So FOOD

Hello Family, Friends, and Friendly Neighborhood Stalkers!

So let's talk about food. Some really strong cons, but there are already some really good pros, too.

CONS:

Meat. I just don't trust it yet. I had some chicken the first night in Leo and got violently ill, so I've been a bit hesitant, although for all I know it had nothing to do with the meat. I had some meat in Ouaga, but even that seemed a little funky at times soooo, idk. We'll see.

Tô. The best word I can use to describe tô is gelatinous. I don’t know what it's made of, but its basically a white, gelatinous substance that looks like very finely ground grits with no flavor whatsoever. It's served with a sauce, and really it's the sauce that makes or breaks the meal if said meal is tô. Tô doesn't really do it for me no matter what the sauce, though, so oh well.

PROS: (in order of preference)

DEGGE. Oh my dear Je-Zeus, y'all, degge is the boooomb. Description to come, but you should know that degge is a big part of my life these days, and it has become very important for my quality of life.

After the first training session every day, Talia's host mom is usually right inside the gate of the training center ready to sell us degge for 200 cfa. Sometimes I deem it "a double degge day," because it's just that good, and I am just that weak.

For a while all I knew was that it was some sort of delicious yogurt based item, but Konfe told us that it's yogurt with millet that's been cut like couscous in it. I don't really know, and I don't really care. Cold, (slightly) sweet dairy - get at me.

Fun fact: degge is sold in little plastic baggies (sachets), as is other yogurt that you can get at a boutique, or peanut butter, or any number of other things. It BLEW MY MIND when I learned that a sachet of water is 16 oz - AKA AN ENTIRE BOTTLE OF WATER!!! I'll post a pic sometime of a sachet so y'all can be similarly surprised/impressed.

Beignets. When I posted about Life in Leo the other day, these were still a new addition to my life, but they have since become a regular thing, and I very much support it. Something about fried dough, man - can't go wrong. I've also become a bigger fan of the little spice that's sometimes sprinkled on top! I think it's just some kind of mild pepper or something, but it is delish.

Benga. Apparently this is just the Moore word for "beans," in which case it's an apt term for the dish. Also I hear there are different varieties, but I only ever eat it at this one place right outside the training center, so I'm going to stick with what I know. First, the Benga Lady scoops up a beans/rice mixture, which I would guess has been cooked together because the rice has turned the color of the beans. (into a bowl) Next, she adds a scoop/handful of a very finely ground/shredded grain, which is almost looks similar to the tempura bits that some sushi places put on top of crunchy rolls - but verrrry verrryyy fine, so it's not crunchy at all, just looks like some weird powder/shredded stuff.

Anyway. Next she puts a little bit of diced onions on top, before adding a splash of oil and some salt. It's so simple and I don't know why it's so delicious, but IT IS.

Riz gras. If it's not tô (and sauce) for dinner, usually it's (white) rice with sauce, but the other option is riz gras. It looks and tastes very similar to chicken jambalaya, so I'm into it. Really, besides tô, food here isn't all that strange - just a lot less variety.

xo, chlo