The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-10-31

naranjada Cnade from bitter oranges)
are very popular; also almond milk
diluted with ice and sweetened, and a
certain big pink bean, whose name
have forgotten, which, crushed in cold
water, makes a rich, fruity and emf
nently satisfying beverage. AS to
wines, the poorest cafe has its vim ord-
naire, served without extra charge, at
every meal Excellent Catalonian wine
brought from the mother country, is
sold very cheap in Cuba--in Santa Cla-
IA almost as cheap as drinking water,
which in dry times actually sells as
high as ten cents the bucket. You
should see the queer Spanish 'botellas'
wine bottles, with long, delicate
shouts. and sometimes a coat Of arms
cut upon them-circulating around the
tables of the middle class from back
corners in dngy shops, where the
clerks are fed, to the servants tables
in hotels and messrooms of Spanish
ships in the harbor. One botella, or at
most two, filled with vino catalan, an
swers for a tableful, and briskly it goes
from hand to hand, as frequent but
sparing draughts are taken Strange
to say, the bottle never once touches
anybody's lips but, held aloft at the
correct angle, the nozzle sends a Amy
stream With unerring precision into the
sophisticated drinkers open mouth.
You would be surprised to see such a
variety of food served in this third rate
hotel in the heart of poverty strick
en- island where nothing Is raised; and
greater would be your astonish,ment to
find everything excellently cooked
Yet the Santa Clara is by no means
above the average of Cuban hotels. In
all Cuba there are only two meals a
day, not counting the early coffee, and
breakfast is almost the counterpart of
dinner. AT both meals soup comes
first, a savory connection whose compo-
nent parts could only be told by a clair
voyant. Hunt around in It and you
may find chicken, pork sausage and
pig tails; also peppers, almonds and
eggs; raisins, onions and clans; posi-
bly, giblets bits Of mutton and bananas
boiled whole in their skins, the whole
colored dark yellow with saffron. Prob
ably everything else within reach of the
cook that is edible went into it; but
what's the odds since the result Is deli
cious?
About the only difference between
breakfast and dinner is that eggs figure
at the former meal. The Cubans like
their Latin cousins in France and TIA
ly know thing or two in the line Of
egg cooking and particularly in ONE
let making, which colder blooded An
glo-Saxons can never master. 1t is an
old saying that only persons of blue
blood and refinement can compound a
popular salad; and equally true is it
that the are and science of omelets be-
long exclusively to the poetic races. I
presume that you might get an omelet
plain in Cuba by, giving such an or
der to the amazed cook; but I have
never seen one here unadorned or I'M
mixed with something besides the eggs
to give it color, beauty and flavor To-
matoes, peas or potatoes most frequent
ly enter into it, or fruit. nuts, beans,
onions, meat, rice or raisins
Fish never follows soup, as with us,
but is served late in the Cuban menu.
And such fish, Big or little, they are
always Drowned to delicate perfection
in oil and served with lines. or In seine
savory mess of tomatoes, wine and the
saffron. The fish market of
any Cuban seaport is its most interest
ing sight That of avana, called the
Pescadera the word derived from Pes
cado, fish, Is great stone building,
mostly roof, resting upon arches sup
ported by pillars, the sides being open
to secure ventilation. The market is
government institution and monopoly,
and the piscatoral display cannot be
and seldom equalled, in any
part of the world. Not only does the
Cuban coast furnish wonderful vari-
ETY. of the finy tribes but fishermen
come in regularly from the borders of
Florida, Yucatan and the Tortugas.
There are shellfish of every description
snakelike cells black and yellow Span
sb angle-fsh, the so-caled butter
lies of the sea-" beautiful dolphins,
bright blush green Bahama turbot,
squirrel-fish of a brilliant scarlet, par
'ot-fsh, sharks, enormous porpoises to
De converted into oil, and a thousand |
others, golden, amethyst, silver, pearl, |
blue, crimson, iridescent and luStrelesS |
gray.
Not only are fish for Cuban con-
sumption brought from other parts of |
he Caribbean Set and the Mexican |
iulf, even Goldfish from far away Nan
ucket and salmon from the Columbia,
tut great many other common food
upplies which might just as well be
aised in the island come from afar.
spanish vessels bring wines and olives
rom Barcelona; queer Portuguese,
raft discharge cargoes of onions, gar
ic and -four; Halifax sends onions, cab
'ages, potatoes, apples and sailed fish,
'outh American brigantines, with the
General air of piratical craft, bring
Wheat, jerked beef, sweet oil, bacon
ard, figs, olives and brandy; from Mex
"a come most of the bulls for fighting
Il the Plaza de Toros, and incidentally
eef, while American and Canadian
essels bring about four-fifths of the
ntire food supplies consumed in Cuba.
Speaking of odd but extremely pala-
able dishes compounded by Cuban
ooks over their queer little ''estufas,
a handful of charcoal, here
re a few most commonly met: Beans, 1
ooked with sausages and shrimps, col
red golden with saffron, for an entree;
tewed tomatoes, mixed with chopped
oiled eggs; pigeons, seasoned with
amon juice: onions, parsley, nutmeg
nd white wine ha 1<ed in thin ernst 0f