Food Critique

I’ve eaten a lot of meals in the Gambia. By my calculations, about 1300. About a third of those have been breakfast, which I provide for myself, but the remaining two thirds, over 800 meals, have been with Gambians, served by Gambians, cooked by Gambians. The vessel to bring much of these meals from bowl to mouth has been my hand. I’ve learned by the smell of an unopened food bowl which delectable mash I’ll be served that evening. And through these hundreds of lunches and dinners, I’ve noticed some trends. So, come and learn with me, as I take you through the slimy, mushy, and carb-filled world of food in the Gambia. As the Gambians say, “Come eat.”

Here in the Gambia, the food pyramid is nothing like the triangular thing of beauty that we all grew up with, and definitely nothing like the weird thing the FDA is trying to make Americans buy now. I spent some time drawing it up, and this is about how it looks.



Here are some common recipes that are cooked here in the Gambia. Try them at home!

RECIPE ONE: Serve at least 9 times per week
Ingredients: Carbs
Oil
MSG
Fish (and especially the bones)

Cook a carb: usually rice, bird seed, or sand.

Cook another carb, usually pasta, and cook it in oil.

Add plenty of MSG.

Fry a fish and throw it in on top of the bowl. (If you can’t afford a fish, at least throw in a bunch of bones to give the illusion that it once had fish… or for a boost of calcium. Or for crunch. Or a challenge, something to search for amongst the homogenous mash)

RECIPE TWO: Serve four to five times per week.
Ingredients: Carbs
Leaves
Oil
MSG
Fish bones

Mash leaves together with MSG. Don’t stop mashing until they’re good and slimy.

Cook in oil until the sliminess is maximized, and all nutrients or beneficial substances in the leaves have been removed completely.

Cook a carb: either rice, bird seed, or sand.

Serve leaves over carbs.

Add fish bones to taste

RECIPE THREE: One time per week ,if you’re lucky.
*These recipes will provide the eater with a bit of protein, an essential element that is absent from all other meals. Since this is the case, if you are ever served this dish, EAT UP.

INGREDIENTS: Ground nuts
Carbs
Oil
MSG
Fish bones

Mash groundnuts (peanuts) into peanut butter. Try to remove all the bugs first, but if you miss a few: meh.

Cook with oil and MSG.

Prepare a carb: either rice, bird seed, or sand.

Serve groundnuts over carbs.

Add fish bones to taste.

Beyond meals, sometimes Gambians snack throughout the day (unless its Ramadan. Or hungry season) These snacks are sometimes a delightful way to introduce some variety to the day to day food options. Snacks depend greatly on the season in which the snacker is snacking.

June – August: No snacks. It’s hungry season. The crops are in the ground, and none have grown tall enough for us to eat yet.
August – October: Carbs on the cob.
November – January: Groundnuts, fresh from the earth, still crawling with pests.
January – April: Groundnuts, now old. Still pests though!
May – June: MANGOES! The only time fruit is added to the everday Gambian diet.

So no matter what time of year you choose to come visit the Gambia, you'll be prepared for the dining options that await.

Bring Clif Bars.

An Apology

To my dear friends and family -

I realized that I haven't blogged in a long time. A LONG time. And the past few times that I blogged, it was about things that were decidedly un-Peace corps or un-village life. It's not that nothing has happened since I last posted. Actually, a lot has happened. New trainees came, the president of the Gambia came to my village, we passed our one year in country AND one year of service, training ended, Ramadan began, Ramadan ended, rainy season came, my backyard became a jungle, new volunteers swore in, I got blood poisoning, we had a ton of fun parties. LOTS has happened, but I haven't felt the incredible need to write about it, nor experienced the moment where my eyes light up and I break into a huge grin and exclaim, "That was SO bloggable."

After extreme soul searching and hours of hungry boredom during Ramadan, I realized what it is.

I've become a Gambian.

No longer is it crazy to see goats and couches piled high on top of the same bush taxi. No longer do I feel strange when I go haul water for my daily bucket bath. No longer am I annoyed by having to sweep everything in my house daily because otherwise I will eat dust only. It's normal to greet in Mandinka, and holidays, although still boring, are now not mysterious ordeals. I think domoda is delicious, I've come to terms with eating a few bugs every day, and wading through knee deep mud is an expected part of my commute. As you can see from the facebook photos as of late, I have become extremely unaware of my appearance, and match the most horrible prints with other equally horrible prints.

Upon arriving in the country, and for much of the first year, I punctuated this sentence as follows. "THIS is my life?!?!?". Now, it look more like this. "This is my life." No longer does the sentence end with an interro-bang of shock and awe... now only a accepting and normal period.

So, I'm sorry. I know the stories that were once funny, gross, and or wild to me are probably still pretty shocking to others. It's like I'm no longer a tourist. When you first move to New York City, you may take pictures of Times Square, and famous street signs, and the Statue of Liberty, but after a certain amount of time they're just part of your regular life, no matter how different from your past life it is.

I don't know how to fix this problem. I'll try to remember how I felt in the beginning, and write with the same fervor and zeal. Another, even better, option, is for everyone to come and see it themselves. You should come and take the pictures that I should be taking, gasp at the sights that I no longer even see, and experience the traditions and culture that is now everyday.

Again, I'm sorry for the lack of communication. I'll be better.

I apologize very dangerously,

Abby