Food and Muckety-Mucks

A lesson learned in the U.S. and reaffirmed in Cameroon is that food is almost always good when VIPs are present. When in a foreign country, heed this advice well and be prepared to eat a lot at such events, since you'll want to savor the goodness while you can.

I shouldn't be so dramatic. The food here isn't actually that bad, but just like anywhere, it can become monotonous. The biggest adjustment that my friends and I have had to make is to consuming what seems like our weight in carbs and starches every day - bread, rice, plantains, corn, noodles, manioc (otherwise known as cassava, which actually is disgusting and has absolutely no nutritional value), etc. Luckily we do enough walking every day to make up for it. When we have meat, it is generally fish (bass or mackerel), but since we're not near the coast yet, it's not that great. No part of the fish is wasted, so I've eaten more fish heads than I care to remember. My grandfathers should be proud. Chicken and beef are good when you can get them, but I probably only eat one or the other once or twice a week. We're not supposed to eat raw vegetables for health reasons, and the cooked ones I come across are generally green beans or greens. Also, beans of all types are fairly common. That only leaves one category...

Fruit! I can safely say that I am in fruit heaven, and if you know me, you know that I am therefore a very happy camper. Pineapple, bananas, oranges, lemons, clementines, avocado, etc. And mango season is about to start. Mmmmmm... Word of caution: splitting a pineapple with a friend for lunch sounds like a great idea at first, but be wary of ingesting so much acid at once. But it's so tasty!

While we were in Dschang, we visited a chefferie about an hour's drive away and spoke with the chief for several hours. Throughout Cameroon, the traditional governments headed by chiefs are often maintained, though the chiefs themselves hold little political power anymore. The chief we visited was very progressive/liberal (after all, he wanted to take the time to speak with a bunch of American students), and he also had very good food.

The other dining highlight of the trip was in Bamenda, a city in the Anglophone region of Cameroon. While we were there we met with John Fru Ndi, the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front (SDF), the main opposition party in Cameroon. He has led the party for 17 years, only 10 years less than President Biya has been in power. Lots of good food and also lots of good stories - ask me when I'm back.

Closing thoughts: the cheap hole-in-the-wall places are generally where you can get the best food very quickly, and there is never a thing as too much fruit, as long as you consume a variety.


Love you all,
Kayce