St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-12-12
ESKIMO DIET,
1t Is Calculated to Produce Dyspepsia In
ANY Othor FIunan Being,

Amy Othor F'unan Being
| had read about Eskimo eating
habits-hoW once upon a time, for
instance, an Arctic explorer offered
some Eskimo girls some sweetmeats
which were rejected, while tallow
candles were eagerly accepted and
eaten. Now [ wish to see an Eskimo
eat. with many smiles, Peter en-.
tered the cabin and sat down at the
table. L should have apOplogized to
MN on account of the sCantiness of
our fare, for we had no candles and
there wasn't bit Of tallOw On deck
even, let alone in the cabin, but
noticed that the butter plate was
heaping full, the sight of which made
me WISH Tor some Of my friends SO
That we could make a pool on the
number Of bites he would take in
swallowing the roll. Then Peter SAT-
down and without ceremony hclped
himself to lot of baked beans, q
piece of dry bread and large piece
or very lean, salt beef all Of which he
bit into and swallowed as a hungry
,Iongshorcman might have done.
Linen he took more beans and more
bread and more lean beef, and with
thcm several cups Of coffee with a
great deal OF sugar to each CUP. He
was long time getting to it, but he
nhally began on the butter. He had
poured his last cup of coffee and was
looking about for something to eat
with 1t, when his eyes fell on a plate
OF cake. Taking small piece he put
small lump Of butter on it and
slowly ate the combination with the
coffee. 10 the reader of a geographic
Cal magazine it 1nay seem strange,
but the fact is, until | saw this man
at the table, had really expected to
ma the ErkimOs Of South Greenland
showing the habits sand tastes Of those
living a thousand miles further up the
coast. L had not quite expected to
md them living in snow houses, but |
L mad Il misty idea that an Eskimo |
was little black Indian whose chief |
delight among the things brought |
from civilized country was the tai |
low candle. The staple food is seal !
meat and blubber Next to that is
the little fish taken in the ford and |
drle0 FOR winter use. known to them
as the augmatfat and to the learned |
as Satn'0 ritloSWs. A favorite way Of
eating the dried augmatfat is to take
1t ny the tale, poke it into the oily
blubber for a while, and then chew it
down. Awful, isn't it? 1t is almost
as bad as eating sardines. There is a
deal in a name. Blubbcr is disgust
Ing; Oil, If for use on salad is de-
llcIouS and indispensable. I have
eaten seal oil and found it very I'M
eXpectedly) good. l had su imposed it
would have flavor of fish oil. There
is no such flavor about it, 1t is equal
TO the best extract of cotton seed
that quality sold as olive oil in all
American groceries. Augmatfat and
Olubber, under French label, would
be esteemed luxury in New York as
n Arsuk. For the rest, the Eskimos
jrade seal oil and skins to their Gov
'rnOr for three kinds Of hard tack,
or coffee, sugar and tea. Theycatch
Arctic Goldfish misarkornak in Eskimo
md g1dHs ndraga in the books and
aImon in the seasons; they shoot no
nd Of gulls, ducks, ptarmigans, and
he Arctic hare; they have eggs in
ndleSs quantity in the season, and
cry many foxes are trapped. The
OK is to the Eskimo what the pos.
um is to the plantation darkey. He
likes to smoke and, under favorlng
circumstances, will swap anything
e's got, including his wife, for rum.
-G0jd0'maitc's Geographical magazine. ,
OFFICE seekers have strong filial
at least they always look i