At an Eastern Dinner-party.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2093, 5 December 1885, Page 2 (Supplement)

At an Eastern Dinner-party.

In Mobainmednn countries generally, thnre is a prnater gravity, a greater appearance of austerity in public, and a mure apparent mortifloation of tho flesh, than with up. Grare facia are hcldora seen to sruile; the corners of the mouth are more often drawn down than up. Cut this apparent nolemnity is much producer! by the numerous rules of etiquette, a breach of any of which would cause a serious depreciation in tho souial position of the man who wan guilty of it. As a rule, the OnonUl, more particularly the higher-dans Perpian, has two entitled — one of the nilent and solemn pundit, speaking only in whispers, and with either the Spartan brevity of Yen and No, or launching out into complimentary pbrae-es, aB inainofire aa they are poetic—a being clad in long flowing garments of pries, babatted or beturbnncd, according to hin class, and with a knowledf/e of tha little nicetiea of foim and phrase that would do credit to an experienced Lord Chamberlain. Priests, lawyors, msic'iantft, tho courtier and soldier classes, all are thus ; for a single public blip from tho code of ceremonial and etiquette would cau»a at onco ft loss of caate. In faot, at first, to the dpw coTier they seem all Pharisee*, and wear their phylacteries broad. Huoh are theupper-rlafH Persians outside their own homes, and from Hunnoe to sunset. It ia of the Oriental in hiß other phado, and among his fricndn, or " cupcompanions" as Lano in his Arabian Nujht* translates the word, that I huvo to tell—in fact, the Pernian at home. Some ypars have elapsed sinco I went to the little dinner I am about to describe ; the giver BDd some of the guust^ hove subtmUod to the irony of fate —two dead in their bedd, a notfvnrthy thing among the grandees or wealthy in Puissa; one executed for hocalied high treason, realiy murdered, after having surrendered himself to thu king's uncle under an oath of safety for bis life; another judicially done to death because he was rich. Ono, then the greatest and richest of the party, ia eating in the corner tbo broad of charity, blind and poor; one young fellow, then a penniless parasite, little more than a servant without pay, who handed pipes And ran messages, is now in high employ, and likely to become a minister. Otheia 0! tbat party would now be glad to b&nd his pipes and run his message* for the mere sake of his protection. It was this young fellow who brought me my invitation —a verbal ono, " Mirza II Khan sends you his ealaarup, and hopes you will eat your dinner at hi? hoiißo at an hour after snnsot to-night. Will your honor come? " " Please to sit. I hope you are well. Who ia to bo there ? Any Europoans ? " " No; only youreclf. At least, there is one —tho Dutch doctor; and as he has been fio maoy yearn here, he is more a Persian than ourselves. Aud hakim-sahib (European doctor), will you, the Khan says, bring two packs of cards?" " Ah, Mirza, the secret's out; it's not me they want, but my twopacko of cards." " No, hakim •»hib. By your head, it's not so. You don't know the Khan —at least, not in private. Ho is good nature itself; and ho wants jou to come and oat his dinner, to taste his salt. Besides, Gholam Nahdi is to be there, and thero will bo dancing. Ba 1 »n entertainment to dwell in the memory." Now, the fact of the dancing intrigued me. I knew that Mirza M Khan did not merely invite me for the sake of the card?, as be could havo had them for the asking. I was anxious to see an entertainment in the bouse of a rich man, so I resolved to go. "On my eyes, Mirza." Thin is the current expression for an affirmatives respectful affirmative, meaning that I would certainly do myself the honor. The Mirza declined a pipe, as he had otlvr errands to fulfil; aik°d leuvo to depart, a* is thf custom, and bowed himself out. I hud gludly accepted, for I wished to sco the dancing, of which I had heard uanch, and also the performance of impromptu farco3 or interludes, for ■which the lutii (buffoons) of Shiraz are oolebrated throughout Persia ; for it was in Hhiraz itself that thu invitation wai given ; and it wan in the home of one of its local prandeen tbat the entarrainmeat vr&n (0 take place. If, then, I was ever to see a real Oriental entertainment, now was my time, in thecity of iSaadi iind Hr.fisc, in the real Persian heart of Persia. Mirza M Khan was a grandee, and I knew personally very little of him, pave that he was vpry wealthy, voiy good-natured, and a very good patient, in tbe sense that he wtu grateful for work done and remunerated it with no niggard hand. At the appointed time, 1 rode through tho narrow dusty streets of the town, a<3 was the custom, having quite a little procession of niy owe. Was.l not going out to dinnei! and among Persians, to invito a guest is to invite his servants too; consequently, even to the cook's disciple, they were all there to accompany me. When I remonstrated at bo large a following, my head man told me that " I really must allow him to keep up my dignity in a proper way." The only servant left in my houao was tha door-keepnr, and he was obliged to stay and guard it; the rent all came. First went ray two carpet-spreadors, crying, " Out of the way 1" each carrying a big stick, and girded, as is the cut,torn, with the flhort, straight, hiltloas sword called a kammar, the sharp point of which would nearly always bo fatal if thrust with ; bat it fortunately is almost invariably used merely to hack; and unlees the skull be fractured, merely lets out some of tho bofc Persian blood, and so the frequent quarrel endf. Then came tho cook, an artist in his way. He, doubtlees, would give a helping band with the dinner. With him was the table-man, who strutted in all the glory of a bright blue raotre antique tunic; a smart black lambhkin cap of thu latent fashion, cooked knowingly; a silver watch-ohain. and my Bilver hulinn or water-pipe ; for, though one is provided with these and tobaeca galore, every man brings hw own ; and a European, if wise, invariably followed the custom, for it prevented little hitches, such as that of some holy man or pnV.it being obliged to r«ftnG to smGtfe tho pipe of the dog of an unbeliever, or of a hpecial bubble bubble being handed to the Giaour for his sola delectation. No vi°it, much less entertainment, in Porsiu can be made without the frequent introduction of tbe water-pipo. CertaiDly it fills up gaps when the conversational power? of guests or visitors flag; and it is an inexhaustible subject of conversation ; besides, it is the poetry and perfection of smoking. With the table man walked the sherbetdar, or Bherbet and ice maker. He would doubtleHS mako himself useful. But I fear ho went for tho more than Homeric feast which ho knew would be gladly spread for even tho humblest hanger-on of any "guoot. Then at my liorsc'B head walked my groom, carrying over bis arm the embroidered cloth that is thrown over my horso when standing to preserve him from druughts, and the saddle from sun and dunt. They, too, both hone and {'room, would ba entertained as a matter of course. Such is the lavinhness of Eastern hospitality. My head-man, in a long blue cloth cloak, marched at my side, more with the air of a humble friend than that of a servant. Thus, these men did their duty by mo in keeping up my potation, while at the same time they were woll fed at my host's expense. And prooably had I gono alone, the tint u quiry would have been: " Where are your servants, doctor? " In honor of my host, I had donned a blaok /rock-coat; and as the temperature waa about eiphty, my Bufferings were great; but in the East, a out away coat is indecorous; and my linen suits uufortunutely were made in the usual shooting-coat shape. After some half-hour'B ride through tortuous and evilsmolhng lanes, by mosques and through bazaars, in and out of repair, we came to the large mud-plastered portico of Mnza M— — Khan's house. At the door was a sentry, who saluted. I dismounted, my servants — as is tbe custom —supporting me under tbe arm-pits.

" The Khan ia expecting you — bo pleased to enter," said a grave and well-olad domes Ho, who proceeded to usher ma into the house. I waa ahown into the brruni, or men's apartments. A paved conrtynnl, Bomo thirty yards by ten, with sunken bpdn of common dowers on either sido, and many orangf .'reea covered with their dark-green fruit; a nii<w>d tank or hnnz of running water, twenty yards by threo, with playing-jeta ; a crowd of servants with pipes. These struck my eyo as I piiHOfd up to thft further ond, whuro I Haw my hont npah'd at the opmi window of a largn room. Although quite light, the whole place was ablaza with lamps and candles in rows. On a oarpefc in the oourtyard sat the Jew musicians, who played their loudest on the uaual instruments of torture — the tambourine, two hand-drum"}, a kind of fiddle, and a sort of guitar ; while an old man made night hideous by drumming on a kind of military drum called a dohol, n thing that I have seen, except on thin ocoaeion, used at Eastern wed dinßfl only. Happily, he varied thp dreadful performance by eldritch holor on a two-tubed /lute, Huoh as that we hop in Itoman posaprsionn on ancient baildingp. Singers, too, made night hideou 0 . But all thr,BB men were fortunately in the open air, and their performance wr'i not ho deafening when ouo entered the room. •' Ah, hakim-sahib I " said my ho*t, rising. " Bitmillah 1 be seated ; pray bo Routed." All the guests on my entry had risen from the ground on which they eat. I was placed in a seat of honor, far above my social deaertw, and introduced to those of the guest* with whom I was acquainted. Ths rest, whom I knew, all shook hands with rue. II Pippfi 1 " Bhoutcd Mirza M Khan— "pippsl " A train of servants now entered the room Each man brought his master's pipe. Conversation bcc&tne general; the music played on. Thn bubbling noise of the watorpipes, the profusion of lightrf, the «ay dresaea of the whole party, the handeorno carpets, the floridly dcoorftted walls, tho flowing water of tho fountains, and the bright moon hanging over the oranßO-trt'es, gave one the feeling that one was " rovelling." There is no other word. T6a in tiny cups is handed. Moro pipes, more tea. Still the music, still the singing, or rather noise, to which nobody listeuß, of recited poetry howled in a crescendo aoale. More guests, more pipes, moro tea. All are assembled. Outpr cloaks and heavy garments are thrown off, for the night is warm. " What is this, hakim-sihib ?' said the Khan, pointing to my frook-coat. " You must ho hot." I explained that my little white linen cutaway were not formal enough for the aristocratic a'jHflmbla^'J to which I had bad the honour to be invitPd. "BOil Send for one. Make yourself at home." The order ia given, by my servant; and my groom gallops off, and soon returns with ease and coolness. " A colleague of yours ia oome," I am told in a whisppr ; "he is about to astonish you. You sea tho bearded Khan I introducpd you to; he is S Khan, general of cavalry. He has a needle in his back. The surgeon, Agha AH, will como here and remove it. Ho doesn't consult you, an he doesn't believe in European doctors." Hnre trays of sweetmeats, Halted almonds, pistachios, and other nuts, are brought in ; wino in decanters; arrack, either in the form of pure spirits of wine, or flavoured and coloured green by the infusion of the fresh leaves of anise seed. We all eat the sweetmeats, nibble the nut?, and most help themselves to wing or arrack. My friend beckons to tho cavalry general, who cornea over and squat? next me. I am introduced. After the ueual glowing Eastern compliments, 8 Khan gives me a lift of all his ills from birth. I amobligpd to listen. The Pcm'an custom ia, whenevpr you mpet a doctor, consult him. I learn^that the Khan at present suffers from lumbago, and that he "haH obtained relief by acupuncture ; that he hat a special confidential vnlet, who is in the habit of each morn'ng inserting an ordinary scwing-nerdlo for more than an inch in the spat of pain ; but that this morning tho needle had bpen in^orted, and then had disappeared. The general rapidly removes his olothes, and exposes his baok. There aro innumerable Bears of aenpunoture. I gravely examine tbc back, "Ah, there, there it isl" be shouts. I am oompplled to frankly inform him that the needle has probably been lost, and id not in his body. IU is moutindignant. " Ah, yon Europeans, you Europpans, you never will believe. Why, A#hn Ali, thojMwh (iurgeon), says it's there ; and it must be there. Besides, ho in going to extract it by the monse." " By the what?" I ray in astonishment. •'Tho mouse. Don't you understand that?" " No. What mnusp ?" " Ah, pcience ; ah, Europeans; he doesn't understand the action.of the mouse 1" A chorus of explanations is now afforded me. A live moupe is to be bound on the bare back of the general, and by some occult means tho needle will leave his body, and be found in that of the mouse. I laugh, and rotnain incredulous. The pooh of £<corn is my only answer. "Will you believe it if you sco it?" " Yen ; lam open to oonviction." " Ah, you soon will ; ho will bo here directly." The coming of my Oriental confrere is oxpected by nie. There is no flign of dinner, though eight o'clock. I munoh my salted nuts, and ask what kind of noodle has been uecd. " A Europsan noedle — one of these." The confidential vnlet prodncos a packet of No. B— an ordinary English sewing-needle. " Are thtso what you übo ?" " Yes. Always thp.Be ; never any other. The ono that ia in the Khan's back — may I be his sacrifice— waa one of theso out of this very packet." The Khan hero puts his fingpr to the oxact spot, and his fuoe expresses ngony. At thia moment I see my confrere coming up the courtyard. No one makes way for him. Tho native surgeon is evidently not a person of distinction, as the native physican is ; he in merely a little tradesman, in social ptatus below hiß rival the barber. Where the functions of the ono end and tho other begin is vfry doubtful. The barber bleeds, oupi, draws teeth, reduces dislocations, performs the actual onutery and various other needful operations. The surgeon does all these things; probes and pmds at gunshot wonnds ; looks at fractures and tumours ; has a few strange medieval instruments, which, like a clover man, he seldom uses ; and in cases of surgical emergency, he looks wise, and never, or hardly ever, interferes. I was however, now t to have an opportunity of seeing a Persian \ surgical operation. Agha Ali does not attempt to enter the room till bidden by mine host with a loud " Bismillah 1" Then, stooping humbly, his hands carefully covered by his ragged cloak, whose amplitude hides the numerous deflciences of tho rest of the poor follows wardrobe, he enters the room. " Salaam ;" in a loud tone. To this solution no ono responds, and ths surgron humbly seats himself in tho lowest corner. I felt for the man ; and to pat him at his ease, attempted to converse with him ; but he took no notice of my remark*). Was I not a rival and an uoh'oliever 1 S Khan, however, ordered him to examine his back ; and on his doing ho with much parade — listening oarefully for the needle with an old stethoscope I the wrong end of whioh he applied to the general's auguat peruon — ho formally deolared that tho needle was deeply seated. Bufc " Please God," said he, " by my soienco and by tho help of the sainted martyrs Uoussein and Ilessan, I shall remove it." I now could perceive, from tho looks of conviction of my fellow-guests, that / was

looked on as tho impostor, ar d that my ragged confme had the confidence of the spectators. It was now explained to mo that tho native 'surgeon proposed to affix a live mouse to ihe patient's baok ; and that, after a time, the needle would, by Homo mysterious power, be drawn from the body of the i-uffpi.T into that of the offondin^ lit*lo quadrupol. Of courso bo monstrous a proposition was received by mo with tho nilent (lerision it desorved. I knew that Bomo trick would be played. But what? Probably thero waß no needlo at all in the sufferer's back ; the pain possibly would b6 cured by playing on his imagination. But how? "Erin/? a mouse," said our hopt ; and several servants scurried off to execute tho order. In a h.rge Persian house, there is no difficulty in finding a mouse in ibo trap 1 ?, or in the earthen jsra in which nrain io kept. " May it pleaie you, Excellency, may I be your sacrifice, I have a mouse ready," said my surgical rival, taking a small flat tin box from his pocket. Tnero was a hntn of expectation. Tho certainty nf a deception of some sort raustd mo to watch tho fellow narrowly. Ho opened the box very cuitionsly ; a poor little mou««, a silken ligature affixed to each foot was in it. F[e was alivp; no doubt of that, but Rfourely tied. When taken up, he gave a Equpnk of pain. That pqueak decided me ; I saw the thing at a glance. "Do you mean to tell me," I Httid, " thnt you aro abln to extract the needle from tho Khan's back, and make it enter the body of the moude?" I apked, open-mouthed, with feigned astonishment. " Assuredly," calmly replied the surgeon. " With Heaven's and the blessed Prophet'B hfjlp, I shall certainly do bo." " Ah," I replied ; " this is indeed a wonderful thing. Agha Ali, the surgeons of Persia have in yon a burning and shining light ; but your trick in old (here he tnrucd pale). — ObHem 1 , my frienda Uey, presto, pass I—Khan,1 — Khan, 'the needlo has left you, and is now in the poor mou^e'u body." For tho surgeon to close the box, in whioh wm the raome, and spring to hiafect, was the worl' of an instant. 11 Wbat i 3 thia that tho eahib says ? What nonsense is this? If the enhib can cure the Khan's pnin, why send for me ? I am inaultpd Lot me go I" But all to no purpose. The box waß snatched from him. Aa I supposed, the neeulo — that is to cay, a needle — was already thero, slipped wliiy in under the loose ekin of (ho little animal's hack. I asked to bo allowed to look at it, ami reqnentrd that it mipht bo compared with tho needles in the Khan's packet. It was half an inch too short 1 There was no doubt. S Khan was furiouH. " Tako him away 1" shouted he, almost foaming with rage; nothing a Persian dislikes po much as to be over-reached — 11 take him away ! I Hball attend to this matter in the morning." A generul of cavalry, particularly in Persia, in a great, man, and bn manner of attending to the affairs of those who have offended him is rough. Two blnck-bparded soldier-servants hustled the disappointed charlatan out of the room, 3 Khan folt almost well already. The mouse ran away, silken bonds and all ; and I bpgqpd tho absent surgeon off with some difficulty. "I make you a present of him, 1 said S— ■ Khan. This little episode had made the time pass. There was as yet (nine p.m.) no pign of dinner, though roasted quails, Bmokinn hot on the npit, had been handed one to earh pern <n, as a sort of stop gap. Most of the {jua t* began to drink, some heavily. A little wiry man in a pair of bathint?dra were, and otherwice naked, nor/ entered the room. He juggled ; he sung ; ho played on various instruments ;ho iruproviped. Up and his non aotcd a little impromptu farco, in which the priests were mercilessly mimioked ; then he did fill the tricks of the European contortionist ; then he turned pomersaults amid a forest of thai p dapgerp, points upwards; then he ato fire; and finally took a header while vomiting flames into the tank below. This man was Crholam Nahdi, the celebrated buffoon. For hi« performance, he would gethin dinnor, and perhaps five shillings of our money. " Where are the cards, sahib ? Hakim-sahib, where are the cards ?" I sent for my pervant, who produced them. "Bismillah! let us play," shouted Mirza M Khan. " Lft us play " "jognted the guests. They all sue to, at a kind of lansquenet. All were wealthy men, and as they gambled only for silver coin, not much baron was done. Like a Christmas party of children at Pope Joan, how they shouted; and how they oheatrd, openly, roost openly 1 lie who cheated most was happiest, and tho only disgrace was in being found out. S Khan, who sat next to me, had a method of cheating so simple, ho Arcadian in its simplicity, that it deserve? description. He lost, lost, persistently ; but his heap did not perceptibly diminish. I watched him. His plan was thin. When he won, he put his winnings on hia heap of coin. When he lost, he would carefully count out the amount of money he had to pay. " Sixty kerans ; ah 1 Correct, you nee— sixty." He would then gather it up in his two hands, place the closed hands on his o<vn heap, let out the greater part of the sixty eilvpr coins on his heap, and opening his closod hands from below upwards, apparently paid his losses into tho pile of his successful adversary with a <" Much good may they do you ! Another sixty kerans." Affer hour an about of r,hif>, the muaio and singing having been poing on unceasingly, dinnor was announced. The money was pocketed, or handed over to tho care of servant?. A long eheet of embroidered leather was spread on the ground ; over thia was placed a sheet of hand-printed chintz, some twelve feet by four ; bowls of nherbfit (iced pirups and water) were laid at intervals; and the various dishes, filled each to overflowing, and mostly owimmtng in fat, were plaoed in circular traya before every six guests. A plentiful dinner — no Barmpcido feast. Lambs roasted whole, stuffed with dates, almondn, raifins, and pistachio nuts; sparrow and pomegianate soup ; kebabs of lambs and antelope ; all the thousand-and-one delicacies of tb.6 Persian ouisine— ohillaus, pillaus, onrries, fo.vls boiled and roast. All was good, well cooked, and lavish ; for each man bad some half-dozen servants with him, who would dine on the leavings ; and our host had certainly fifty servants, all of whom would get a meal off these orumba from the rioh man's table. Just as dinner was finishing, a grand display of fireworks took place ; and that and dinner over, we all bade our host good-bye, and rodo homo through the dark streets, lighted only by thn lanterns which were carried by our servants ; and the only Bounds to be heard besides our horaes' hoofs, ware the barking of tho street dogs, and the strangely human cry of tho jnokals. It was twelve at night, and Shiraz was fact asleep.

Oatmjul Podding. — Many children will enjoy meal in this form who would not take it as porridfto. ft ia a moat wholesome and delicious dish. Poor a quart of milk, brought first to the boil, over twelve ounc •? of Scotch oatmeal ; let it stand all night, and in the morning stir in an egsj, a pinch eaoh of salt and grated nutmeg, and, if like-1, a couple of ounce* of raisins. Boil in a well- buttered basin for two hours at leant. B r< rve with hot trenolo or a Hweet sauce. Baked Spiuth on Fni.fin IlKmuNon. — Wftih the fish thoroughly, remove the heads and tails, and sprinkle with flour. Lay them in a greased baking tin in a single layer ; cover them with bits of butter or dripping, and bake in a hot oven. When one aid* is brown turn the fiah, and when quite dono place on a hot dish and serve with the liquor from the tin, mixed with a little boiling water and vinegar. A few dropw of anchovy essence are a great improvement.