Eating
Everyone has to eat and I, like the rest of the world, feels that one might as well eat well. 
Part of the pleasure of travelling is encountering new cuisine though it’s not always palatable. But let’s not dwell on that. Rather let me say that people like to eat good food and generally tastes aren’t so completely different so that most kinds of food people make is good to eat.
I still get cravings for chocolate con churros sometimes. Out of the blue it will strike me that most the wonderful taste in the world to eat at that very moment would be the deep fried dough pastry, crunchy at its outside ridges and filled with warm running chocolate. Or Marrakshi tangia.
I still remember at the surf school when the mom of one of the gromits dropped off the amphora-like pot for us to eat. Boumediene took the pot with an expression I couldn’t decipher and watched as she left. Then he went inside to get some plates and came out to dish. He opened the top, looked inside and smelled. He looked up at me, smiled broadly and said: “You know? It’s the best of days when you have tangia.”
Morocco had lots of dishes that were usually for special occasions. Other days you mostly had tajine and variants thereof, it was good eating nonetheless. Couscous I don’t like too much when I eat in South Africa but in Morocco (where it takes over 5 hours to make) I can eat it by the bucketful. One of the best parts of staying at the surf school was that people were always keeping celebrations there and making food that Moroccans eat on special occasions.
In Mauritania, you eat meat. In the northern parts, it’s mostly camel meat which isn’t too bad. The basic dishes are tasty generally but you tire a bit of all the meat (specially for a former semi-vegetarian like me). For variety you go to the Malian restaurants (for stews or rice dishes) or to the Western restaurants. They have great hamburgers, especially when after coming from Morocco where the Moroccan food is great but the foreign food they haven’t quite got the hang of.
Onions get used a lot in Senegal. Yassa poulet, yassa viande or yassa poisson (yassa chicken, meat or fish) is almost on every small restaurant’s menu. It’s good but when made well it’s fantastic but I’ve only raved about yassa when it was made at someone’s home. One noticeable difference in Senegalese food is that it’s a lot hotter than the countries before. Luckily it’s usually because of a homemade chilli sauce on the side so you can decide how much (or how little) you want to add.
The usual plates of the day in Senegal is thiebodienne (there is no correct way of spelling that) and maffe. Thiebodienne is a rice dish with vegetables and topped with a couple of pieces of fish. Great but the quality varies so that you never know if it’s going to be good or great. Maffe is a meat stew in a peanut sauce. Good also. Both are better if you can handle the very hot homemade chilli sauce (although in general always ask for a miniscule amount of sauce).
Which brings me to where I am now. The food in Dakar is of greater variety and the small restaurants also have stews. Meat and veg, calamari, beans, etc. Also, one of my compatriots just happens to be a fantastic Japenese cook and she’s been in the cooking mood lately. Sushi – glorious sushi at the sushi party the other night. Also Japanese pizza and several fantastic meals have been prepared in the last week or so. After the monogamy of the last few months cuisine, the variety is hitting the spot dead on.
I miss food at home also of course.
By the way, toilet paper sorta sinks.
Tags: Travel, Tag Index
Ghalied
January 22nd, 2007 at 11:58 am
The description of that sheep being guttered sounds about correct. At my Aunt’s place in Lansdowne they slaughtered 4 sheep and I somehow found myself in the thick of helping to skin the sheep and getting the guts out.
My 2 year old: “Daddy sheep doedoe” she mumbles in my ear, this after the sheep where just slaughtered and lying nearby the hole where they were slaughtered.That comment from her was too cute. I did try and get her to touch the sheep but she kept pulling her hands back. Heeee, Oh yes by the way, Remember we spoke about getting my wife to do as I say? I discovered that a dead cockroach works like magic!! Wife did exactly as I said (just two nights ago) when I told her to go feed the cat and massage my back it was done just like that without any begging on myside. I was just wonder what sort of priviledges I may have holding a sheephead in my hand?
You seem to be doing well I’m finding it hard to tell who is not from Cape Town when I see you standing next to the people in that picture with the kids in you last post. Any chance of participating in the Dakar Rally? I wouldn’t be surprised if you approached the drivers for a lift to your next stop. : ) en los ‘n Ot en ‘n skyf. All that fun capeflats stuff.
Laat dit met jou goed gaan maar werk jou mag nie van al die gevrietery van die kosse wat jy nie gewoond aan is nie? Yoh