Daily camera., 1898-11-23
MARKETS IN HAVANA.
Some 4 The Interesting SigAs
Among the StallA
Crowded at DaybrsAk WlsA oes1n
aAA SculHons OF All CoIsss
aaA NatSoaAxlt1es
alos "a sole.

daybreak by Spanish, French, Chinese
and colored COOKS Of both sexes. Some
chefs, who affect the dignity of coat
are accompanied by their apprentices
" scullions, who carry baskets. Span
ish cooks, who usually are employed II
second-class restaurants, wear Hat, rec
wooden caps, and shuttle along slipshoc
with their baskets slung over theil
shoulders, while oblique-eyed Chinese
wear all sorts of queer headgear, loose
trousers and blouses. Colored womer
don bandanas, which lend dash o;
color to the scene, as they waddlf
along through the market, their ia
sides shaking with laughter, while they
boisterously greet their friends a:
they 20 from stall to stall, haggline
with the market men. Marketing ii
always done by cooks In Havana, be-
cause employers are aware that they
can drive better bargain, even taking
into account the perqulsites allowed
them by tradespeople. -.
Golden, juicy oranges are symmstri
cally piled on the stalls, fanked b5
punches Of luscious yellow and rec
bananas and nutbrown zapotoes which
outwardly resemble on Irish potato
but contain luscious pulp inside that
atones for their ugly exterior. Nam
eyes are rich, dark red fruit, incasec
in a rind resembling bark. Besides
these fruits there are roseapples witt
the perfume of the rose, fragrant pine
apples, pomegranates, fresh figs. rec
or white guavas, star apples, almonds
tumarinds, anoes, mamoncDloS ALI
gator pears and guanabanas. The las,
have prickly green rind and white
pulp like cotton WOOL with blacl
seeds, q most juicy and refreshing
fruit, often used as refreshing drink
Cubans are fond Of cooling drinks
made of almonds, guanabanas, or tam
arinds, and rarely take any other bev
erage for their luncheon.
Green cocoanuts contain a sweet
liquid like water as well as soft white
pulp. Other tropical fruits which
abound in Cuba are mangoes, chiri
moyas and ciruelas, which are juicy
and sweet. Fish caught In Cubar
waters are especially nice, and the par
20, a species of red snapper, is very
toothsome, as is the cherna, which
tastes like salmon. No Havana cool
will buy fish unless they are alive. ant
the fish market with big tanks full OF
fresh fish, with white marble slabs anc
scales, is very picturesque. The other
sea food is also excellent, although the
shrimps, Holsters and mussels are
somewhat small The oysters grow or
the submerged branches of shrubs anc
trees on the coast. These branches are
broken of and sold in the market, bu
the Cuban oysters are small and In
ferior to the American. Terrapin anc
turtles are very fine, and tortoises have
handsome shells, which bring goot
price in the market Sea crabs and
land crabs are also good. The latter
grow to a large size, and their bodies
stand high from the ground on thei1
enormous claws. Land crabs burrow
in holes, and their loeomotion il clum
sy, sounding like that of q drunken
man. Cooks feed these crabs on CORE
meal for several days before they cook
them. - this makes them moro palat
able. "
A fsvorfts way Of fattening poultry
in Cuba ID to put them In barrels and
stuff them with walnuts and corn mea
for several days before they are killed
Just before Christmas turkeys iare
driven through the streets in droyes OF
from 10 to 100. from door to door, for
people to make their own selection
This custom furnished the SpAhiah
poet, Salvador Ruldk, With a theme for
q Christmas song. Guinsa hena noun.
tain rata and variety Of small birds
afford plenty Of game for sportsmen in
Cuba. 1.-...'
Beef IL killed the day before It IL
used, for it cannot b kspt fresh longer
than one day on account of the exoes.
sive heat. .. .-.-. ....,s .-
When the cook returns from the mar
ket his presence Is made known to the
household by squackink duckA cack-
ling hens or squeallng pigs, for all suoh
live stock arc brought from the mar
ket, and they expostulate angrily on
being carried around IN such close
quarters. And pigeons and doves, with
scft eyes, utter a cooling, plaintive
note, as though with sad foreboding
of the tragic fate in store for them.
American cookery is almost un-
known in Cuba, and the favorite outline
is French, Spanish or Cuban. Good
cooks command high wages. Fam
lilies require two or more servants, &C
cording to their means, Because every
branch Of domestic service Is separate.
A cook only attends TO his Kitchen, q
waitress to her table and . laundress
to her department-N. Y. Sun.
How Men Write Their Namos.
Its curious about how men sign
their names," said Mr.. Nozzleby. "One
may write letter that seeIus as clear