THE LEVEL AND COST OF LIVING 



173 



No. 37 atypical or mistaken, and to maiie a 

 correction in reaching a total for the community. 



{S6-SS) Potatoes. — Potatoes are used chiefly as 

 one of the ingredients in soup. Sweetpotatoes are 

 a dessert, boiled with no added sweetening. How 

 sweet cassava is cooked I do not know except that 

 it is used as a vegetable. Again it appears that 

 family 37 is exceptional in its consumption of 

 potatoes and especially sweetpotatoes (even family 

 1 reported using a little less potatoes, a third the 

 sweetpotatoes, and only the same cassava). But 

 probably family 58's consumption of these foods 

 is abnormally low, and I am making a downward 

 correction for the total only of sweetpotatoes. 

 However, a further downward correction is re- 

 quired for both sweetpotatoes and cassava because 

 the sample families all produce them and probably 

 eat more than nonproducers do. 



(89, 40) Squash. — This vegetable is cooked into 

 desserts, and seems to be a rarity in the diet despite 

 the fact that it is grown in Panajachel. In com- 

 parison with the others, family 49 consumes a great 

 many ayotes (but family No. 1 reported that it 

 consumed 1,200 ayotes and 200 chilacayotes, all 

 that it produced). On the other hand, family 58 

 could have consumed more of its production while 

 37 had to buy what it ate. If the information is 

 correct it appears that the determinant is indi- 

 vidual preference. I think that probably the 

 number of chilacayotes should be raised, since the 

 three families happened to consume very few, but 

 otherwise I see no reason to believe that the 

 sample gives a false picture. I cannot think that 

 the figures of fanuly 1 are reliable. 



(41, 4^) Condiments. — Although not in propor- 

 tion to their place in the productive economy of 

 Panajachel, onions and garlic are important con- 

 diments, cooked especially with meats and sauces. 

 I do not know why family No. 58 reports such 

 small consumption in comparison with the others. 

 I doubt if the others have overestimated (family 

 No. 1 reports consuming a whole tahlon of onions 

 and 75 pounds of garlic) and am inclined to think 

 that family 58 either undercalculated or is atypical 

 in this respect. Since it has a large weight in the 

 sample, the totals should be raised. 



{43-48) Common vegetables. — The common vege- 

 tables most consumed in Panajachel appear to be 

 cabbages and green beans, which like all greens and 

 herbs are cooked together with other ingredients. 

 All three families, and almost surely every Pana- 



jachel family, eat these vegetables. On the other 

 hand only family 58, with its city influence, also 

 cooked other vegetables. That of course explains 

 why this family ate less cabbage and green beans 

 than might be expected: its vegetable diet was 

 more varied. Since family 58 is large, this atypi- 

 cality (as I think it is) must be corrected; for the 

 total consumption of cabbage and green beans is 

 greater, and that of carrots, turnips, and swiss 

 chard smaller than the sample would indicate. The 

 cucumber picture is quite false, for family 58 was 

 one of very few who grew and ate cucumbers. 

 The total here requires a large correction. At the 

 same time account must be taken of the fact that 

 the sample families are all vegetable growers. 

 Differences in taste are indicated by the No. 49 

 emphasis on cabbage and the No. 37 emphasis on 

 green beans, but such differences are doubtless 

 representative. 



(49-59) Other vegetables. — Of the less common 

 vegetables, the "mulberry" herb, amaranth, and 

 chipilin herb are the most consumed. Family 58 

 eats less of these than one would expect, perhaps 

 again because of the variety of vegetables used in 

 that house. It used no chipilin at all in 1936. 

 Again corrections must be made. For all of the 

 remaining herbs I have no information from 

 family 58, and again must change the multiplica- 

 tion factor from 49 to 111. I do not know how 

 col, rue, coriander, and the "7-shirts" herb are 

 used in the kitchen. Rue, at least, is used medic- 

 inally. Coriander is used especiaUy with meat 

 and is given away by the beef butchers. Again 

 it is a mystery why No. 37 reported using so much, 

 and I think it wise to correct the total on that 

 account. 



(60) Vegetable pears. — This fruit appears to be 

 consumed in surprisingly small quantities, consid- 

 ering their general importance in the region. 

 They are used in cooking in various ways, playing 

 the part of a vegetable rather than a fruit. 



(61-82) Fruit. — Fruit is eaten raw, for the most 

 part, and not as parts of regular meals. It may be 

 considered refreshment. In general the fruit that 

 is bought is eaten more by the wealthy than the 

 poor, so that, for example, prickly pears, custard 

 apples, and peaches (which were bought by the 

 sample families) are consumed progressively more 

 by famihes 58, 49, and 37. On the other hand, 

 the question of taste and custom enters in the use 

 of such fruit as plantains (which are fried) exclu- 



