stranger unaccustomed to the extravagance of their phraseology. Thus, should one admire anything in a Mexican house, the owner at once makes him a present of it—a verbal present, for should the visitor take him at his word and decamp with the article, no one would be more surprised than his host.
The method of introduction prevailing is quaint and formal. "Allow me to introduce you" says a host, when making two persons known to each other. The younger man (or the man, if one happens to be a lady) then pronounces his name, giving his full Christian and surnames, followed by his mother's name, the two connected by the letter y, which in Spanish means "and." The person to whom he is being introduced follows suit, and the ceremony (for it is a ceremony in the real sense of the word) is complete. Let us visualize a Mexican introduction.
"Enrique Pedro Martinez y Mariscal" sonorously intones one of the men. "Manuel de Salagua y Aldesoro" responds the other, bowing deeply. Compliments are exchanged, and the pair are acquaintances.
The Mexican hospitality is never casual, and all entertainments are exhaustively planned. Dinners and luncheons are elaborate affairs, and no one is ever asked Mexican
Dinner. to take "pot luck." The men is usually Parisian in character, but a few Mexican dishes still hold their own. Before dinner, a liqueur glass of brandy is handed to everyone as an aperitif, and is drunk neat, the draught being followed by iced water. When seated at table, the guests invariably pin their table-napkins beneath their chins before commencing "business." The meal is usually a prolonged one, and a couple of dozen of courses may be passed round ere its conclusion. Ices are served half-way through, and the first dessert comes before the preserves and pastry. A good deal of wine is drunk at such functions, and many healths and toasts are usually proposed and honoured. Champagne is handed round at the conclusion
