The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-07
INCOMPATIBLE CH|LALL
An Interesting Celebration
Held Along the Shores
of the Harbor.
THE ERECTION OF THE ALTAR.
Consummation of the Sacrifice.
The Chops and the
SausageS.

Not alone in bounding "o'er the glad
waters of the dark blue sea" do the pleas
ures of days outing on the bay consist.
| The Joy the mariner feels in weathering
the threatening reef, the exhilaration Oh
sailing close to the wind, yet always keep
ing everything FULL" the qualification OF
getting the jib down at the proper moment
and rounding to cleverly just over the
moorings, are all separate and distinct de-
| lights, but there is yet another, german
to the perfect harvest of pleasure OF cruise
in the harbor. 1t is the ChiIali.
The Chilali, as its name indicates, is OF
Spanish origin. 1t is good to eat-so good
that gallant Sir Francis Drake himself
| might have INDUCED in it on the shores OF
| Tomales Bay with much benefit and COM
| fort to that distinguished navigator. Its
| origin may, for all the enlightenment his
| tory affords, have extended as far back as
| Christopher Columbus. The name of its
| inventor is, most unfortunately, lost in the
mists of antiquity. Whoever it was, he
was a benefactor to his race and deserving
of a monument on every shore where this
| superb compound has furnished forth the
| sacrifcial feast.
| The wind is fair and strong, and the
yachting party has shifted the crisp west
ern breeze to the extent of inducing that
magnificent and priceless appetite which
yachting gives to those who truly love that
| incompatible pastime. The sun is at the
zenith, and even the steep and threatening
cliffs at Point Bonita cast no shadows to
dull the flashing foam of the waves that
| lash their iron front. But not among this
stern part of the harbor's Enclosures shall
| tho Ghi1ali he ma to9 altarS
must be erected on some quiet shelving
shore, where the flowing tide laps the
sands with soothing and musical welcome,
and the sheltering oaks grow close to the
| waters edge.
The operation of rounding to has been
neatly performed, and the anchor is
| dropped. Along the eastern shores of
Angel Island, or in any of the pretty
eoves that indent the mainland to the
north are spots destined by nature for
| the meetings and celebrations of the
| Galatians.
The yachts company disembark first
| 1t is necessary that all should go ashore
except the favored few who are to stand
| nearest the altar and minister to the neces-
sites Of the high priest. He comes last
with the ingredients close under his own
venerable eye. When the boats keel
CRATES upon the yellow sands chosen
band of the enthusiasts wade out to meet
him and receive the. vessels of the feast
| directly from his hand. They are bare
headed as well as barefooted and their
demeanor is as of those fully impressed
with the solemnity of the duty intrusted
to them. The choir ashore sing pean as
| they approach with the treasures.
Meanwhile a previously appointed band
of Galatians have scattered along shore
and collected chips. The fire is ready, but
no one but the high priest must apply the
torch. When the blaze goes up, the first
act in the celebration of the Chilali has
been performed. The minor acolytes
make a supplementary fire, which is fo1
the preparation of broiled chops and
sausages. These viands have been selected
from host OF competitors as alone worthy
to succeed the royal dish of the feast.
On either side of the high priest the as
sistants engage in their separate functions.
One yields an egg-beater, another chops
young onions and green chilis together, a
third slices judicious mixture of old and
new cheese and a fourth prepares the to-
The high priest plunges a cleaning cork
screw into the neck of a bottle of hook,
and, as it's likelihood gurgles forth, tastes it
to prove it good. He examines his large
caldron and his nickel-plated frying pan.
At signal from him the stokers subdue
the blaze and rake up the embers. Then,
| to slow music, the caldron is placed on
the fire, and in moment half roll of
sweet and fragrant butter is Kissing and
| simmering in its highly polished interior.
The sacrifice of the Chilah has begun.
The skillful and experienced blending of
the component parts of this inimitab,e
mamma is acquired only after years of
practice. The cheese-parers, the onion
and chilli choppers and the tomatoists
serve for many seasons in those hum BILE
| capacities before they are endowed with
| the degree of the Order of the Iron Spoon,
which is the highest rank the Galatians
can confer. This means high priesthood,
the grand blender and compounder of all,
upon whose shoulders rests the entire
responsibility of the sacrifice, and to whom
failure means dishonor and disgrace and a
reduction to the mental offices of cheese
| parer, or perhaps if the failure is excessive
ly gross, to the chops and sausage brigade.
| When the Chilali caldron is taken from
the fire, and its grateful and delicious
odors spread broadcast, the society sur
| round the high priest, preserving a grave
silence. Each, but in no unseemly haste,
| extends his plate, in the center of which is
| a large piece of toast, specially prepared
| for the occasion by the most expert toast
maker in the City. With his huge ladle
| the high priest gives to every member his
portion. The sigh of intense satisfaction
which follows the first mouthful is the re-
ward of that great and good man. He
seeks no other; his cup of qualification is
| filled to OVERLOOKING.
The broiled chops and sausages that fol-
low are enjoyed as an agreeable finale.
Hot from the Goals, they fill those inter-
stices of appetite which the grand
dish of the feast has left. No one ever
dared to eat Chilali to surfeit. The desire
for more is imperstively in accordance
with the constitution of the society. The
Chilalians never meet more than twice a
month. To assemble more frequently
around the smoking altar would be to
| form an attachment for the material ex-
| istence too strong and enduring for 1nortals
| born to die. DANIEL OCoNNELL.