PLANTAIN-LEAF DISHES. 
rice and curry. We kept a sharp eye on them, watched 
them ; those who partook of it helped themselves very 
daintily to about half a table-spoonful of rice, and 
on this, they would just place a small speck of curry 
taken out of the curry dish on the tip of the spoon 
-—for you must know, our old dish is introduced here 
at grand dinners, merely as a sort of supernumery, a 
something to play with, betw^een courses. The sight 
of the dish did, as it always does, bring memories of 
the “light of other days,” of the huge platefuls hungry 
planters used to stow away : and then cry out : Boy, 
more rice.” AVe smiled ! we know it was 'uide a breach 
of all good manners, but it could not be helped ; the 
smile v/ould out. Our opposite guests looked very 
hard, and v^ e felt bound to apologize and explain what 
we overc smiling at, in case it might be supposed it 
wa'^ any of tlm company, and we would again be 
stigmatized as only a coffee planter, a man who has 
lived all his days amongst black people you know, and 
therefore knows nothing, how can he ? We explained, 
it amused us when we thouglit of how curry and rice 
was eaten in Ceylon. Of course, they were all down 
upon us for an explanation, they wanted to have a 
laugl], lo smile also. So they were told all about it : 
how coolies heaped up boiled rice on the leaf of the 
pi ntcxiii tree, and ate as much, and indeed more as 
would hli that soup -tureen : in fact, that a whole 
tureen full of boiled rice would be rather a poor din- 
ner for a cooly : he would eat more if he could get 
it ; that they always calculated the slate of their health 
by the >anount of boiled rice they wei-e able to gorge 
themselves v, i:h, that, when he says he has not eaten 
any rice, or e iten but poorly, he means and quite un- 
derstands tluit his master understands he is ill. But 
if you see him swollen up like a drum, swollen 
to such an extent that, if rather raw, you may begin 
to b ' alarmed as to his health, question him as to 
his health, a bright beam of satisfaction will lighten 
up his soapy visage, he will say he is well, never was 
better —all owing to that very fine rice, very good boiled 
rice. Even the little children of six years old, less or more 
are also allowed to stuff themselves in this same way, 
so that a child after a good feed of boiled rice just looks 
exactly like a small barrel or cask with ahead on (he top 
and two feet sticking out at the bottom ! “ What 
frightful savages ! ” was the general exclamation. 
‘ ‘ But surely you planters do not act in this way ? 
What do they live on?” We reply that whatever 
they do live on now they live very well and com- 
fortably, but that it was not always so : that in 
the olden times, as also in the middle ages, they 
