“A third party sprang up, headed by the descendants of Robert Chewit, the companion of the great Hudson. These discarded pipes altogether, and took to chewing tobacco; hence, they were called Quids.”——Knickerbocker’s, New York.
Any one who will take the trouble to read through the “Curiosities of Food,” will soon become convinced, from the examples which Mr. P.?L. Simmonds has collected so assiduously from all parts of the world, that there is no accounting1 for tastes. What extraordinary things men will admit between their teeth to gratify their appetites, is almost enough to set one’s own teeth on edge. Tobacco is certainly not more nauseous or revolting, than to us would be many of the delicacies2 dished up for dinner by some of the bipedal race. “Some Europeans,” observes the author, “chew tobacco, the Hindoo takes to betel nut and lime, while the Patagonian finds contentment in a bit of guano, and the Styrians grow fat and ruddy on arsenic3. English children delight in sweetmeats and sugar-candy, while those of Africa prefer rock salt. A Frenchman likes frogs and snails4, and we eat eels5, oysters6, and whelks. To the Esquimaux, train oil is your only delicacy7. The Russian luxuriates upon his hide and tallow; the Chinese upon rats, puppy dogs, and shark’s fins8; the Kaffir upon elephant’s foot and trunk or lion steaks; while95 the Pacific islander places cold missionary9 above every other edible10. Why then should we be surprised at men’s feeding upon rattle11 snakes and monkeys, and pronouncing them capital eating?”14
Nothing is more extraordinary than the habit of dirt-eating and chewing of lime, either by themselves or in combination with other substances. But more of this anon. Tobacco, as a masticatory12, might equally cause surprise did it not daily occur at our doors. The quantity used in this form will not bear comparison with that consumed in smoke, but even this is considerable. In America, the custom is carried to a very unpleasant extent, and were it the only form in which the plant could be indulged, there is good ground for presuming that it would fall very far short of the popularity which it has attained13.
Somebody, with a strong antipathy14 to pig-tail and fine cut, has entered into certain investigations15 and calculations in the Philadelphia Journal, which has resulted in this wise. If a tobacco chewer chews for fifty years, and uses each day of that period two inches of solid plug, he will consume nearly one mile and a quarter in length of solid tobacco, half an inch thick and two inches broad, costing 2,094 dollars, or about ￡500. Plug ugly, sure enough! By the same process of reasoning, this statist calculates, that if a man ejects one pint16 of saliva17 per day for fifty years (a feat18, one would presume, it would require a Yankee to accomplish), the total would swell19 into nearly 2,300 gallons, quite a respectable lake, and almost enough to float the “Great Eastern” in! Truly, Brother Jonathan, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.
Another calculation shows, that if all the tobacco96 which the British people have consumed during the last three years were worked up into pig-tail half an inch thick, it would form a line 99,470 miles long; or enough to go nearly four times round the world;15 or if the tobacco consumed by the same people in the same period were to be placed in one scale, and St. Paul’s Cathedral and Westminster Abbey in the other, the ecclesiastical buildings would kick the beam.
“Oh, the nasty creatures!” some lady exclaims. “Who could suppose that they would do such a thing, and to such an extent too, as to burn and chew and smoke in three years enough tobacco to reach round the world four times!” It is astonishing, my dear Mrs. Partington, we must confess; but let us compare therewith the tea consumption16 for the same period, and we shall find that during the past three years, we have consumed about 205,500,000 of pounds of tea, which, if done up in packages containing one quarter of a pound each—such packages being 4? inches in length and 2? inches in diameter—these placed end to end, would reach 59,428 miles; or, upon the same principles as those adopted for the pig-tail, would girdle the earth twice with a belt of tea 2? inches in diameter, or twenty-five times that of the aforesaid pig-tail. Enough to make rivers of tea strong enough for any old lady in the kingdom to enjoy, and deep enough for all the old ladies in the kingdom to bathe in.
97
All this, we are free to confess, does not make the habit of quidding either more justifiable20 or respectable, although indulged in by some of the members of the gentler sex. In Paraguay, for instance, an American traveller informs us that everybody smokes, and nearly every woman and girl more than thirteen years old chews tobacco. A magnificent Hebe, arrayed in satin and flashing in diamonds, puts you back with one delicate hand, while with the fair taper21 fingers of the other she takes the tobacco out of her mouth previous to your saluting22 her. An over delicate foreigner turns away with a shudder23 of loathing24 under such circumstances, and gets the epithet25 of “the savage” applied26 to him by the offended beauty for his sensitive squeamishness. However, one soon gets used to these things in Paraguay, where one is, per force of custom, obliged to kiss every lady one is introduced to, and one half of those you meet are really tempting27 enough to render you reckless of consequences.
Suppose not that Paraguay is a solitary28 instance in which ladies have a predilection29 for this masticatory. In Siberia, which is far enough geographically30 to prevent any collusion, or the influence of example to exert its power, Captain Cochrane says that the Tchuktchi eat, chew, smoke, and snuff at the same time. He saw amongst them, boys and girls of nine or ten years of age who put a large leaf of tobacco into their mouths without permitting any saliva to escape, nor would they put aside the tobacco should meat be offered to them, but continued consuming both of them together.
The Mintira women and other races of the great Indian Archipelago are addicted32 to chewing tobacco. Amongst the Nubians, the custom is more common than smoking. Of the South American tribes, the Sercucumas of the Erevato, and the Caura neighbours of the whitish Taparitos, swallow tobacco98 chopped small, and impregnated with some other stimulant33 juices.
In Africa, the habit is not at all an uncommon34 one. The Turks and Arabs of Egypt are great smokers35, but not so with the other tribes. The Mongrabins, scarcely know the use of a pipe, or the method of manufacturing a cigar, yet tobacco is well known, and chewing is the order of the day. With them each piece of tobacco is mixed with a portion of natron. Master and servant, rich and poor, all carry about them a pouch36 of tobacco, with pieces of natron in it. These people do not carry the quid in their cheek, as do the Europeans who indulge in the habit, but in front, between the teeth and the upper lip.
The blacks of Gesira have another method of enjoying this luxury. They make a cold infusion37 of tobacco, and dissolve the natron in it. This mixture is called “bucca.” The natives take a mouthful of it from the bucca cup, which they keep rinsing38 and working about in their mouths for a quarter of an hour before they eject it. So much do they delight in it, that it is considered the highest treat a man can offer to his dearest friends, to invite them to sip39 the bucca with him. Bucca parties are given, as in some localities tea parties are honoured. All sit in solemn silence as the cup goes round, each taking a mouthful, and nothing is heard save the gurgling and working inside the closed mouths. On such occasions the most important questions receive no reply, for to open the mouth and answer would be to lose the cherished “bucca.”
In Iceland, tobacco is chewed and snuffed as assiduously as it is smoked in other countries; and in the northern states of Europe, or some of them, the powdered leaf, which, with most people is deemed a preparation for the nose, is placed, a99 pinch at a time, upon the tongue. Of Joubert’s statement we scarce know what opinion to hold. He says, “When a stranger arrives in Greenland, he is immediately surrounded by a crowd of the natives, who ask the favour of sucking the empyreumatic oil in the reservoir of his pipe. And it is stated that the Greenlanders smoke only for the pleasure of drinking that detestable juice which is so disgusting to European smokers.” The Finlander delights in chewing. He will remove his quid from time to time, and stick it behind his ear, and then chew it again. This reminds us of a circumstance narrated40 by a friend, which occurred when he was a boy. His master was a chewer. After a “quid” had been masticated41 for some time, it was removed from his mouth, and thrown against the wall, where it remained sticking; the apprentice42 was then called to write beside it the date at which it was flung there, so that it might be taken down in its proper turn, after being thoroughly43 dried, to be chewed over again.
“And then he tried to sing All’s well,
But could not though he tried;
His head was turned, and so he chewed
His pig-tail till he died.”
Of all tobacco chewers, none can compete with the Yankee—not even our own Jack44 Tars45. They are the very perfection of masticators, and of spitters, also, if the narratives46 of travellers in general, and of Dickens in particular, are to be relied on. “As Washington may be called the head-quarters of tobacco-tinctured saliva, the time is come when I must confess, without any disguise, that the prevalence of these two odious47 practices of chewing and expectorating began, about this time, to be anything but agreeable, and soon became most offensive and sickening. In all the100 public places of America, this filthy48 custom is recognized. In the courts of law, the judge has his spittoon, the crier his, the witness his, and the prisoner his, while the jurymen and spectators are provided for, as so many men who, in the course of nature, must desire to spit incessantly49. In the hospitals, the students of medicine are requested by notices upon the wall, to eject their tobacco juice into the boxes provided for that purpose, and not to discolour the stairs. In public buildings visitors are implored50, through the same agency, to squirt the essence of their ‘quids’ or ‘plugs,’ as I have heard them called by gentlemen learned in this kind of sweetmeat, into the national spittoons, and not about the bases of the marble columns. But in some parts this custom is inseparably mixed up with every meal and morning call, and with all the transactions of social life. The stranger who follows in the track I took myself, will find it in its full bloom and glory at Washington; and let him not persuade himself (as I once did to my shame) that previous tourists have exaggerated its extent. The thing itself is an exaggeration of nastiness which cannot be outdone.
“On board the steamboat there were two young gentlemen, with shirt collars reversed, as usual, and armed with very big walking sticks, who planted two seats in the middle of the deck, at a distance of some four paces apart, took out their tobacco boxes, and sat down opposite each other to chew. In less than a quarter of an hour’s time, these hopeful youths had shed about them on the clean boards, a copious51 shower of yellow rain, clearing by that means a kind of magic circle, within whose limits no intruders dared to come, and which they never failed to refresh and refresh before a spot was dry. This being before breakfast, rather disposed me, I confess, to101 nausea52; but looking attentively53 at one of the expectorators, I plainly saw that he was young at chewing, and felt inwardly uneasy himself. A glow of delight came over me at this discovery, and as I marked his face turn paler and paler, and saw the ball of tobacco in his left cheek quiver with his suppressed agony, while yet he spat54 and chewed, and spat again, in emulation55 of his older friend, I could have fallen on his neck and implored him to go on for hours.
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“The senate is a dignified56 and decorous body, and its proceedings57 are conducted with much gravity and order. Both houses are handsomely carpetted; but the state to which these carpets are reduced by the universal disregard of the spittoon, with which every honorable member is accommodated, and the extraordinary improvements on the pattern which are squirted and dabbled58 upon it in every direction, do not admit of being described. I will merely observe, that I strongly recommend all strangers not to look at the floor; and if they happen to drop anything, though it be their purse, not to pick it up with an ungloved hand on any account. It is somewhat remarkable59, too, to see so many honorable members with swelled60 faces; and it is scarcely less remarkable to discover, that this appearance is caused by the quantity of tobacco they contrive61 to stow within the hollow of the cheek. It is strange enough, too, to see an honorable gentleman leaning back in his tilted62 chair, with his legs on the desk before him, shaping a convenient ‘plug’ with his penknife, and when it is quite ready for use, shooting the old one from his mouth as from a pop-gun, and clapping the new one in its place. I was surprised to observe, that even steady old chewers of great experience are not always good marksmen, which has rather inclined me to doubt that general proficiency63 with the rifle of which we have heard so much in England. Several gentlemen called upon me, who, in the course of conversation, frequently missed the spittoon at five paces; and one (but he was certainly short-sighted) mistook the closed sash for the open window at three. On another occasion when I dined out, and was sitting with two ladies and some gentlemen round a fire before dinner, one of the company fell short of the fireplace six distinct times. I am disposed to think, however, that this was occasioned by his not aiming at that object, as there was a white marble hearth64 before the fender, which was more convenient, and may have suited his purpose better.”
At the Cape31 of Good Hope grows a plant, allied65 to the iceplant of our greenhouses, and which is a native of the Karroo,17 which appears to possess narcotic66 properties. The Hottentots know it under the name of Kou, or Kauw-goed. They gather and beat together the whole plant, roots, stem, and leaves, then twist it up like pig-tail tobacco; after which they let the mass ferment67, and keep it by them for chewing, especially when they are thirsty. If it be chewed immediately after fermentation, it is narcotic and intoxicating68. It is called canna-root by the colonists69.
In Lapland, Angelica-root (Archangelica officinalis, Linn.) is dried and masticated in the same way, and answers the same purpose as tobacco. It is warm and stimulating70, and not narcotic, nor does it leave those unpleasant and unsightly evidences of its use which may be observed about the mouth of the true votary71 of the quid.
The areca nut and the betle-pepper, which, in the Malayan Peninsula and other parts of the103 East, are used as a masticatory, will receive special notice hereafter.
Lightfoot says that the Scotch72 are very fond of “dulse,” but they prefer it dried and rolled up, when they chew it like tobacco, for the pleasure arising from the habit. This is the only reference to the custom that we have met with, and requires further confirmation73.
The Duke of Marlborough has the credit of being the first distinguished74 man who made the chewing of tobacco famous; who was the last is not so readily declared, since distinguished men generally do not distinguish themselves much in this department of the “fine arts.” It is related of a monkey, that while on the voyage home from some tropical clime in which he had been made a prisoner, he noticed a sailor who was in the habit of going to his trunk and taking out a quid, roll it up, and place it in his mouth. Finding, one day, that the course was clear, and the box unfastened, Jocko helped himself to a very respectable twist, which he put into his mouth, and scampered75 therewith upon deck. He soon commenced chewing and spitting, and, unsuccessful in the experiment, the quid, which was not found to be so pleasant as was anticipated, was thrown away. The poor animal soon became dreadfully sick, held its stomach, and moaned piteously, but ultimately recovered. He learnt a lesson, however, the impression of which never passed away; for ever after he shunned76 the box, and the sight or smell of tobacco sent him scampering77 into the shrouds78.
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1
accounting
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| n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表 | |
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delicacies
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| n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到 | |
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arsenic
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| n.砒霜，砷；adj.砷的 | |
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4
snails
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| n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 ) | |
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eels
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| abbr. 电子发射器定位系统（=electronic emitter location system） | |
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oysters
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| 牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 ) | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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edible
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| n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的 | |
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rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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masticatory
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| adj.咀嚼的，咀嚼用的n.咀嚼物，咀嚼剂 | |
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13
attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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14
antipathy
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| n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物 | |
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15
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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16
pint
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| n.品脱 | |
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17
saliva
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| n.唾液，口水 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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19
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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20
justifiable
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| adj.有理由的，无可非议的 | |
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taper
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| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
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saluting
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的现在分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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23
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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24
loathing
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| n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢 | |
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epithet
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| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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28
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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30
geographically
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| adv.地理学上，在地理上，地理方面 | |
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31
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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33
stimulant
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| n.刺激物，兴奋剂 | |
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34
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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35
smokers
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| 吸烟者( smoker的名词复数 ) | |
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36
pouch
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| n.小袋，小包，囊状袋；vt.装...入袋中，用袋运输；vi.用袋送信件 | |
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37
infusion
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| n.灌输 | |
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38
rinsing
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| n.清水，残渣v.漂洗( rinse的现在分词 )；冲洗；用清水漂洗掉（肥皂泡等）；（用清水）冲掉 | |
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39
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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40
narrated
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| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
masticated
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| v.咀嚼( masticate的过去式和过去分词 )；粉碎，磨烂 | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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44
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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45
tars
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| 焦油，沥青，柏油( tar的名词复数 ) | |
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46
narratives
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| 记叙文( narrative的名词复数 )； 故事； 叙述； 叙述部分 | |
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odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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48
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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49
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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52
nausea
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| n.作呕，恶心；极端的憎恶(或厌恶) | |
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attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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54
spat
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| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
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55
emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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56
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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57
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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58
dabbled
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| v.涉猎( dabble的过去式和过去分词 )；涉足；浅尝；少量投资 | |
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59
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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contrive
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| vt.谋划，策划；设法做到；设计，想出 | |
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62
tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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63
proficiency
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| n.精通，熟练，精练 | |
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64
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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65
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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66
narcotic
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| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
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ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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68
intoxicating
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| a. 醉人的,使人兴奋的 | |
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69
colonists
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| n.殖民地开拓者，移民，殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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70
stimulating
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| adj.有启发性的，能激发人思考的 | |
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71
votary
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| n.崇拜者；爱好者；adj.誓约的，立誓任圣职的 | |
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72
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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73
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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74
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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75
scampered
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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76
shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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78
shrouds
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| n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 )；寿衣；遮蔽物；覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 )；保密 | |
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