Friday, October 5, 2012

Haitian food

A typical week's menu of the food we are eating might consist of the following:

Monday
Breakfast: Spaghetti with ketchup
Lunch: Corn flakes and milk
Dinner: Beans and rice with fish broth

Spaghetti with ketchup

Tuesday
Breakfast: Spaghetti with ketchup
Lunch: Porridge of flour, water, and sugar
Dinner: Beans and rice with hot dog broth

Beans and rice with hot dog broth

Wednesday
Breakfast: Patés
Lunch: Roll of buttered white bread and milk
Dinner: Beans and rice with fish broth

Patés

Thursday
Breakfast: Cornmeal mush flavored with chicken broth
Lunch: Popcorn
Dinner: Beans and rice with fish broth

Cornmeal mush

Friday
Breakfast: Spaghetti with ketchup
Lunch: Cornmeal mush with fish broth
Dinner: Beans and rice with hot dog broth

Cornmeal mush with fish broth

Saturday
Breakfast: Spaghetti with ketchup
Lunch: Porridge of flour, water, and sugar
Dinner: Beans and rice with fish broth

Beans and rice with fish broth

Sunday
Breakfast: Local fruit selection (mango, papaya, avocado, banana)
Lunch: Spaghetti with ketchup
Dinner: Beans and rice with fish broth

Local fruits

I love everything except the spaghetti! It's not the taste of the spaghetti per se, just the fact that it's wheat and doesn't particularly agree with me. I could eat the cornmeal mush and the beans and rice (with whatever broth) every day. So far I haven't gotten sick of them, but a number of the other Americans who have been here longer than me say, "Oh, just you wait." I don't know...I don't see my repetition tolerance wearing out anytime soon on these dishes.

However, notably absent from the menu are fruits and vegetables, so we try to supplement for ourselves by getting our own personal stash of fruit from the market. Going to the buffet here at Club Indigo is also a nice way to get fruit, vegetables, and meat, but it is quite pricey to eat there, so we don't do it often. Breakfast, for instance, offers omelettes, fresh fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, bacon, egg casserole, homemade donuts, muffins, coffee, juice, hot chocolate, and some typical Haitian dishes (they had a "soupe giromond" the day I went).

Breakfast at the Club Indigo buffet

In addition to the above "regular food," we tend to go a step above when we have mission teams come down. Here was one mission team meal:

"Picklies," patés, watermelon slices, bananas, avocadoes
I have also eaten some gorgeous concoctions a couple of times at local restaurants.

Gourmet hamburger at a local restaurant

Sauteéd Conch--illegal to serve in the US

14 comments:

  1. wow...It doesn't sound like there is a lot to eat....Popcorn for lunch? And can I ask why you eat the spaghetti for breakfast and the cornflakes for lunch??? haha strange stuff...

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    1. But a little less to eat is gooooood for me! :-) You can ask why we eat spaghetti for breakfast and cornflakes for lunch...but I can't answer, because I'm not the cook! :-)

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  2. A mí también me extraño comer los palomitas para el almuerzo..No es una comida muy fuerte...Ni se que decirte...Espero cuando vuelvas no estés muy delgada..jeje..Un besito para mi Reki

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    1. De hecho, yo no estaba cuando sirvieron los palomitas... pero era mejor que el día que sirvieron 2 Pringles!

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  3. Gracious goodness, girlie! I'm so thankful that God gave you a hearty constitution! May He continue to give you strength to serve and light up the darkness!
    Love you!

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    1. God gave me the hearty constitution, and you gave me the adventurous taste buds! Thanks to both of you for preparing me so effectively for missionary eating.

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  4. Oh my... so incredibly familiar! :) I actually have a similar post on my blog, as well. :)

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    1. Yes, I loved the fact that you posted that! It helped mentally prepare me for the idea of spaghetti for breakfast. :-)

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  5. Spaghetti for breakfast might not be so bad, if not for the ketchup, cold pizza is not so bad either. I am glad you have the Club Indigo now and then. I do think of the women who wash, I do wish they had some industrial sytle washing machines.
    Love you,
    Jill

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    1. Actually the spaghetti doesn't taste bad at all with ketchup, though if you don't like it you can usually just eat around the small area that has ketchup and have the noodles plain. Mmmmm....cold pizza! Yum!
      Love you, too, Jill!

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  6. Clay eats spaghetti all the time! Thanks for blogging your trip!

    Kyla

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    1. He would do great in Haiti then! Who knows what God is building him for in the future?

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    2. When I told him that you did it too he said, cool! I want to go to Haiti!

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  7. I've lived in haiti for 7 years and have never eaten that poorly. You are noy getting any good nutrition eating that. The only way I could see you eayibg that is if you are very poor. Your eating on less than 5 dollars U.S per week. It's time to get another cook.

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