In the coast regions _carne seca_ (dried beef) forms an important item in general diet, while _carne de chivo_ (goat’s flesh) is a staple in Coro. Fresh meat is of course the rule in the towns, and fowls are everywhere abundant; the _sancoche de gallina_, a kind of rich stew made of chicken with herbs and oil, is very good if properly prepared. For other articles of diet, yams and _frijoles_ (beans) are the commonest vegetables, with potatoes in the Andes, while fruit preserves and similar sweets are found everywhere. Last, but not least, the cheeses of the Llanos and foothills (of which _queso de mano_ is perhaps the best) and the ubiquitous _papelon_ (brown unrefined sugar) are an important item in the country fare. [Illustration: OVEN: LA RAYA.] [Illustration: AN ANDINE POSADA: LA RAYA.] A refreshing and sustaining drink known as guarapo also consists of raw sugar and water, and this with the aguardiente, distilled from the fermented syrup, and coffee are to be seen everywhere. Cacao is less common, but is naturally largely drunk in the neighbourhood of the plantations. A light beer is made at the Carácas and Maracaibo breweries, and there is a multitude of sweet non-alcoholic drinks manufactured from fruits. The meals are in general as follows: _Café_, coffee, with or without solid food, on first rising; _almuerzo_, like the _déjeuner_ of Europe, at midday; and _comida_ or dinner, at sunset. As far as order and number of meals are concerned, Carácas is like the rest of the country, but the remarks above made relative to food apply in the main only to the provinces. As for food, so for clothing, Carácas and the large towns need no special mention, since the imported weaving material here is mainly European or American. The country towns, however, frequently depend, not only for workmanship but also for materials, on the products of the country. The poorer people wear simple white or blue garments, with broad-brimmed straw hats, and generally go barefoot or wear leather sandals (_alpargatas_). Everywhere, however, both men and women turn out on feast days in their finest and gaudiest apparel.