Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-06-23
DINNER IN KAREM.
Two Items on the Menu We're Calf and a
Kid Roasted Whole.

| NIu NVoStSN VhVtSs
Mrs. Ramsay, who accompanied her
husband on his archaeological tour in
Asia Minor, once spent a whole day in
harem. She describes the incidents Of
her visit in her book, Everyday Life
in Turkey" from which we condense
the description of the Turkish dinner
| The ladies of the house, the mother of
welcomed the stranger and introduced
her TO several guests. Coffee and CT
garettes and slices of melon were
| handed round shortly after. Then, it
! being noon, two of the older ladies
yelled themselves, and on prayer car
pets spread toward Mecca, spent a
| quarter of an hour in devotion, while
| the other ladies smoked, laughed and
chalted. Some of the women went into
schoolgirls at hide and seek.
At four o'clock preparations began
| for dinner by putting a table cloth of
patchwork under the table and placing
on it "a four legged stool turned upside
down. Upon it was laid large, round
| metal tray three feet in diameter, round
the edge of which was piled bread. A
| basin, ever and napkins were carried
| to the guests that they might wash
their hands and several of the more
devout, calling for prayer carpets and
| wells, said their prayers before dining.
Pillows were placed round the table
| ana the guests took their places, sit
| ting Turkish fashion. A narrow nap
kin, many yards in length and with
embroidered borders, encircled the ia
BILE, lying in loose folds on the knees
. Of the diners.
The first course, served in the earth
! euware pot in which it had been cook
ed, was called pishmsh, and was COM
posed of rice, onions, sour milk, cheese
| and fat. The pot was placed in the
middle of the table, and all the guests
supped as much as they wanted with
| neat black wooden spoons with color
| ed beads set in their handles.
The second course was a calf-entire
from head to hoof-boiled until the
homes fell out, and smothered in mass
of finely shredded garlic. 1t was eaten
with the fingers Of the right hand-the
| tips of two fingers and the thumb.
What remained of the second course
a little garlic and the bones-was re-
| moved, and huge cream tart was
placed on the table. The 11aky pastry
and the fragrant, rich cream having
| been eaten, the dish that had contained
| the cream was replaced by another
| piled with dolmaches-a mixture OF
| mincemeat and rice wrapped in vine
| leaves.
That was succeeded by a great bowl
| of cherries cooked in honey and eaten
with an ivory spoon. Mrs. Ramsay,
although she had eaten to repletion,
made show of enjoying the sweet,
| lest her refusal should cause the re-
moval of the dish untasted by hosts
too polite to eat what their guest had
declined.
A kid, roasted whole and stuffed
with pistachio nuts, followed the cher
ries, and that was succeeded by an
other dish of sweets. Then came fowls,
vegetables, meats and fruits and last
of all pilau.
Now" said Mrs. Ramsay's left-hand
neighbor, with sigh and a smile, "if
you are done, we may retire from the
table" She had been done for three
long hours, and with grunts and signs
all arose. The basin and ever were
again handed rouno, and then cigar
cites and coffee.