Nha bariga grande!

In a valiant effort to stem the growth of my every increasing bariga (that's stomach for those that don't speak Kriolu), I have been attempting to cook healthier, better foods for us. Let me back up for a second and say that I've been cooking since we arrived, even during our homestay, and in general, I've done fairly well. However, during holiday time, times of stress, times of loneliness, a girl has been known to turn to a Mars chocolate bar for comfort. And the turns have been increasing.

It's not like it's easy to eat well here. There are no "boneless skinless chicken breasts" waiting for me in neat packaging at Wegmans. No "clean food movement" to provide me with organic free-range omega-3 fatty acid packed lamb. No jumbo sized vegetables overflowing the produce isle; hell, there aren't even any decent frozen vegetables to come by on this past shipment (I personally do not consider peas, corn or even really carrots real vegetables - the amount of sugar and starches outweigh the nutritional value). There are no low fat or low sugar products. We frequently can't find skim milk.

Here is what we have plenty of: fish (although most times we're not sure what type it is and therefore aren't sure how to cook it - my mom hated fish so I never learned to cook it anyway), chicken legs, rice (white), flour (also white), sugar, salt, white bread, lentils/beans (thankfully, though I'm still not used to eating so many carbs in a protein source), full fat yogurt, and lots of stuff in cans - corn, peas, tomatoes, hotdogs, other random processed meats. We also have processed cheese slices, white potatoes, ramen and other salt laden soup products, as well as a variety of cereals.

Usually, you can find some assortment of lettuce, onions, kale, cilantro, green peppers (here, they are the size of a plum), carrots, garlic, squash (though we don't really know what kind it is or how to cook it)...um...oh usually we have apples and oranges too. Sometimes tomatoes, though they are usually green. The biggest problem with all of these delights is that they are very, very expensive. The second biggest problem is that they are sporadic. One week we will be swimming in kale; the next entire month we're dry. Right now you can buy cilantro for about a buck a pound; give it a few weeks and we'll never see it again.

Being used to a high protein American diet (even lower protein diets in America are high protein for most of the rest of the world), my stomach and metabolism aren't used to sharing the calorie load with so much fat and carbs. I feel like I'm ALWAYS hungry and you can't whip up a healthy snack around here like you can at home. No 100 calorie snack packs, thank you very much. This accounts for my growing rear end (no need to mention the chocolate, I'm on it). This is apparently the norm for female Peace Corps Volunteers, especially in Africa; usually they gain a lot of weight their first year, and hopefully lose it their second.

So, as I said in the beginning, to prevent this downward spiral into stretch pants and men's clothing, I've been trying to cook better. This week we've made a vinegar based coleslaw sans oil, a Mexican bean salad and a warm lentil salad. My mom sent me a spice packet for White Chicken Chili, and to make it both last longer and be healthier, we added lentils, onions and canned tomatoes to the mix. It was fabulous. We're trying to eat fish twice a week, Josh has learned to take the skin off the chicken (and debone it, AND debone fish - go Josh!), we actually found light margarine, with the arrival of the spices from Josh's dad and the tea from my mom we're enjoying a little flavor and luxury. Our friend Tiffany FINALLY found soy sauce and is sending some our way next time a volunteer swings by. I'm trying (so far, successfully) to halt the brownie production. And although it is missed, the popcorn has had to go.

The most frustrating part of all this is that I KNOW how to eat well, how to prepare food that is healthy, with good fat, complex carbs, all that good stuff...but I don't have the resources to do it (including money). But with that frustration comes the learning of how difficult it is for Cape Verdeans to cook and eat healthy too, and why they rely on things like corn, rice, potatoes and beans for staples (cheap, filling, and some nutritional value).

So...if anyone has any "favorite" bean dishes, or lentil dishes, or 100 simple ways to prepare fish, send them our way! 'Cause while the "Mexican flavored EVERYTHING" right now is mighty tasty (given our current abundant supply of cilantro, which btw Josh now LOVES, and our recent procurement of a buttload of cumin), it's sure to get old sooner or later. Oh and KIM, if you can send us the recipe for the infamous Carrot-Ginger Cole Slaw we'd love you even more than we do now (if that's possible). Maybe someday we'll come across some ginger and raisins and it'll be close enough :o)

Ti logu,
Dove