The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1913-07-25
AN ESKIMO Dinner
It Was Not Very Dainty, but Il
Was a Satisfying Feast.
SEAL MEAT AND BLOOD SOUP.

SEAL MEAT AND BLOOD SOUP.
The First Course Was Served Out Of
Hand, and the Second In Musk Ok
Horn Drinking cups-The Hospital
ity Extended to Explorer stsfansson.
An interesting description Of the hos
pitality Of Eskimos is given by Vilhjal-
mar Stefansson in his paper. MY
Quest In the Arctic" in Harper's Mag
azine. At one stage Of his adventures
the writer found himself among Eski-
mos who had never before seen white
people. He says:
Like our distant ancestors. no
doubt, these people fear most of all
things the evil spirits that are likely
to appear to them at any time In any
guise. and next to that they fear stran-
gers. Our first greeting had been a
bit doubtful and dramatic through u
being mistaken for spirits. but now
they had felt of US and talked with US
and knew we were but common e
Strangers we were. 1t is true. but we
we're only three among forty of them
and were therefore not to be feared.
Besides, they told us they knew we
could harbor no guile from the free.
dom and frankness with which we
came among them: for, they said. q
man who plots treachery never turns
his back to those whom he intends to
stab from behind.
Before the house which they tmme-
diately built for Us was quite ready
for our occupancy children came rum
ming from the village to announce that
their mothers had dinner ready. The
houses we're so small that It was not
convenient to invite all three Of Us
into the same n to eat: besides. 1t
was not etiquette to do so. as we now
know. Each of US was therefore TAX
en- to a different place. My host was
the seal hunter whom WI had first ap-
preached on the ice. His house would.
he said. be a fitting one in which to
offer me my first meal among them.
for his wife had been born farther
west on the mainland coast than any
one else In their village. and it was
v e said that her ancestors had not
belonged originally to their people. but
we're immigrants from the westward.
She would therefore like to ask me
questions. a
"It turned out. however. that his
wife was not a laxative person, but
motherly. kindly and hospitable. like
all her countrywomen. Her first ques-
lions were not Of the land from which
I came. but of my footgear. Weren't
my feet Just a little damp. and might
she not pull my boots of for me and
dry them over the lamp? She had
boiled some seal meat for me. but she
had not boiled any fat. for she did not
know whether I preferred the blubber
boiled or raw They always cut 1t In
small pieces and ate 1t raw themselves.
but the pot still hung over the lamp.
and anything she put into 1t would
be cooked In a moment
"when l told her that my tastes
quite conceded with theirs. as in fact
they did. she was delighted. People
were much alike then. after all. though
they came from a great distance. She
would accordingly treat me exactly as
II I were one of their wi people
/ come to visit them from afar.
"When we had entered the house the
boiled pieces Of seal meat had already
been, taken out Of the pot and lay
steaming on a sideboard. On being as
sured that my tastes in food wer not
likely to differ from theirs. my hostess
picked out for me the lower Joint Of
a seals foreleg. squeezed 1t firmly be-
tween her hands to make sure moth
ing should later drip from 1t. and
handed It to me. along with her OWL
copper bladed knife. The next most
desirable piece was similarly squeezed
and handed to her husband. and others
in turn to the rest Of the family.
"As we ate we sat on the front edge
Of the bed platform. holding each his
piece Of meat in the left hand and the
knife in the right. This raj my drst
experience with q knife Of native cop
per. found It mor than sharp
enough and very serviceable.
"Our meal was Of two courses-the
6rst. meat; the second. soup. The soup
ID made BY pouring cold seal blood into
the boiling broth Immediately after the
cooked meat has been taken out Of the
po tand stirring briskly, until the whole
comes nearly-but never quite-to a
boil. This makes q soup Of q thickness
comparable to our English pea soup.
suit II the pot be allowed to come to a
boil the blood will coagllate and settle
to the bottom. When the soup IL a
few degrees from boiling the lamp
above which the pot Ia swung 10 ex-
tinguished and a few handfuls Of
snow are stirred into the soup to bring
Il to 4 temperature at which 1t can be
freely drunk. BY means Of q small dip
per the housewife then Oils the large
musk OF horn drinking cups and A.
signs one to each person. II the num-