The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-06-05
Gastropony Among tbe Perugiaps, apd
Their Curious Disbes--A Visit to
tbe Lima PeDiteptiary.

- INA Peru, May z, iSs..-Ths
American minister and myself
mNN spent this morning IN the mar
III knts os LIMA. We met AZ fhs
- market house a. a. n. and ate
cur Gicegno at i3ttis restaurant
Just OF the main aisle Diceuno ~ what
the persIvlans call their first meal II IL
taken an rising and consists Of two little
pieces OF toast aTt cup Ct coffee or tea
The real breakfast IN not taken until II or
IL O'Clock and dinner dosz not come unfit
or tn the evening. The minister and
myself are afflicted VITA good American
epVstltes and We pisc@d out the meal with
two lunches o. white grapes. each Of
which was az big as your head. the grapes
themselves being as large ar dsmson
pSuuis. Dug meal was a most democratic
ore. The table %ss large. and We had
hardly taken our seats before an Indian
woman with broaG~brinsmed Panama hat
coming well down over her br0nzed fes-
lures sat down opposite us, and ordered All
Zee cream. which was served IN a CHAM
payne glass;. Then a peck marked Peru
Wan OF the lower class took a seat at the
table for his chocolate, and just az We
were about TO leave a fat old negress wear
ing black mants or shawl which covered
the whole OF the upper part or her body.
ard ali Of her head excepting her face slid
down into a chair beside me. While we
were eating We were besieged by peddlers
Of various kinds from women who offered
Us lottery tickets TO faen who had for sals
waxen images Of tho virgin Mary dressed
In s1e latest modern styles Ali about VIZ
were the queer characters which make up
the lower Classes Of the Peruvian capital.
There were cooks by the hundreds buying
their marketing for the day. Some were
Chinese, some negroes and many were Pc
fuvians with the yellow skins which show
that they are n product or the native In
dams and the Spanish. There were scores
OF women dressed all in black, with only
their faces showing out OF their black
ehawis There were many market women
IN calico dresses wearing straw hats. and
BOT few queer people from the mountains
who looked about with eyes OF wonder at
their frat sight OF the great city. The
crowd numbered thousands and II was
the busiest crowd have seen in Peru.
Land of Fat Things.
Peru is a land OF fat things. There are
really so many wonderful products hero
that hesitate 10 describe them for fear
] may not he believed What would you
think OF string beans az long as your arm.
We saw lots of them at the vegetable
stands. They weIe tied up in punches and
hung upon poles. We saw potatoes as yell
low as gold. These are the papas amariilaa
OF Peru. which are "A bright yellow when
cooked. We saw sweet potatoes OF many
kinds. some of which were as big as the
yams Of America. Then there were guam
titles of yucca. tubsr which grows about
two feot long. and which is as big around
as a base ball club. II is not unlike tho
potato, but the flesh lis more transparent,
waxy and teliy-like. This is one oe the
etaef foods OF Peru We saw roasting ears
ri nearly every vegetable stand. and II. the
grain markets handled varieties Of corn
which have never seen AZ home. Some OF
the corn was a. black ink and another
kind was Of a light yellow. with grains al
mos: as big as a Lima bean. These two
varieties are meaiiy that you can make
-four OF them by pounding them with
stone. They come from tiI- mountain
farms. and TO d great extent form the food
OF that part OF Peru. We saw sQuashes
and melons OF AL kinds Many Of the veg
etabies I could not understand. and the
fruits embraced those which are grown in
ahe tropics. as well as apples. peaches and
pears. The apples were not good. however.
and nost Of the peaches we saw were of
the clingstone kind The best fruits arc
the grapes. the chiromoya. which IS as big
as naval orange and which tastes a little
Ike Ice cream. the paita. which Is eaten
as salad or an appetizer. with vinegar.
salt and pepper. ard which has a flesh not
unlike that OF stin butter, tho blue and
white figs which grow IN all the coast
valleys ard bananas or many kinds and
different varieties ~ oranges lines and
lemons. Then they have here guavas.
tas. and olives. which are picked in such
way that when they come to the table
they are black and soft rather than green
and solid ike the olives we eat.
some Queer Peruvian Dishes.
on tho whole The living here Is very
good. You @li not iind In Washington OF
New York better meat and fish market
than that 81 Lima. The meats are largely
ssld hy women and the women seem TO
have monopoized tne milk. meat and vege-
table trate of this city. The steaks and
chops ate very guod. and YOU
can buy Httle ki3 or half
dezsn guinea PISS for a tribe
TIE PerGvians are very fond 81 kids and
sG.nsa pigs are a delcacy not 10 he
snesfed al They taste muca Ike Young
pigeons or very tender squirrels. They are
raised ard gaytened fcr eating ali ahou,
here ant nearly every farmer keeps -
guinea pig pen Aaothrr queer dish IS fish
cooked 10y putting ecld lemon Juice on 1.
Il Is really raw fsh tesVcd@ wi.h ltmen
tuice. bug the lemoa has mach she SINE
effect on The fe&A ~ the tsh az tciiiag.
ana have L number ct tiwses siuaclel nay
;lts ovcf Mat thought was the most lie
stcsous boiled FISH I had ever eaten 10 find
THAI Il was ash a n seryiche, tht; s raw
;l~A ana lerae-. Tho Hsh az this casst ara
sie olous THEY arr 81 nearly every kn5
f4cns TIC sale 80 ;hs corhiaa. w0ich ia a
very large and sweet nsshcd Hsh Ra1 an
IlAs tae hiue fjsh ~ TIE Atlantic though
of mere delicious flavor tr}~d the Pc
ruviau oysters AZ the National Cub today.
Taey wert ereuEht IN pavoa.lct en- ;he
half shell. ! t,& 10; IIke ihen.
Potatoes aud Pepper.
Thare y 30 place that have set visited
which has - much pepper and potatoes
uFcn tfs tables as ! e8A Mere. I; IS sad
;hat tAe ieravsan~ est usose peaeer than
satf They serve . wish nearly eV.rx tis1