The Portland daily press., 1897-01-28
FOOD AND DRINK IN CUBA.
They Do Not Exactly Suit the Refined
American Palate.
"Reminiscences by II. F. Bartlett in Now
York SUM-

"Reminiscences by N. F. Bartlett in Now
York SUM-
The. hours of eating and what we had
to eat troubled me very much. At day
light cup Of coffee aud two baked plan
tains were brought to my bedside, and
1 atesbefore dressing, but that was moi
enough for me to get along on until
breakfast time, which was never before
II o. clock. The meals consisted Of all
manner of unknown viands: l was
familiar only with the sweet potatoes
and rice. Plantains were the prevailing
| vegetable, fried, boiled and baked, and
they seemed tasteless enough. Bread
was never on the table, as it was never
baked on the plantation. Stews abound,
and in the messes chickens heads-5ills
and all-and the legs with claws at
tached, rather turned my stomach at
| first. Through all the cooking 3D.
served a disgusting smell, which IL
found was from tasojo, or jerk ed beer,
that was very disagIeeable to me. IL TOOK
me more than a week before was
starved intoa try ing. the .disgu messes
placed before me, but came to IL IN
| time, and ate everything that was SET
| before me with an appetite. Ihey say y
satisfied man has always to eat Q PECK Oh
dirt in his lifetime, and am satlsned
| had finished mine before l left Cupa.
The universal beverage at table was
claret, no one drinking watsr except as
| a mixture with wine. Me- seldom ha4
dinner until long after dark, and then l
was ready to turn into bed, which was a
bare cot with no mattress. nothing put
a sheet underneath, which, by the way
is the best bed for hot country.
! Aftel ward, when had four compan'
ions, three of them engineers, | had a
chancs to get an entirely sditferent style
of living from that. of the low, white
| mayoral at whose house l nrst reslueu,
| for the owner Of the estate with some
friends came out for month, brlng1ns
Nth them cooks and servants from
Havana, aud we had probably the high
est style that was ever seen in country
place. Fishermen and hunters were kept
at work to supply the table. We mac
guinea hens and ducks at every meal
and plenty of Rchicken eggs cooked II
every form. Bread was brought every
morning from Cabanas, pork and NUT
ton were plenty, and sometimes we saw
roast beef, but even atSthis table the pre-
vailing dish wasaa stew. got TO ADMIRE
-
were smothered; even beefsteak smoth
cred il onions was very palatable. Inc
last course at dinner before the BLACK
coffea was sweetmeats eand preserves OF
every variety prepared from rice, cocoa
nuts oranges, lemons guavas, man
groves, pawpaws, and various oJnel
kinds Of which / had never heard. Int
claret was not much better than the soui
Catalina wine which had been accus
toned to drink, and the cigars, wnlcf
were never suffered to so out during th'
whole meal except W hen new ones weri
being lighted. were the best that coult
be obtained in the world.
We soon found out that dressing for |
two-hour breakfast commencing as lat
as II O'Clock, and sitting out long din
ner after s o'clock at night, were mo-
good for either our digestions or GU
work, SO we induced our host to set VI
a separ ate mess for us. After many OBJ
iections from Don Bonifacio. who sale
that every gentleman on the plantation
always ate at this table, this was done
After we left his table he ordered tina
we should have the hest OF everything
} and came over to see that his orders wer
} obeyed.
On another estate called tho Tanaja, O.
water cooler. where / spent few day
we had Wand every day that hav.
never seen elsewhere on any table, which
, was roast peacock. These birds run w1lt
in that partnof the island. / was tolt
hundreds could bs seen roosting on on
tree. We hadEvenison from tbs descend
antsssof few pair of deer that were le
loose on the island. which had overrul
Cuba, for cane fields are the best hiding
places for game of that kind. not only
} owing to the thickness Of the growth
but Ealso because no gun can be dis
charged in a field for fear of fire.