PubNight #336 (2/12/03) - 7:30pm at Otto's Shrunken Head

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Good Afternoon -
This week we're trying a new bar that was formerly one of the PNNY's favorites (Barmacy). Since deciding that PN should try Otto's this week, I began wondering exactly how one makes a shrunken head.

**Warning, the history lesson below is macabre and does not reflect the ingredients in Otto's cocktails.**

The Jivaro are a South American tribe of people who live on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountain Chain in Northern Peru and Southeastern Ecuador, north of the Marandon River. When a person from an opposing tribe is murdered, the killer must go through an elaborate ceremony to protect himself from being haunted by the dead man's spirit. The victims are always male, and the murder may be for revenge or for fear.

First, the Jivaros cut the head off the corpse. Then, after some incisions, the skull is removed through its neck. The skin of the face, scalp and head is then dipped into boiling water three separate times. After the boiling process, the head is put on top of a spear, which is stuck in the ground, to dry overnight. The next day, the ears are removed and the mouth and eyelids are sewn closed. The head is then placed between hot rocks (heated by fire) and the cavity of the head is filled with hot sand several times. This has the effect of melting a layer of fat inside the head, and causes the skin of the head to shrink and to turn black. After this the shrunken head's skin has a consistency similar to that of beef jerky. After this process is completed, the head has shrunken to about the size of small apple. Next, the shrunken head is reshaped, stuffed and its neck is sewn and tightly bound. The Jivaros believe that, with its lips, eyelids and neck tightly bound, the spirit of the victim is trapped inside of the shrunken head, and is unable to escape.

So where are we going this week? Bring your head (screwed on tightly) and your thirst for funky frozen cocktails to this very rock and roll tiki joint.
See you there!
     -Kris, *Petro, *Jay, & *TK
* not responsible for anything grotesque in this email.

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