ACADEMY OF SCIENCES) ALIMENTATION 65 



to eat till everybody else has squatted down and is ready. Once the meal is begun, no one leaves, 

 nor is it good etiquette to call anyone from his meal. 



The hands are washed by pouring a little water upon them from a bowl, tumbler, coconut 

 shell, or piece of bamboo; the mouth is rinsed, the water being ejected, frequently with force, 

 through the interstices of the floor. Then all begin to eat. It is the invariable rule for men to 

 eat with the left hand, and where others than relatives are present, to wear a weapon of defense, 

 the right hand resting upon it in anticipation of a possible attack. 



The various articles of food have already been set on the floor in the various receptacles 

 heretofore described. Each one falls to with an appetite that can hardly be described. One or 

 more of the womenfolk keep the wants of the diners supplied. The method of eating rice among 

 the mountain Manobos differs from that prevalent among the Christian tribes. A good-sized 

 mass of rice is pressed together between the five fingers of the left hand and pushed up into the 

 palm where it is made into a ball. Thence it is conveyed to the mouth. At intervals the rice 

 (or camote) is flavored with a little accompaniment of meat or fish, and all is w T ashed down with 

 the soup of the meat or fish. 



The custom of sipping, with a sucking sound, the scalding soup from a plate or bowl and of 

 then passing it on to one's neighbor is almost \iniversal. Great predilection is shown for this 

 soup, even though it be, as happens in a great many instances, practically nothing but hot 

 water. In the upper Agusan, the taro-top soup previously mentioned is the ordinary soup and 

 substitute for meat and fish. 



Another peculiar feature in eating is the method of cutting meat from the bone. The 

 carver, who is in a squatting position with his feet close to the body, holds the bolo with the handle 

 between the big first toe in a vertical position, the back of it being toward him. He draws the 

 meat over the edge, thereby doing the carving in a quicker, more convenient, and more effective 

 manner than do a great many more civilized men. 



No one may retire from the meal without giving notice to his neighbors. A violation of 

 this custom constitutes a gross breach of Manobo etiquette. The reason for this custom is that 

 the chances for a sudden attack are thereby lessened. 



It is not polite to remain seated in the same place after a meal. If the place can not be 

 changed, it is necessary to rise and then sit down again. I can give no explanation for the prac- 

 tice, unless it be a precaution against treachery. 



FESTIVE MEALS 



Festive meals are indulged in more especially on the occurrence of the great religious and 

 social celebrations that recur with such frequency in the Manobo world. The arrival of a visitor, 

 or even an unusual catch of fish, is also an occasion for such enjoyments. I have had ample 

 opportunities of -witnessing them, because during a trading expedition I was frequently honored 

 with invitations, the reason for which was, of course, to secure from me good bargains, or credit. 



Before the meal the house is a scene of indescribable animation. The guests, together 

 with the members of the household, rarely number less than 20 and may reach 100 or more. 

 The pig is cooked in bamboo joints, earthern pots and iron pans, both in the host's house and, 

 if necessary, in neighboring houses. The same may be said of the rice and camotes. If the 

 host has enough drink, and if there is a little meat or fish to serve as a lunch, he has the food 

 brought out and orders a part of the drink to be distributed to the guests according to their 

 importance. Joyous laughter and loud conversation, together with chewing of tobacco and 

 betel nut, fill up the interval before the meal. 



When all is ready, the available number of plates, bowls, glasses, bark platters, and leaves 

 are set out and the boiled meat is apportioned in small pieces, with great exactitude as to size 

 and quality, to the several plates. The same thing is done for the broiled meat after it has been 

 hacked into suitable sizes. No one is forgotten, not even the children of the guests, nor the 

 slaves. The rice is then brought along in bamboo joints, in pots, and even in baskets fined with 

 leaves, and to each person is assigned a heaping portion. When all has been impartially and 



