Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-19
DINNER WITH a FIJIAN PRINCESS.
American Woman Eats With Grand
daughters OF Cannibal King.

The guests invited to meet me We're all
Caucasian ladies' The house is OF such i'm
mensc proportions that it was hard to I'M
dersland how the great ridge pole had been
raised to its lofty position with the prini-
tive native appliances, until the information
that 800 men We're employed served as
partial explanation. The windows We're
screened by blind made of braided cocoa
nut leaves. A string fastened to the bot
tom Of this blind passes up over a rafter.
BY this the blind can be fastened inside,
out of the way. similar arrangement on
the outside makes 1t act an awning or
screen. 1t Is scarcely possible to imagine
the GOODNESS of this lofty open house when
we entered ii on hot day. Ratu Bene-the
husband-received the guests with the host
ess We were escorted directly to the little
raised platform, which we learned after
was usually sacred to guests belonging to
the Fijian nobility.
TO do honor to the occasion our hostess
had brought out all the rare mats which
are treasured heirlooms in her family, COW
ering the floor to such depth that we de-
cided sitting Turk fashion, was not so
very hard after all. AS the hour for the
feast approached Ratu Bene disappeared,
as the dinner to be ladies' function.
Finally at a quiet signal from their mis-
tress two pretty attendants appeared with
a handsome double mat, long enough to
reach entirely across the room. This was
TO serve as IaDIeclOlD. .loeSlue II, on inc
side opposite the door, was placed another.
This was for the guests to sit upon, the
princess occupying small one at the head
of this imprOvsed table.
When hostess and guests had taken their
places one flower bedecked maiden placed
fan beside each, as two others brought in
the soup. This was much like bouillon and
was served in half cocoanut shells. No
spoons being forthcoming, l took my cue
from those familiar with native customs
and drank the liquid. When the central
calabash and the individual soup bowls had
disappeared other attendants brought fish.
This was served in native plates, plated
from cocoanut leaves and lined with crisp,
fresh banana leaves. Before each guest
was laid a glossy taro leaf, which was to
answer the purpose of plate. Neither
knives nor forks appeared, but 50 delicious
was the fish that we all proved ourselves
aware that fingers We're made before
forks.
At the conclusion of this course one serv-
ant folded our plates and removed them,
another cleared the table, and to each lady
was brought half cocoanut shell filled
with water. While these primitive finger
bowls We're used, a fringed square of white
tapa was furnished to take the place of a
serviette. Prawns came next, and by eacn
of US stood dusky handmade to remove
the shells.
Graceful and dgnified, our royal hostess
kept an alert eye upon all, for 1t is q part of
native etiquette that she shall eat nothing
until her guests have finished. Turtle fol-
lowed the prawns, and with it were served
baked vans l had gone with a fixed ue-
termination to eat what was set before me-
no matter how great the effort of will re-
CURED. By this time l had decided that
Fijian cooking did not need much improv-
ing, and when delicious roast fowls APP
peared. accompanied by great golden
spheres of bread fruit, served in trenches
and garnished with the crisp bread fruit
leaves, L was inclined to think that this
primitive people could give some points TO
table decorators.
At the close of each course the green
plates were repenished, the finger bowls
passed and the table entirely cleared by the
swift, deft-handed attendants, whose alb
Ject, crouching courtesieS, made each time
the princess was passed, were amusing to
see.
The queer buildings, "vakilolo" which
came with dessert were made of taro and
grated cocoanut. One dish, which was
something OF tax upon the ingenuity of
those TO whom spoons are an everyday
matter. consisted of great Java bananas,
gasheu, filled with grated cocoanut and
served floating in cocoanut mlIk A ieliv
came next, the ingredients Of which were
arrowroot seaweed and cocoanut. This
was the only dish which did not appeal to
my palate, the SeaWeed making Itself nm
Pleasantly manifest by saltish flavor
AS kaVa, the recognized tppIe of the
South seas, was not allowable at a ladies'
dinner, the drink offered consisted of the
expressed juice of sour fruit called a
roe, sweetened with sugar can Juice The
fans at our places had been made express
~ for US to retain as souvenirs of this
unique dinner party.
The dress of our hostess might be sum
med up as "sulu'' and 'pnafore" The
''sulu' is the short, loose loin cloth which
is worn by both sexes. Folded about the
waist it hangs almost to the knees. The
pinafore is like Mother Hubbard wrapper
cut off at the waist line, so that each move
nient of the WearerS arm reveals a strip of
brown skin between the two garments.
The hair of all married women is worn
short In many cases elaborate floral deco
raiions worn, but the extreme simplic-
ity, which is marked characteristic of the
princess, is apparent in her omission of
such additions to her costume.