Monday, October 15, 2007

Pot Pourii Stew

Day 18
Weight: 220 lbs.
Food Intake:
  • Breakfast:
    • small cup of mango juice
    • polenta (grits)
  • Lunch:
    • glass of sweet tea
    • 2 tacos
    • stewed beef and vegetables
    • corn bread with beans
    • some fried flat bread with honey and cinnamon
  • Dinner:
    • small cup of pineapple juice
    • pot pourii stew
    • jalapeno corn bread

Slept very well last night. I've started snoring again. I think 218 is the magic "snore" number. After a bowl of the usual polenta with mango juice, I continued laying mud bricks onto the storage building. This would be a nice building. It should help keep provisions dry.

At noon, we were treated to a new dish. Tacos, beans, meat and vegetables. I have a feeling that this was mostly leftover food from the feast turned back into a new meal. These people wasted very little. The dessert was interesting. Cinnamon and honey coated flat bread. Very tasty.

By the end of the day, I had a few rafters in place. Most of the masonry was done. Dinner time brought a new dish. It smelled absolutely wonderful while it was being cooked. It reminded me of a Kirkland store at the mall around Christmas time. It looked a lot like Mom's beef stew. As for the taste ... well, close your eyes and try to imagine eating beef stew with potatoes, except it tastes like a Kirkland store smells at Christmas. That is why I call this dish "pot pourii stew". It had brown rice, plantains, okra, onion, squash, dates, and almonds in it, flavored generously with cinnamon, ginger, and clove with some jalapeno cornbread on the side. It was very filling, but I think I'd have to eat it a lot to get used to it. It just didn't taste like something you'd eat. Sure made the village smell good though.

As the moon was setting, several of the young men gestured for me to follow them down to the beach. When we got to the beach it was very dark. I began coughing, but looked out into the water and thought I saw lights. Perhaps a ship? Then a large wave welled up. It was lit from one end to the other like a neon sign. The water was full of a phosphorescent algae bloom. That's why I was coughing. Irritating fumes in the sea spray. That would also explain a lot of the dead fish I saw washed up on shore. They were experiencing a "red tide". I had heard that those things could cause a good amount of irritation if you swam in them, but had only killed people who'd eaten contaminated seafood. I hiked back to my hut in the village and drifted off to sleep, thankful that I was high above the ocean breeze tonight.

2 comments:

peggy at the lake said...

Wow Garry, lots of things have taken place since I last read your blog about "The Feast"! Sounds like you have a lot "going good" for you there on the island--even your own "work group" to help build important things there! You are quite the "yarn spinner" of great and interesting tales--keeping all your readers in suspense for the next episode! Happy Blogging----as someday you may be the new "best seller list" with your fantastic way with words!

Unknown said...

Ahhh. The "red tide" would explain the lack of seafood. Too bad, seafood is wonderful. Seeing your menus with juice at every meal reminds me of being abroad. When I was in Colombia, juice really was served with every meal. It's easy to make, and tastes better than water. It was actually a common practice to put milk in with the juice, which tastes better than it may sound. My favorite drink while I was there was "Mora con leche" (Mora with Milk). Mora is very similar to blackberries.