Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-03-29

OF the house projects, all shaded by passion
vines and the blue flowers of the lobella,
here called 'azul." That you may under
stand something of domestic life among
well-to-do country people of Colombia, let
me recount one days experiences in this
hospitable home, where we were given no
reason to believe that the inmates had de-
parted much from the ordinary routine
Having slept soundly under the straw roof,
lulled by the sound of the rushing river, in
a neat room where the little iron bedsteads
were curtained with white muslin tied with
pink ribbons, we were awakened at an
early hour by the song of blackbirds and
the twittering of a colony OF eacaracheros
which make their nests under the over
hanging thatch. Evidently somebody had
been listening for the first sound of our
voices, for the instant We were awake the
hostess came in bringing
THE USUAL pEsAGUNo
In the shape of tea, bread and arepa-cake,
and to inform us that, being in the coun-
try, breakfast would be served at the ex-
tremely early hour of $50 instead of at
noon, as in the city.
When finally summoned to that meal,
the good sonora went in ahead, carrying a
large ola, or earthenware Jug, of soup lust
off the fire. 1t was made of hot water and
beaten eggs, with plenty OF butter favored
with fennell and parsely, hard-boiled eggs
put in whole. Next cold boiled mutton
was served, with a bit of cold turkey and
two sweet potatoes served on each plate
Then came slices of aguacste, the oily
fruit used for salads, which is sometimes
called vegetable butter" Then cheese,
arepa-cake, and the weakest of tea We
may remark, en- PEASANT, that the Colon
bians seem TO have 10 idea how to make
tea and drink it mostly as a medicine
The cheese is not at all like that found in
the United St1tes but is white as paper
and is quite as tough and tasteless Arepa-
cake is made of crushed corn and water,
without salt or soda, baked on a griddle or
in the ashes, and not unlike a Mexican
t9rtiiiQ.
After breakfast the time was beguiled
by gathering flowers along the banks of
the river, visiting the pigs and poultry,
and viewing the few sights" of the town.
At half-past o'clock dinner was an
nounced. This is
THE CEREM0NIOUS MEAL
OF the day and we marched out of the par
lor into the dining-room adjoining, each
lady on the arm OF a gentleman, the pre-
cedence being given to the pair of highest
social rank or greatest age. At each plate
was tiny bouquet, tied with blue, and a
pin in the ribbon with which to fasten it
on. In the center of the table appeared a
fine roast turkey, fianked by several bottles
OF wine, brandy, beer and chiche, the latter
a native beverage made from fermented
corn and supposed to be very strengthen
ing.
The trst course was soup, colored yellow
by some mysterious process and extremely
greasy. Then the lady of the house
carved the turkey, slice of which was put
on each plate, together with two potatoes,
lump of cornmeal pudding, a bit of
roast mutton and some aguacate salad.
When this had been cleared away we
were served with another kind of soup,
called masamora, which seemed to con-
tain little of everything. Then came
a dulce, or sweetmeat, of cornmeal
well sugared, on the top of which
appeared in white letters the name
cheese was served with arepa-cake; then
chiche, in large mugs, villainous drink
that does not intoxicate, but stupeies; then
huge dishes of oranges, bananas and gran
adillas, followed by glasses of water; and
lastly coffee, with cigarettes for all who
desired them
About P. NJ. third meal was served,
consisting Of tea, coffee, chocolate or bread
and milk, as each preferred There was
also cheese, arepa-cake, kind Of dulce
made of guavas and some wafer-cakes with
honey between them.
THE sALA, OR PARLoR,
Is long, high apartment, showing the
clean straw thatch overhead. Its brick
floor is partially covered with straw mats
and its wide windows, with their shutters
OF solid wood like the doors of barn, are
draped with lace curtains. There are some
wonderfully carved ebony tables, with mir
rors in the bottom, brought from France;
claw-footed chairs and sofas, upholstered
with crimson brocade; chromos on the plas-
tered walls, bad enough to set ones teeth
on edge; beautiful crystal chandelier
never used) suspended from an implanted
beam by two common iron pot-hooks
linked together; a magnificent German
piano and half-a-dozen ''tipleys," guitars
and other musical instruments.
In the midst OF this queer conglomera-
ton we had music and dancing until the
'wee sma' hours" in course of which our
kind host and hostess-she short, fat,
black-eyed and good-natured; he tall, thin,
and very dark-performed the ''bambuca,"
native dance, for our edifcation
EANN-rr y W,pD