The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-28
STARTLING DISHES.
What q COrrespOn dent Ate I'm Central
America.

What q Correspondent Ate I'm Central
America.
Alfred Balch, in letter from the
United States of Colombia to the Cook,
says: I am sitting under q mango tree on
the bank. Behind me is the village of
Ncchi, consisting of one wide street with
thatched and wattlcd huts on each side
of it. Before me the Couca river, about
as wide as the Hudson at Albany, rolls
down toward the Magdaiena, and just
opposite, flowing between high banks,i
covered with the vivid vegetation of the
tropics, is the Nechi river l feel in that
satisfactory frame of mind which is tho
result of dining we'll, at peace with all
the world, and as l watch the gray
smoke of my cigarette curl upward in
the still, warm air, l reflect with graft
tude upon the beauties-from CASTRO.
nomic point of view-of the water hog.
For the water hog is not outwardly ia
vored by nature, looking as he does
something of a cross between a gigantic
muskrat and badger. His grayishi
brown fur covers, however, many excel
| lencics, and when he is cooked in a sa-
worry stew, with plenty of onion, garlic
and green pepper, little Worcester
sauce and some yucca in place Of pOta-
| toes. you can eat him with pleasure to
! your palate and profit to your general
| health. You would not think him as
] good as he really is when he lies snarl
ing before you, tied up with string, but
| then it is merely another of the many
| lessons we get in this life-not to Judge
by appearances.
! And, speaking of appe aranccs, what
could be more hideous that the iguana
Imagine lizard about four feet long. a
row of spines down his back, making
him look like monstrous saw, with
large hooked claws, an ugly head,
cruel, cod eye, and pouch under the
lower jaw, which he can initiate and
change the color of at pleasure. Yet
this brute lives in the trees, has diet
composed exclusively of flowers and fruits
and is really perfectly harmless. | do
not mean that it would be safe to cut
the stitches which fasten his lips to-
gether-these are sewed up before he is
brought to market, because otherwise he
might snap, and a bite from those jaws
would probably be scvcre-but he is
timid aud would never attack any one.
But when cooked, isn't he good? You
know what frogs legs taste like? Well,
iguana is to frogs legs just about what
pheasant is to capon. He is tender, he
is gamy with beautiful gaminess, he
is very dclicious The white, delicate
flesh, the small bones, the attractive odor
of the Wand, all unite to produce a favor
able impression which is more than con-
firmed by the first taste.
There is an amount of resemblance be-
tween the monkey and the man which
impresses one, whether he be a Darwin
ian or not. 1t is therefore difficult when
you fish up black monkeys skull from
the depths of the boiling broth to resist
belief that you have approached canni-
balism. For that reason, if you have a
black monkey to eat-and let me tell you
that it is one of the best dishes to be pre-
cured in the terra calientc-allow me to
advise you to omit the head when
making up the dish. Otherwise, as a
surety, you will go hungry at least for
the first time. With this precaution, you
can eat and be thankful, the flesh tasting
about midway between hare and mutton,
or, should say, venison. It is tender
and has peculiar flavor in the right
season, owing to the fondness of the
animal for guavas. AS these grow wild
everywhere, in the guava time the black
monkeys get very fat, and one is looked
upon as decidedly a tid-bit.
The boys fathead with its forked
tongue playing in and out, the smooth,
sinuous gliding motion of the great
snake as it travels between the trees and
bushes, reminding one of a well creased
rope and giving greater idea of power
than anything [ know of, would not,
under ordinary circumstances, make one
think of dinner Yet the flesh of the
boa is eaten and considered very good.
l have tasted it simply from GU
riosity, but to me it seemed
a good deal like alligator
steak, somewhat musky. At the same
time l am bound to say that the meat
looked we'll and must be healthy, or it
would not he eaten as much as it is. The
same superstition as that mentioned by
Livingston as being prevalent in Africa
about the flesh of the great snakes OBJ
tains here in modified form. The
poems will tell you that eating the meat
will make you very strong. They do not
say brave, but the old Spanish writers
record the fact that the Indians origin
ally in the country considered snake
flesh as being fit meat for warriors only
While alIigators can be seen down here
in thousands, | have never heard of any
toises, are caught, and find natural
grave in the bodies of the captors. One
of them, an oval shaped chap, is very
good in stew, and serves to remind
you, though family, of the terrapin:
There is sort of worm, the larva of
some insect which l have tasted. 1t is
found in dead trees, and is about the
size of a mans middle finger. Boiled in
salt and water and then baked, it tastes
something like chestnuts. L must con-
fcss, though, that it is not an enticing
dish However, if "many men have
many minds" certainly they have as
many dishes, and I know of no better
rule in travelling than that given by ST.
Paul: "Eat, asking no questions.
Grant and the Skulker.
General Grant is firm believer in
the mythical lucky star" an old military