The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1914-01-23
AN ESKIMO DINNER
It Was Not Very Dainty, but It
Was a Satisfying Feast.
SEAL MEAT AND BLOOD SOUP.

The First Course Was served Out Of
Hand, and the Second In Musk o.
Horn Drinking cups-Ths Hospital.
ity Extended to Explorer Stefansson.
An interesting description of the hos
pitality of Eskimos IL 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 my
guise. and next to that they fear stran-
gers. Our 6rst greeting had been a
tit doubtful and dramatic through our
icing mistaken for spirits. but now
they had felt OF Us and talked with US
and knew we we're but common men,
Strangers we were. It Is true. but we
were only three among forty Of them
and were therefore not to be feared
Besides. they told us they knew we
conld harbor no guile from the free
dom and frankness with which we
came among them: for. they said.
man who plots treachery never turns
his back to those whom be intends to
stab from behind
Before the house which they imme-
diately built for us was quite ready
for our occupancy children came run
ming from the village to announce that
their mothers had dinner ready. The
houses were so small that It was not
convenient to invite all three Of us
into the same one to eat; besides, It
was not etiquette to do 20. az we now
know. Each of ~ was therefore tax
en- to different place. My host was
the seal hunter whom we had flrst APP
preached on the ice. His house would,
he said. be fitting one In which to
offer me my first meal among them,
for bis wife had been born farther
west on the mainland coast than any
one else In their village. and It was
even said that her ancestors had not
belonged originally to their people, but
were immigrants from the westward.
She would therefore Hike to ask me
questions.
1T turned out. however, that his
wife was not tallrative person. but
motherly. kindly and hospitable. like
all her countryvfo men. Her first ques-
lions were not Of the land from which
came. but OF my footgear. Weren't
my Feet just q little damp, and might
she not pull my boots OF for me and
dry them over the lamp7 She had
boiled SOM. seal meat for me. but she
had not 6oiled any fat. for she did not
Know W ether Il preferred the blubber
''oi'ed Or raw. They always cut It in
small pieces and xte Il raw themselves,
ont me pot stiil hung over the lamp,
and anything she put into It would
70 cooked In uloment.
When ! told her that my tastes
quite coincided with theirs. as IN fact
they did. she was delighted. People
were much slikd then. after all. though
they came from great distance. She
would accordingly treat me exactly as
II were one Of their own people
come to visit them from afar.
"Whsl we had entered the house the
boiled pieces Of seal meat had already
been taken out Of the pot and lay
stear ling on aideboard. On being as
sure that my tastes In food were not
likely to differ from theirs. my hostess
pk:ked out for ME the lower joint of
a seals foreleg. squeezed It firmly be-
tween her han6k to make sure moth
Ing should later drip from It, and
handed It to ME- along with her own
copper bladed knife. The next most
desirable piece was similarly sque ezed
and handed to her husband. and others
In turn to the rest Of the family.
"As We ate we isat ON the front edge
OF the bed plato rm. holding each his
piece of meat In the left hand and the
knife in the right. This was my first
experience with knife Of native cop
per. ! found It more than sharp
enough and very serviceable.
Our meal. was Of two courses-tha
frst. meat; the second. soup. The soup
Is made by pouring cold seal blood into
The boiling broth Immediately after the
cooked meat has been taken out of the
20 tand stirring briskly until the whole
comes n,sarly-but never Quite-to
boil. This makes q soup Of thickness
,ompara bic to our English pea soup.
but II t'As pot be allowed to come to a
boil the blood win coagulate and settle
o the bottom. When the soup IL a