The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-08-21
LIVING IN BRAZIL.
Queer Things to Eat and Ways
of Eating Them.
LIFE In THE RURAL DISTRICTS,
How Planters Families Pass Their Time
Windowless Sleeping Rooms-Young
Ladies Under Lock aud Key.
Special correspondents Of THE HERALD.


Special correspondence of THE HERALD.
BON JESUS DA LAPA, Brazil, July 90, 1892.
So wide is the contrast between city liv-
ing and country living in Brazil, that the
foreigner, having penetrated few leagues
into the interior can hardly believe him
self among the same race of people. While
many Fazenderas of the better class--like
the squatters of Australia and the land
owners of New Zealaud, who were often
scions of some of the noblest families In
the United kingdom-are gentlemen of
education and refinement, familiar with
the best society in their own and other
countries, and maintaining comfortable
homes on their rural estates, there is a
more numerous class who live but degree
better than the pigs they raise; and while
the former have risen above the prejudices
beqneathed TO Them by Portuguese an
treatment of women, the wives
and daughters of the latter
are not much better off than those of the
Turks But all Brazilians, high or low.
are alike in showing unbounded hospitality
toward the stranger within their gates;
and though q traveller comes to them with
out introduction or recommendation of any
sort, he is welcomed literally with open
arms" and piled with the very best the
house affords as long as he can be induced
to remain, proving that the hostess GUS
tomary greeting-.This casa is yours, all
in it il at your disposal and am your serv-
bave visited q number of cotton. coffee and
sugar fazendas in various parts OF the
country aud the aggregate result of our
experience among the middle class planters
in the remote rural districts may be fairly
summed up in an account of the last visit
from which we just returned-to an extern
sive sugar estate, situated half a days
journey (by carriage) from BON Jesus, and
named BGtalha, in remembrance of the grand
old abbey In Portugal. After having
bumped across the surrounding prairie
with its innumerable man-traps in the
shape of armadilla holes and ant hills and
deserted diamond Washings, our route lay
along road, bordered by orange, fronted
by hedges overrun by 5lossoming creepers,
lnterspersed by mango and breadfruit
trees. The last named trees are no longer
much cultivated in Brazil, the use of their
fruit having been superseded by farinha,
but they are still planted for shade and or
nRment, as they grow rapidly and to great
size. Their large, bright green leaves are
much indented at the edges, and the hugh,
bright green fruit which is apparently
Eeedless and has aurface that looks like
network. is by no means to be despised as an
article of food, when baked and eaten with
salt. Perhaps owing to its pretentious
name, we formed some rather erroneous
ideas of Batalha. We found typical
Brazilian manor-house and chapel; es es-
sentially Portuguese in construction and
arrangement as if they stood in some inte-
rior valley of Portugai-with traces of the
MoOrs thrown in, very large, square man
sion, two stories high, with walls of glas-
tered brick and over-hangiDg roof of In
dian-red tiles, thicl1ly coated with mold
and parasitic plants. 1t is surrounded on
all sides by clumsy sort of veranda, or,
more properly speaking. by a series
of deep, arched inches built into
the walls, fioored with brick and
topped by lean TO roof of tiles. The tiny,
unglazed windows are set close up under
the caves, as if the architect were as averse
to fresh air as Noah must have been when
he built the ark, and only the upper rooms
are inhablted-thet Is by humans. The
ground floor is partly used for stabllng
and storage but most of it-windowless,
doorless and deserted--is given over TO
stray pigs. sheep and fowls, toads, cent?
pedes, snakes and other wandering abom-
rooms o. the upper story seem to be more
than sufficient for the needs of the family;
yet the guest chamber to which was
conducted with q fguretive flourish OF
trumpets, had all its corners occupied by
sundry piles Of pack saddles, panniers of
dried beef, oderlferOus casks of Goldfish,
kits of mackeral, and goodness knows
what, and was as innocent of any sort of
window or other aperture leading to out
side air, as of the ordinary toilet articles
that most people consider indispensable.
Windowless sleeping apartments are COM
mon throughout Brazil, even IN some of the
grandest but older palaces in Rio, owing,
probably. 10 the Portuguese idea that night
air is unwholesome. As in most country
houses, the partitions at Batalha are car
ried only about half to the roof, so that the
rooms without windows receive modicum
of light and air from the general supply of
the house, so TO speak. and whatever may
be gcing on in one apartment Is distinctly
audible in all the others. We arrived SO
late in the evening that there was time for
nothing but enthusiastic greetings before
being shown TO bed-or rather, hammock
for in this hot country bLg-harbor-
ing coucnes and mRttres ses are not
much in favor. Too much cannL iDe said
in favor of the hammock, in such climate
as this, being not only cooler and safer but
a much more tidy article of furniture than
q DeQ, IOr THESE can De washed as easily as
a sheet The commoner varieties-cf
snow white cotton, woven at home and
quite durable-cost S. or SIS; others are
striped ~ plaided with blue or red, with
deep borders of crochet work, and sell
from SO TO $50, and there are others,
large, square, home woven of strong linen,
with half yard wide border of handmade
lace, which are cheap at $50. They last
life time and no bed covering is necessary,
for one may wrap himself in the surplus
width and utilize the lace for a mosquito
netting. Speaking of the words boa saoitc,
good night, should add that they do
not always signify the time for retir-
ing. 1t is the quaint custom in most
well-disciplined Brazilian families, Tor all
its members TO bid each other good night
rs soon as the lamps are lit as a reminder
that evening has come. They may be sit
ting at dinner or entertaining visitors, but
every BODY pauses in the midst of CONVEX
sation TO exchange this salutation, and the
children rise and kiss the hands OF their
parents, saying
A BENcAo MEU PAL,
syour blessing. father.n as in patriarchal
days. AT sunrise the family was astir |
and its female members focked into our
-, I.