"cuisine"

OK, so I think I’ve mentioned the cuisine here in passing – and I use the work “cuisine” lightly – but I think that the topic warrants further discussion. There is not a lot to be said for West African cuisine, unless you want to say how bad it is in a lot of different ways, which is precisely what I’m attempting now. ** A lot of the dishes look as if someone already ate them, and don’t taste much better. (I’m guessing. I have limited experience eating regurgitated food). It’s really no wonder that while I could find the most obscure Asian eateries in Chicago – from Burmese to Tibetan – I could barely find one restaurant featuring African dishes from any one of the 16 West African countries. There’s a heap of Ethiopian restaurants, which are all quite good, but Ethiopia is a continent away from here, and culinarily it is a planet apart. I think my friend Emma summed it all up correctly when she said, “well, you’d eat it if you were hungry.”

The staple food in this part of West Africa is fufu – which is maize (corn) that is pounded and then mixed with water until it becomes a doughy consistency. You tear off a piece from this gelatinous mound, and use it to scoop up other food, something equally unappetizing like goat soup. But here’s the kicker – the “African” way of eating this stuff is to NOT chew it, but swallow it whole. It’s like they just gave up and realized it was best to just get this unpalatable blob to your stomach as fast as possible and not give your taste buds a chance to revolt. I mean, can you image eating something with objective of avoiding tasting it??? I think that says a lot. Actually, Liberians thankfully eat a lot less fufu than Ghanaians. They prefer rice. But their specialty is “palm butter” – which is rice served with an oily soup often with floating fish heads or chicken necks for flavor and some kind of spice that makes my lips literally swell from the burning. I usually eat something beforehand if I’m invited to a Liberian’s for dinner. Of course, it is very rude to appear unenthusiastic when someone presents you with a meal, so I have to “fake eat” – ala the muppet cookie monster – or feign illness. I actually think Westerners who like this food are lying. I know that is a pretty bold assertion. I suppose, if you really like spicy food, there is some room for believability, but just barely.

But, fear not. I’m not going hungry. The international volunteers get food cooked in a more familiar style, and some of it is actually quite nice. And, the snack food you can by off the street is, dare I say, even delicious. This is the saving grace of West African cuisine for me. There is always fresh pineapple, juicy papaya, hot butter cookies, doughnut holes just out of the fryer and salty plantain chips. Oh, and there are these little coconut cookies, that are like greasy multicolored macaroons that are quite a sugary little treat when you need it. I haven’t gotten sick of this snacky stuff yet and I’d even go so far as to say that I’ll miss it when I leave.

** For the record, I'm sure those who have grown up on this food find it delightful. In fact, the last time we cooked for some Liberian friends (pasta in pesto) they politely ate it, but I'm know, from their exchagned glances and unfinished portions, that they found it entirely too bland and nearly unpalatable.