My Tummy…

Is unsatisfied. I think I have began to lose weight (like baggie jeans) not because of the lack of food but because of the lack of flavor. I am lucky in that I do prepare my own food (under the instruction of my host dad) so I know what is in it (most volunteers have meals prepared by there host mom and its always a surprise), but I still do not get to select the food of the day. At first I did not mind it too much and I was open to the different cuisine, but that sentiment has since faded and I am now happily anticipating my move where I will get to cook on my own.

Here are the typical ingredients of a Burkinabè village meal:

Oil- Lots of oil. Who knows why but using all of the oil in a bottle is satisfying. It may be because the food is always overcooked so to make sure it does not stick to the pan, you use lots of oil.

MSG packs called “Maggi”- This is typically the sole flavor in the meal. They are cheap to buy and come in a serving size already. You just crush them up towards the end of the cooking process and Voila!

Salt- The other flavor part but it helps with hydration so I am not opposed to it.

Rice- Always. Its quick, easy, cheap, and accessible. Anywhere you go you can get rice. It is typically with sauce already “regra” or you can add sauce later. Not bad but kinda boring

Spaghetti- Also a staple. Individual packs smaller than what you can purchase in the states and cheap. Used as a substitute for rice for variety.

Yams- Rock hard potatoes. Not a fave. I have avoided making them. Extremely bland.

Tou- A big blob of white of brown dough. Some of my friends say its like eating a cloud. Absolutely no flavor so you pair it with a sauce. My mom likes to make a gumbo sauce (okra) that I pretend to dip my tou in. I always ask for just a little and get WAY too much. I really despise this dish.

Sauces- Most dishes here are accompanied by a sauce of some sort. There are a couple of sauces I have experienced thus far that the Moosi people eat. All are extremely oily.
~Tomato sauce- different from the tomato paste stuff we have in the states but one of the best to me
~Peanut sauce- different from the Thai peanut sauces I am familiar with… it’s
okay
~Gumbo sauce- slimy and gross
~Eggplant sauce- My friend Sara’s host mom has been the only one to prepare this, very tasty because she puts lots of veggies in it

Here are my food possibilities:
-Right now there is a lot of produce which means there is a lot options. There are onions, eggplants, melons, garlic, peppers, tomatoes, squashes, bananas, etc. Here I only have access to the food following its harvest and when it is in season, so these are my options right now. In the “Spring”, its Mango season and everyone eats lots and lots of Mangoes- exciting.
-Peace Corps gave us a cookbook of how to prepare “American” dishes using local ingredients and facilities. It should be fun! Apparently I will have plenty of time to experiment.
-In the capital city there are also a lot of options- Pizza, Italian, Chinese, salads, at the international school (diplomat children’s school) they have American food- I had my first hamburger in 3 years here

So things are looking up for my tummy. Most female PCVs lose weight at the beginning and then gain it all back, so I won’t be smaller for long. Yum Yum!