Joseph Banks - Endeavour journal, 25 August 1768 - 12 July 1771 - No. 0417
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[Page 417]
Manners & Customs of South Sea Islands
for which purpose a peice of Bamboo is tossd him of which he in a moment makes one by splitting it transversly with his nail with which he can cut tough meat or tendons at least as readily as we can with a common knife all this time one of his people has been employd with a stone pestle and a block of wood beating breadfruit which by much beating & sprinkling with water he Reduces to the consistence of soft paste he then takes a vessel made like a butchers tray & in it he lays his paste mixing it with either bananas sour paste or making it up alone according to the taste of his master to this mixture he adds water pouring it on by degrees till & squeezing it often through his hand till it comes to the consistence of thick custard a large cocoa nut shell full of this he then sets before his master who supps it down as we would do a custard if we had not a spoon to eat it with & his dinner is then finishd by washing his hands & mouth cleaning the cocoa nut shells & putting any thing that may be left into the basket again
it may be thought that I have given rather too large a quantity of provision to my eater