Year: 1876




the People Ride and Eat.


From the S. F. Chyouicle.l


Horseback riding seems natural TO the
Hawaiians, and they dash along streets and
roads in troops and cayalcsdes which fill the
air with dust and them with delight. The
women all ride man-fashiOn, neatly tneking
their long flowing robes beneath them, and
being as bold and expert in the saddle as
their male mates. They often ride without
sho4s on their feet, and have spurs attached
TO their bare heels, which they Use most Wig
oEously on their poor animals. On market
dzys-Suuday afternoOn-there are often as
many as three or four hundred equestriRns at
the fish market, down beside the bay, in an
cid portion of the city. They ride all kinds
of old nags, and come from all parts of the
country, and make that occasion a regular
gala day.


The fair damsels generally drers in their
best bib and tucker that day, put on hose snd
shoes which their hberty-loving feet abhOr
and abOrninate at home: wear white under
skirts and bats wreathed with flowers, or fly
ing long red or blue ribbons. Nearly all the
men and women wreath their hats and necks
with yellow flowers, and sometimes with
roses and kind of berry. One afternoon l
saw native woman dressed in rich silk
robes, wearing costly hat and kids, come
to the market in Il barouche and get out and
push her way among the crowd with her
more common sisters.


The fish market is a scene of lively excite
ment after 4 o'clock, when the laborers cease
work and come in to swell the crowd of am
nation. The market is large open shed be-
side the water, and containing numerous
stalls for fish and meat, fresh and salt. All
kinds of fruit are also for sale, and when |
left-the middle of October-there were plen-
ty Of fine icy-mountain watermelons in the
market. The fish are of all kinds peculiar
to the waters about the islands, the mullet
being the finest. Some kind of shrimps are
brought from the mountains done up in taro
leaves. Several thousand persons viii crowd
iato the market In the space of two OF three
hours, and at the end of that time leave it
bare and solitary The bellies and beanx
may be seen among the crowd casting sweet
sly glances at each other, and amid all the
e IL,
rying ON desperate firtstiOns.


The sorriest dogs ever saw are to be seen
around that very market Nothing can equaI
them outside of Constantiuople. Each dog
is expected to remain beside its Own particu-
lar stall and deyour such otfal as falls to Its
lot Bat some Of these dogs are wandering
Arabs, and in addition TO eating every
thing given them by their own m-s:era 20
around to other stalls and steal all they can
lay their mouths on ; and one or two Of them
have become 80 large and tough that very
few other dogs dare tackle hem.


The manner of eating among the Klnakas
Is almost shocking to our ideas OF usage and
pIopricty. Around the cities and villages,
and where they can get it, they will eat
meat and bread, but their staple food Is poi
and raw fish. The POI is made Of the taro
root, which grows ike a turnip, with a calla
lily top, and in a muddy patch, and is
pounded up fine and pct into = large Gala
bash to ferment 1t has rootish taste, and
is somewhat sour. The natives mix 1t with
water. and then a whole family will squat
around the calabash in the centre of the ROOM
Before eating they sometimes rinse the fin
gers with water. The way L saw woman
do this one morning was By taking a mouth
ful Of water cut OF Il small calabash. then
squirting II out OF her mouth over her nm
gers; then she sat down, and, p'unging her
fingers into :he poi, stirred 1t around and
thrust into her mouth what chung TO the nm
gers And thus they each and ali eat poi
with the first two fingers, men, women, and
children sitting around and eating from the
same calabash. In like manner, they eat the
raw fish with their fingers from the same
dish. They live in this manner al over the
islands.