174 INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY — PUBLICATION NO. 13 



the women of the family, together with neighbor and his wife, the following list of provender was 



women who assist in preparing the meal. At such drawn up : 



feasts, the feminine corps in charge of the dinner For mole: Pesos 



remains virtually all the time in the kitchen or in 2 turkeys @ 25.00 $50. 00 



the adjacent patio, where cooking activities are 3 kg. of lard @ 4.60 13.80 



concentrated. After the guests have eaten, the 2 kg. chile de color \ 1Q ^ 



1 Kg CIlllC (16 7)10 lG 



cooks sit together, informally, in the kitchen, or at 2 QZ ' ciimamon ____ 2.00 



a table placed in the patio, and enjoy a belated 2 oz. cloves • 80 



meal. 2 oz. black pepper • 80 



As a matter of fact, serving problems at feasts Bread ^ an ^emita) l. 00 



are slight. The table is set, usually with a soup 01 ° r \ as ' . _ _ A _ ^ 



& ' r . * 2 almudes (24 liters) maize @ 2.50 o. 00 



relate and a cup at each place. Ihe food is placed Miscellaneous : 



in containers in the middle of the table — for 3 t g . rice @ 1.20 3. 60 



example, tortillas in a gourd, mole in a bowl, and 3 kg. salt ' • 90 



coffee in a pitcher. Each guest helps himself. 5 k &- coffee 12 - °° 



Ordinarily, visitors eat in relays. When every- ™ ™™™™* brown sugar _<g 0.50 5. 00 



j-^ k i.-, J.-, n ■ i i /, t • • 4 cartons cigarettes @ l.Oo 4.20 



one or the first lot has finished, the diners rise in a y kcr leaf t0 bacco-_ . 75 



body and leave the table free for the next group. io boxes matches l. 00 



Dishes are not washed between relays, and one 1 small demijohn alcohol, chiefly for Ne- 



serves himself in the same plate used by his prede- s rito dancers 4. o0 



-itt i ii j- i j-i 4. ii • 1 small demijohn "sherry," for the women 



cessor. We have already noted that there is no , J J . _ A 



J „ . -iij. cooks 4. oO 



cutlery, but a spoon generally is provided for serv- 3 kg hard candy ( suggested by us) 6 . oo 



ing mole. The chore of serving table is chiefly 1 cake soap (for dish washing) 1.00 



one of replenishing the supply of food, as one relay 



follows another at the table. Total $126 - ^ 



Feasts involve a very considerable expenditure, * Thls is approximately 6.5 pounds of salt, which seems ex- 



cessive, yet precisely the same amount appears below in the 



and, for Some households, they Spell virtual ruin. accounts of the Mendez family fiesta. Perhaps it is customary 



We know of at least one man who was obliged to t0 bu ^ * his qM fV f Sa J,V° r T ,ar "t "'? ^ ^'^ 



*= or not it is used. A neighbor, who overheard our discussions 



Sell his land, in Order to meet the expenses COll- while standing outside the house, told us privately that he 



j. i -ii xi £ i j! j p i • ■ o thought the lard estimate was "very exaggerated." 



nected with the funeral feasts for his wife. 



Modesto Gonzalez has calculated the expense Don Pablo donated onions, wild tomatoes, and 



involved in giving royal entertainment to the 10 coriander. Actual expenses exceeded the calcula- 



to 15 workmen the day the milpa is planted. A tions by nearly $30.00 pesos. 



summary of his figures has been given previously As a further demonstration of the expense in- 

 (p. 122). He estimates cost at $128.20 pesos, in- volved in a large feast, we have an estimate pro- 

 eluding $13.00 pesos for incense, candles, rockets. vided by Leandro Mendez. of the cost of entertain- 

 and a religious singer. Needless to say, not many ing in honor of the image of St. Joseph in his 

 households are able to spend so lavishly to have father's house. Several meals are involved. The 

 a field planted, and costs and fare vary directly ten or so men who made palm ornaments for the 

 with the economic status of the host. Each fam- altar were given supper one day, and a meal the 

 ily, however, entertains the milpa planters to the following morning; moreover, the next succeeding 

 best of its ability. day, the same assistants were served both breakfast 



We ourselves gave a mole dinner for about 50 and dinner. Apart from these aides, dinner was 



persons. Since our establishment was not suitable provided for Avell over a hundred guests. Prob- 



for large-scale entertaining and it seemed unlikely ably, in all, between 200 and 250 servings are in- 



that we could prepare food to local taste. Pablo volved. The dinner fare was, as usual, mole, 



Gonzalez generously offered his house and the tortillas, and coffee. In addition, as a very special 



expert assistance of his wife and stepdaughters, gesture, presumably for breakfast, flour, sugar, 



to supervise the meal. Together with Don Pablo and eggs were bought and bread made, probably by 



