It’s early
Sunday morning and I’m heading to the market with my 200 meticais (about $5) to
do my weekly shopping of fruits and vegetables. I grab my lovely shopping
satchel, which I had made out of the thick plastic that my sheets came in with capolana fabric on
the outside, and wonder what it will be filled with.
I glance at
the Peace Corps cookbook and dismiss my worry over my culinary ability. “Be creative and flexible”, I convince myself
as I walk down the path to the field already bustling with people. I head to the “aisle” where woman are selling
their produce, grown in their garden, neatly placed by quantity for the
price. Tomatoes, onions, garlic,
lettuce, potatoes, bananas, and mangos, are greeted into my bag easily because
I don’t have to decipher what they are. I know my tomatoes.
My brow
started to crinkle as I approach the green harvest separated from the lettuce.
To me it all looks like pretty leaves, different shapes and sizes, all clean
and green. Okay that’s what I need clean
and green, to be experienced in my Mozambican cuisine (hey that rhymes!). I must have been staring at these leaves with
a phobia because when I looked up I realized that there was a group of vendors
who gathered together watching me. Now I’m feeling anxiety rupture inside! – I
have to choose which pile of .20 cent greens that I can cook and eat!
So I start
to talk to myself because I needed the company at that moment. “Calm down! Ask
if those are bitter like the other ones you threw out.” “I don’t know how to
say bitter.” “Make the face!” And that eliminates one pile. Ask which ones are sweet”. “Oh look, those
are pumpkin leaves, and she is cleaning off the stems! This is good”. “Peanut butter is good. This is a hassle”.
“Try one more, how about the leaves from the bean plant”. “Oh yeah the protein
exudes into the leave?” “Maybe, just buy it, your audience is beginning to pity
your stupidity, next time come with the housekeeper and leave your flip flops
home!” “I’ll bring that recipe book, a pot and charcoal, and cook here.” “Let’s
go home”.
RESULT: Garlic, onions, carrots, a bit of curry powder, and peanuts, sautéed with pumpkin leafs.
SCORE: TASTE: 6.5
EFFORT: 8 NUTRITION:
9 ASSIMULATION: 9.5
HOUSEKEEPER'S OVERALL OPINION: 3.5
Why? Here there is no
variety on cooking; all things are made one specific way. There is only one way to make pumpkin leaves
here: I talked to 5 people about this dish and EVERYONE replied: NO GARLIC,
MISSING THE TOMATOES. This is one of the most amazing cultural facts that I’ve
learned here, one staple ingredient, one recipe, no variation. Cookbook authors / fusion chefs would be a
phenomenon here!
HEY, maybe I’ll do a fusion cuisine project – combination of cultures, resources, novice, and creativity! Have I stumbled on a women’s empowering group? Why do only the women cook? That would suggest passing the apron to the men. Here, the women in my generation – nope. MAYBE ALYCIA’S (MY DAUGHTER’S) GENERATION!
xo
