans and peas bring the most common.
Sometimes you will see palm cabbagcs
and lettuce, Brussels sprouts, kalc, or
cauliflower. The first comes from the
woods, but tho others are generally
grown in private gardens and the sur-
plus sent to market. Of fruit there is
no end, in spite of the fact that the ma
iorlty of Spaniards declare it to be un-
healthy. Aguacatcs or alligator pears,
oranges sometimes, lines, papeyas,
melons-vcry large and good-magos,
bananas, guavas and cocoanuts.
The system of marketing strikes
stranger as beng odd. l, is done by the
cooks, and as they never buy more than
just enough for the day, you will see in
the wooden bowls carried on the head a
small fish, a piece of meat, yuca,
yam, handful of garlic and an onion,
four or five mangos, q large plahtain,
two or three lines, q small gourd filled
with rice and some bread. The bakers
shops are at ono side of the market, and
they make the most delicious little rolls.
1t is certainly gay scene, with the
women walking about or bargaining with
the market people generally women, by
the way. The men are bringing up
stuff from the canoes; here and there arc
the coffee stands, where bread and coffee
are sold. The yuca cakes, or waters.
three feet in diameter. made Of grated
yuca, stand like shields against the
walls. There is perfect Babel of
voices, pleasantly broken into by the
constant peals Of laughter, and survey
ing the scene with the philosophic gaze
so characteristic of them arc the hun
drcds of donkcys. upon which so many of
the buyers and sellers have ridden in the
gray morning to be in time for early
market,