Chili Queen & Chiquita & How's tricks?

Jonathan Lighter wuxxmupp2000 at YAHOO.COM
Wed Sep 20 20:21:47 UTC 2006


Thanks, Barry!  My earliest "How's tricks?" was 1906.

  JL

Bapopik at AOL.COM wrote:
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Sender: American Dialect Society
Poster: Bapopik at AOL.COM
Subject: Chili Queen & Chiquita & How's tricks?
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Any historical citations for "chili queen" and "Chiquita" and "How's Tricks=
"=20
will be appreciated.
...
Perhaps "Chiquita" (female name) is relevant to the "Chick" (male name)=20
discussion.
...
...
_http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/chili_queen_or_chile_queen/=
_=20
(http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/texas/entry/chili_queen_or_chile_queen/=
)=20
...
=20
Entry from September 20, 2006=20
Chili Queen (or Chile Queen)
=20
A =E2=80=9Cchili queen=E2=80=9D (or =E2=80=9Cchile queen") was a woman in th=
e 1880 and 1890s who=20
sold chili. The term was popular in San Antonio, and the chili queens opera=
ted=20
near or in the Alamo. The term is of historical interest today.=20


28 September 1891, Daily Light (San Antonio, TX), pg. 2?:=20
The chile queen has taken to the stage again. This time she will =E2=80=9Cs=
upe=E2=80=9D in=20
the dramatic. =20

3 November 1897, Stevens Point (WI) Daily Journal, pg. 2?: =20
THE CHILI QUEENS.=20

THEIR THRONES WERE IN SAN AN- =20
TONIO=E2=80=99S HISTORIC ALAMO.=20

Their Reign Is Faded, But They Rules=20
Royally For a Long Times=E2=80=94They Were=20
Especially Gracious to the Tourist From=20
the North and Made It Pay. =20

When the northern tourist used to strike the town, the first things the =20
patriotic citizen who was doing the honors would proudly steer him up agains=
t =20
would be the Alamo plaza chili stand, with its attendant divinity, the far f=
amed =20
chili queen.=20

=E2=80=9CNow, sir, you=E2=80=99ve seen the historic Alamo, the old cathedra=
l and the=20
missions and got a whiff of our ozone,=E2=80=9D the citizen would remark wi=
th righteous=20
pride, =E2=80=9Cand tonight you must come and east a Mexican supper and see=
the chili=20
queens. The chili queens are one of our most noted attractions=E2=80=94the=20=
beautiful,=20
dark eyed senoritas, you know.=E2=80=9D=20

The tourist generally knew. This was in the late eighties, the palmy days o=
f=20
the chili queens, when their fame had spread to the larger northern cities.=
=20
Some very musical verse about them had appeared in the magazines, and in th=
e=20
newspaper sketches they were idealized as stunning creatures, with the rich=
,=20
brown skins of the tropics and the languorous grace and bewitching black ey=
es=20
of Spanish donnas.=20

When the citizen and the tourist stroll up to the gay looking chili stand=20
with its big red, green and yellow lanterns and its scintillating pyramids=20=
of=20
cheap but gorgeous glassware, she promptly shuts up the sporty young man wh=
o=20
is bandying slang with her or quits haggling with the chili gorged bootblac=
k=20
over change.=20

She hastily rearranges the flowers in her hair and the big bouquet at he=20
bosom and beams o nthe new arrivals with sparkling eyes.=20

The citizen addresses her with an easy familiarity. =20

=E2=80=9CHello, Chiquita! How=E2=80=99s tricks?=E2=80=9D=20

=E2=80=9CHello, senor. Tricks are bueno. How is my amigo, the senor?=E2=80=
=9D=20

They all used the Spanish dialect when they had special customers, despite=20
the fact that other tongues came easier to some of them by nature. There we=
re=20
six reigning queens on the plaza in 1888, and one of them was of German=20
descent and another was born in the island where the sod is highly green an=
d there=20
are no snakes. The other four, however, were senoritas of the genuine=20
Mexican variety.=20

Chiquita=E2=80=99s eyes sparkle with their most brilliant luster, and, with=
a quick=20
succession of flashing smiles, she uses her red lips and white teeth to goo=
d=20
advantage on the tourist while she engaged in badinage with the citizen.=20

=E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99re looking prettier than ever tonight, Chiquita. I=E2=
=80=99m glad of it,=20
because we want to make a good impression on my friend here. He=E2=80=99s f=
rom away up=20
north, you know, and he=E2=80=99s heard of you before.=E2=80=9D=20

Then Chiquita uses her tinkling laugh and slaps the citizen gently on the=20
cheek.=20

=E2=80=9CSo sorry, but I have not a single nickel to give you. But take thi=
s flower=20
instead.=E2=80=9D=20

She transfers a big rose from her corsage to the citizen=E2=80=99s buttonho=
le. The=20
tourist is beginning to want his share of the fun.=20

=E2=80=9CYes, I heard of you up there, and that=E2=80=99s one reason I came=20=
down here=E2=80=94to=20
see you, you know.=E2=80=9D=20

=E2=80=9COh my! You must have a flower too.=E2=80=9D =20

Her hands linger lightly on his coat as she carefully pins a spray of =20
honeysuckle on, and the tourist begins to believe that he must have come dow=
n here=20
for this. He is enjoying himself very much.=20

=E2=80=9CWell, let=E2=80=99s being on our chili peppers,=E2=80=9D suggests=20=
the citizen. =E2=80=9CYou say=20
you never ate one before? We had better take a little of everything, then,=20=
so=20
you can say you =E2=80=98did=E2=80=99 San Antonio right. Bring us the whole=
bill of fare,=20
Chiquita.=E2=80=9D=20

The queen turns sharply to the slimy looking old Mexican who has charge of=20
the steaming pots and kettles in the rear and rattles off this with a celer=
ity=20
which seems to astonish the tourist:=20

=E2=80=9CJesus, andarle! Dos platas de chili con carne, y dos tamales con c=
hili=20
gravy, de enchilades tortillas, y dos tazas de cafe.=E2=80=9D =20

The fiercely burning chili con carne agonizes the tourist and he chokes on=20
the enchilades, but he manages to struggle through the tamales by drinking a=
=20
great deal of water. Meanwhile, the chili queen sits opposite him in a =20
languishing attitude and keeps up her tinkling laugh. When it comes time to=20=
go, he=20
insists on paying the bill, despite protests of the citizen, and tenders a $=
5 =20
bill. Chiquita seems to have trouble in counting out the change and a though=
t =20
strikes the tourist.=20

=E2=80=9CSay, Chiquita,=E2=80=9D he says tentatively, =E2=80=9Cyou needn=E2=
=80=99t mind that if=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94=20

=E2=80=9CYou mean you want to make me a present?=E2=80=9D=20

As that is what he means, she tucks the bill in her bosom, and gives the=20
tourist a fond look. She places another rose from her hair and pins it on h=
is=20
coat and squeezes his hand in bidding him goodby.=20

Then, when her customers are gone, she goes and sits down in front of one o=
f=20
the steaming kettles, with a lap full of tortillas, which she uses to scoop=
=20
up large mouthfuls of chili.=20

Chiquita was a fair type of all the chili queens. They were not the idyllic=
=20
creatures of popular conception that they appeared to be when on dress=20
parade, but most of them were really comely and they had the charm at least=
of=20
novelty.=20

The glory of the chili queens waned and flickered away with great=20
suddenness, and they themselves drifted away from the high tide of fame and=
fortune in=20
a like manner.=E2=80=94San Antonio Express.=20

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