acadwt of soenos] ALIMENTATION 63 



One sees from time to time a mortar with two holes, or one on which there is evidence of an 

 attempt at artistic effect by means of primitive carving, but, in the main, the mortar is a rough- 

 hewn log with a conical hole Lnrit and with the upper surface so cut that the paddy or rice will 

 have a tendency to fall back into the hole. 



The pestle is a pole, preferably and usually of heavy hardwood, about 1.5 meters long 

 and 20 centimeters in circumference. It is a marked exception to find pestles decorated in 

 any way. On the Umaiam Kiver I saw one the end of which had been carved in open fret- 

 work with a round loose piece of wood within the fretwork, a device that was as useful as it 

 was ornamental, for the wooden ball by its rattling within the fretwork cage served to animate 

 the holder and her companions to vigorous and constant strokes. 



The following is the process of hulling: The mortar is more than half filled with unhulled 

 rice. One or more women or girls grasp the pestles in the middle with one hand. One begins 

 by driving down her pestle with force upon the paddy. Then another, and still another, if 

 there be three. It stands to reason that, since the hole in the mortar is small, the most exact 

 time must be kept, otherwise the pestles would interfere with one another. The sound made 

 by the falhng pestles often resembles that general but strange beat so prevalent in Man6bo 

 drum rhythm. A visitor who has once seen three Mandbo women dressed in gala attire, with 

 coils of beads and necklets, ply their pestles in response to the animated tattoo on the drum 

 will never forget the scene. The pestles are tossed from one hand to the other to afford an 

 instant's rest. They bob up and down with indescribable rapidity and in perfect rhythm as 

 if they were being plied on some imaginary drum. 



In a few minutes, from 5 to 15, the hull is shattered from the rice and one of the women 

 bends down and with her hands removes the contents of the mortar to the winnowing tray. 

 After winnowing, they repeat the process till all the husk has been separated from the grain. 

 They then pound a new supply until there is enough rice for the purpose in view. The husk 

 has been shattered from the grain as perfectly, though not as quickly, as if it had been done 

 by a machine. 



The winnowing tray is a round shallow tray, 40 centimeters in diameter and usually of 

 plaited rattan strips with a rim of thicker rattan. It is held in both hands and by a series of 

 shuffling motions, which are better seen than described, accompained by a peculiar movement 

 of the thumb of the left hand, the chaff and the little broken fragments of rice are thrown off 

 into another receptacle for the family pigs. 



COOKING THE FOOD 



Rice is not usually washed before cooking. It is put into a homemade earthen pot, 28 

 which is often lined with sugarcane leaves, not only to prevent the rice from burning, but to 

 impart to it a finer flavor. It is covered with water, the rice being about 5 centimeters below 

 the surface of the water. The pot is set on a hot fire until the water evaporates to the level of 

 the surface of the rice, whereupon the greater part of the fire is removed and the rice is allowed 

 to steam dry. These remarks also apply to the cooking of a variety of millet, 29 which is sown 

 sparingly with the rice. 



Another method of cooking rice, especially when on the trail, is in green bamboo. Joints 

 of green bamboo are filled with rice and water, or rice is wrapped in rattan leaves and then 

 packages are put into the water. Rice cooked in this latter way will keep for three daya. 



There are two orthodox methods of cooking fish and meat and no other is admissible, under 

 penalty of infringing a very important taboo. One method consists of boiling them in water, 

 with a little seasoning of red pepper, ginger, and possibly lemon grass and one or two other 

 ingredients. The second method consists of broiling the pieces of meat and fish in or over the 

 fire. Meat and fish already cooked are thrown into the fire in order to heat them. The fact 

 that they may be burnt and covered with ashes does not detract from the flavor. The most 

 usual method of broiling, however, is to put the meat on skewers of wood or bamboo a few 

 inches above the fire. 



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