Saturday, September 29, 2007

More on the eating ceremony

Sooo... some people, particularly my mother, are curious about the eating habits of people in Senegal.

Yes, everyone eats out of the same bowl, but it's not because they don't have enough plates for everyone, it's because everything is done in community here. In fact, the language I'm learning - Jaxonke - uses the same word for "my" and "our." they just don't even bother to make the distinction. A kid can't say "hey, that's myyy toy" because the other kid would hear "hey, that's ourrr toy."

Before the meal, everyone washes their hands with a bowl of clean water and soap. Some families use spoons, whereas others (like mine) use their hands. But as I explained before, they exclusively use their right hands. You cut vegetables and meat, and scoop up rice all with your hands.

I don't mean to paint a picture of a mad dash for food either. We had an entire session on eating etiquette. You only pull rice from in front of you, and after cutting off a piece of vegetable or meat, you put the big piece back in the middle so everyone has equal access. If you want something on the other side of the bowl, you can't just reach for it, you have to ask someone to pass it over.

We're in Ramadan right now, in which Muslims fast from sundown to sunset for an entire month. Every evening i break the fast with my host family at dusk by drinking water and eating "mono," which is a sweet porridge made from millet and eaten with big wooden ladel-style spoons.

About 2 hours later the main course is served. The national dish here is cheib ou gen (butchered the spelling on that) which means "rice and fish" in wolof. A base of rice is covered with fish and vegetables, usually a carrott or too, manioc, egg plant, cabbage, and something i have never seen before. There is also often some kind of sauce.

Many of the sauces here are peanut based or leaf based (bissap leaves are a favorite).

Later in the night a sweet drink made from peanuts or a sweet bissap juices is often served. And if I stay up late enough there's usually another dinner served.

Anyway, I'm out of time, so I'll write more later. Write your responses because I can read them all!

Love Andy

3 comments:

RachelSliv said...

Wow what a culture change! Sounds like and experience of a lifetime and GOOD FOR YOU!! I can't wait to hear more about it all.

katie said...

i didnt know that people in senegal were muslims. also, when you say a family of 20, what does that actually mean? it is like, kids and grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins, or just like mom and dad and 18 kids?

JAC said...

it is really fun to go back & read your older blog posts now! YAY FOR WEST AFRICAN NEIGHBORRRRSSSS!!!!!!!!!