Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-03-30
miscellaneous.
Egyptian Harems.
LIFE OF THE WOMEN-THEIR HABITS
FOOD AND COOKING.

end and superstition, of sensuous colorlng.
of semi barbaric splendor, of Isis and
Osiris, of Cleopatra the magnificent. ana
the mysterious pyramids-ls there any
| home-life there?
No, certainly not, as we understand IL.
OF course. the people there must eat'
drink and sleep in obedience to the mex
orable laws of our common humanity
but there can be no domestic life where
there is no woman at the head OF the
household. and the Egyptian women are
mere utilities. There is no middle class,so
thew are not divided into the two class e1-
tremes of high and low.
b The HIGH life is that of the hareem, as
they call it, and not harem, and is much
better known throughout Europe than
that of the lower-class Egyptian women
During my residence in Cairo was ire
quently admitted to the harem upon the
invitation of the mother of the viceroy OF
Egypt, lsmail Pasha. father OF the present
pasha Ismail was the vicerov. or second
in distinction to the sultan OF Egypt.
The pasha was so afraid OF being
poisoned that his mother cooked all he
ate, and for that purpose she accomanied
him wherever he went. Poisoning is the
favorite method in that country of getting
rid of an obnoxious person. 1t is much
more speedy and infinitely less expensive
than a state trial. With the exception of
the viceroy's mother | never knew wo-
man of high position to know anything at
all of the culinary art.
used often to spend whole day in the
harem, and never saw any OF the women
doing anything useful. They are very
seldom taught to read or write. CONVEX
sation is generally carried on with a for
eigner in French, through the aid of an
interpreter soon picked up enough
Arabic to converse with them without aid.
They live in great splendor and total
idleness. They have no pictures in their
palaces and possess no foreign or native
literature They never sew. nor even
embroider, and their only recreation con-
sists in seeing girls dance and in listening
to some barbaric music or to stories told
them by an old woman in true Arabian
Nights style.
The Egyptian women are fully devel-
oped at the age of thirteen, and old at
thirty. Their forms are usually most ex-
ouisite until fat-that bane of both men
and women in high lite-destroys the deli
cate beauty of their outline. The upper
portion of their faces, eyes, brows and
forehead are wonderously lovely, but the
lower part, near the nose, is ugly, badly
formed and heavy, as a rule. Fortunate
lv for them, they are enabled to conceal
these defects by the veil they wear
SO far from beng discontinued with
their lot. the women of Egypt have the
utmost pity tor their civilized sisters, es-
pecially in matters of heart. They say
our husbands can care nothing for us or
they wouldn't allow other men to look
upon our faces, and think that civilized
women possess no modesty to go un.
yelled.
To amuse them, told them once Of the
great surplus of female population in the
New England Statss-largely MAIDEN
and of the struggles so many
of our girls there and elsewhere are
obliged to undergo in order to earn
their own living. They laughingly quot
ed proverb answering to ours OF half a
loaf being better than no bread at all, and
declared that the fractional possession of a
husband was better than no husband at
all. They were much surprised, even in
dignant, that we should call ourselves civ
ilrzed and vet make laws compelling a
rich man to have but one wife, when he
might maintain fifty or more, and so hus-
bands and support for our hard working
single women would be provided.
AS the men do the cooking, and the
main part of the sewing in Egypt, it is
easy to see why there is no employment
for women. Except in rare cases their
intelligence does not exceed that OF an
American child ten or twelve years of age
Therefore the men, although themselves
not much superior. still have hardly any
respect for them. and as there is little OF
the sentiment of love among them, they
seem to look upon their women only as
indispensable adjuncts of the continuance
of the race.
Let me describe a dinner in the harem
when guest present. Their tables are
always circular. and about foot and a
half in height. They sit like dolls around
them on cushions. The old, inactive and
fat. once down, have to be pulled up.
They serve but one dish at a time, and
that in large circular salver of silver,
brass, or sometimes gold. They have no
forks, knives or spoons, but each dips two
fingers of the right hand into the dish and
takes out bit. the meat having previous
" been cut into small pieces in the kitch-
en-.
If they wish to particularly distinguish
visitor they select dainty piece and
place it in her mouth. 1t would be an in
suit to betrsy any feeling but delight at
such mark of favor.
A great Dish for feast, and one which
few Christian women have ever tasted, is
that of lamb roasted whole. After the
manner of nest of Chinese boxes, each
smaller than the other, the lamb is stuffed
with whole turkey, the turkey with a
chicken. the chicken with pigeon, the
pigeon with a quail, the quail with be-
catica, the smallest bird known except the
humming bird. 1t resembles our reed
bird in taste, and makes only Just one
mouthful
The lamb is roasted over slow fire,
until it is cooked TO shreds and melts into
one. as it were.
The Egyptians have no systematized
way of eating, no set time for meals. but
keep up continual munching of sweets,
of which they have great variety un-
known to US, and all sickeningly sweet to
European palate. They use honey for
sugar.
In an Egyptian kitchen there is a total
absence of what civilized cook would
consider indispensable in the way of cook
ing utensils and appliances There is no
dresser upon which to arrange the dishes
there is no sink nor running water nor