MOCHE: A PERUVIAN" COASTAL COMMLNI-n'— GILLIX 



01 



better for the forastcros in all categories except 

 iiicat and fish. 



Let us now turn to the over-all preferences of 

 RIochero as compared with jorastero menus. In table 

 6, columns 3 and 6, respectively, will be found the 

 absolute frecjuencies of columns 1 and 4, respectively, 

 expressed as percentages of the total number of food 

 items apisearing in the reports of each group, respec- 

 tively. For example, the absolute number of bever- 

 ages consumed by Mocheros was reported as 409, out 

 of a total of 2,451 menu items reported. In column 

 3. we see that beverages constituted 16.6 percent of all 

 items reported. Thus we have an indication of the 

 proportions in which foods of various categories ap>- 

 pear in the over-all food consumption. It appears at 

 once that the Mochero menus are more concentrated 

 in the two categories of meat, fish, etc., and vegetables 

 and grains. The two .social groups are about equal 

 in their liking for soups, whereas the forastcros prefer 

 proportionately more beverages, fruits, sweets, and 

 miscellaneous dishes. If we lump together the two 

 categories of meat, fish, etc., and vegetables and 

 grains, we find that 68. 3 percent of the diet of the 

 Mocheros and only 58.0 percent of the diet of the 

 forastcros fall into those two categories ; or, in other 

 words, the Mochero diet is 15.9 percent more concen- 

 trated in these two categories. On the other hand the 

 forastcros lead the Mocheros in beverages by 29.4 

 percent, in fruits by 71.4 percent, in sweets by 60 

 percent, and in miscellaneous di.shes by 81.8 percent. 



Thus we see that not only is the average forastcro 

 meal richer in variety bitt also the over-all diet 

 shows less proportionate concentration on staple 

 food categories. The slight place taken by fruit in 

 the diet is in part explained by the fact tliat the 

 survey took place in July, early winter, at which 

 season little local fruit is available. Even so, ap- 

 preciably more fruit was consitmed on forastcro 

 tables in proportion to their numbers. 



We. may mention a few differences indicated by 

 scanning the individual items in tables 4 and 5. Milk, 

 for example, is a much more important drink among 

 the forastcros than among IMocheros. It appears 

 63 percent of the time among them for breakfast 

 and appears in only 35.3 percent of the Mochero 

 breakfasts. Cofifee as a breakfast drink appears nearly 

 twice as often on forastcro tables as on those of 

 Mocheros (33.3 percent and 17.2 percent), whereas 

 "tea" is twice as popular among Mocheros as among 

 forastcros (34.5 percent and 16.6 percent, respec- 

 tively). Fish is much more popular among Mocheros 



633348° — 47—5 



than among forastcros. It appears in one form or 

 another in 21.2 percent of the Alochero midday meals 

 (compared with 11.9 percent for forastcros) and in 

 18 percent of their evening meals (compared with 

 5.6 percent for forastcros). Both groups like other 

 meats about equally well. 



Rice is the most popular starcliy vegetable food 

 for both groups, being preferred slightly more often 

 by forastcros. Potatoes, although much less im- 

 portant than rice for both groups, are much more 

 popular among forastcros. Mocheros, on the other 

 hand, show much more fondness for yuca than do 

 forastcros. Modern innovations, like rolled oats and 

 prepared cornstarch, play little part in the diet of 

 either group, but ai)pcar twice as often among 

 forastcros as among Mocheros. Both groups are 

 well converted to bread for breakfast and afternoon 

 lunch. Greens are several times more popular among 

 forastcros, who also show much more interest in al- 

 most all the green vegetables. 



Dessert of sweets or fruit is seen not to be a stand- 

 ard feature of cither Mochero or forastcro meals, 

 although items from both categories are consumed 

 proportionately more frequently by forastcros. 



"Lonchc" in the afternoon is a more firmly 

 established custom among forastcros than among 

 Mocheros. Among the forastcros 74.9 of the chil- 

 dren reported had lonchc at least once during the 3 

 days in question, whereas only 28.9 of the Alochero 

 children so reported. This snack meal was taken 

 on the average 63 percent as often as other meals 

 by the forastcros, only 16.8 percent as often by 

 Mocheros. 



The outstanding differences between Mocheros and 

 forastcros as indicated by the data may be summar- 

 ized as follows: 



1. The forastcros enjoy more variety of foods per 

 average meal than the Mocheros. 



2. The total diet of the forastcros tends to show 

 more diversification and less concentration in a few 

 categories. 



3. In respect to specific items or categories of 

 food, among the beverages forastcros show prefer- 

 ence for milk and coffee, whereas the Mocheros pre- 

 fer herb tea. Mocheros eat proportionately more fish 

 than forastcros. Both groups like rice, but forastcros 

 prefer potatoes, among the other starchy vegetables, 

 whereas tlie Mocheros prefer yuca. Forastcros eat 

 more sweets and fruits than Mocheros. 



4. No major menu item of one group is tabooed 

 by the other group, and the differences noted are 



