Venez manger! (Part Two)

This post is a continuation of yesterday's post, Venez manger! (Part One).  Hopefully, the indication of "Part Two" gave that away, but in case you were just too excited to read my new post, feel no shame.

III. Snacks, sweets, and street food
Dakar isn't the best place if you're craving a warm slice of apple pie or luscious piece of chocolate.  Even if you want potato chips, you'll have to go to a Western grocery store to find something of quality.  But if you're looking for a cheap bite without having to walk to far from you path, the street stands and in-let "boutiks" will get the job done.  Is it healthy?  Probably not.  Is it tasty?  If you know what to get.

The Simple Snack: Peanuts

On nearly every corner of the busy streets of Dakar, you'll find the yummy result of one of Senegal's biggest agricultural booms: peanuts.  Roasted in sand, de-shelled, and bagged, peanuts are a quick grab if you have spare change in your pocket.  Tiny bags are about 10¢ USD, bigger glass jars are about $3, and then there's everything else in-between.  Varieties include raw, roasted, crushed, and praline, the latter three being pictured above.

The Sugar-coated Delight: Beignets

"Beignet" is French for "fried doughnut."  I really need not say more but might as well for the fun of it (and because this post is fueling my appetite).  Around 4:30 pm until well after dark, beignet stands pop-up along the streets, behind which plump Senegalese women sit, rolling dough and stirring pots of hot oil.  Beignets are either made with white flour or the dark, sand-textured millet, and each are equally delicious.  They are usually further rolled in sugar or flaked coconut while still hot.  Such a great evening snack!  A pack of 4 typically costs about 30¢.

The Smell I Wake-up to Every Morning: Fatayas

The family next to us runs a fataya factory out of their kitchen.  Since my bedroom shares a window with their courtyard, it often smells like fataya factory too.  I wouldn't say this makes me happy, but I'm certainly not complaining either.  Anyhow, these heavy, meat-or-fish-filled pockets are more like a meal than a snack in my opinion.  Smaller versions are prepared by making tiny dough squares, filling them, and frying the little buggers in hot oil until crispy.  Larger fatayas are more sandwich-like where a fat, soft, salty beignet (pre-cooked) is sliced open and stuffed with hot meat and onion sauce.  A newspaper filled with 15 small fatayas is about $2 while a meal-sized, large fataya is just under $1.

The Cookie: Biskrem

A thick, vanilla wafer filled with Nutella-like chocolate paste.  That's Biskrem in a nutshell.  At any given location in Dakar, it would only take you about 30 seconds to find someone selling Biskrem.  Fruit stands, bread boutiks, NesCafe carts— everyone seems to have to a little multi-pack box somewhere in the corner.  The funny thing is, these little cookies aren't even Senegalese, let alone African.  They are Turkish.  But that doesn't matter.  They are about the same price as a pack of beignets.  But when the beignets aren't out yet and you need a quick sweet-fix, a cheap four-pack of Biskrem will get the job done. 

The Surprisingly Tasty Mush: Lakh

Not quite a "sweet" or a "snack," lahk only fits under the category of "street food" since you can buy it in a plastic bag from some random vendors in town.  More typically, families will eat it as meal at night.  Most students hate it, some don't.  I find it odd to admit, but yes, I actually enjoy eating a cup of soured milk poured over warm, slimy millet.  Maybe I've been away from quality oatmeal for too long, but this is the closest I've found in Senegal.  Slightly sweet and cinnamony, this West African dish turns away most with it's chunky texture and vomit-like appearance.  Seriously, once you get over the texture and the fact that your spooning soured milk into your mouth, you can really appreciate the flavor and warmth.  I personally wish it was served more often in my house but have only been offered it once or twice.  It's a much more common item in other students' homes.



IV. Drink up!
Just like the case of snack food, Senegal is not the place to come for satisfying beverages.  The coffee is powdered, the soda is too sweet, and most fruit "juices" contain no juice at all.  I tend to stick to water most of the time.  But nevertheless, there are a few drinks that cannot go unmentioned.

The Tea: Ataaya

Served in a tiny glass cup that resembles a shot glass, ataaya is the afternoon necessity of most Senegalese, especially the men.  It's super fancy preparation of tea leaves, mint, and sugar makes a frothy foam atop a thick, strong liquid.  Like many things in Senegal, it's definitely an acquired taste.

The Soda: Ananas

You know those photos that show the physical amount of sugar in each can of coke?  I can't imagine what one would look like if they made posters for Senegalese Ananas.  This bright yellow, sugary soft drink is a favorite of kids and adults alike, but it's a bit too sweet for me.  It does however taste a lot like pineapple.


The NesCafé Substitute: Kafé Touba

As I mentioned in my breakfast post, powdered coffee is really the only option for your morning kick, unless you're a tea drinker quite unlike myself.  However, there does exist a slight varient to powdered NesCafé: Kafé Touba.  Sold in tiny plastic cups from street carts and corner boutiks, this super-sweet, steaming-hot liquid is like a cross between black coffee and chai tea.  In reality, it's just black coffee Senegalese-style— lot's of sugar, lot's of spice.  I've asked my favorite boutik vendor what's in it besides powdered coffee and sugar, but the best answer I've gotten so far is a rough translation of "other stuff."  So I guess that's where I'll have to leave this description.  Other stuff.



The Good Stuff: Juice!

No, Juice! is not the brand of some artificially-colored and -flavored bag of Dakar sugar water (though I wouldn't put it past them).  I'm actually talking about real juice.  The exclamation point is too indicate my excitement and emphasis on the fact that I'm referring to the real juice.  Rather than apple, orange, or grape that American kids may like to sip-on, we in Africa get the delicious choices of bissap, pain de singe (baobab), mango, and ditak (my personal favorite, pictured above).  The house down the street from us makes fresh, homemade juices in their kitchen and sells a 1.5 L bottle for about $2.10.  A little expensive for normal Senegalese consumption, these juices are always a nice treat in my house.

Venez manger! (Part One)

So folks, as the weeks wind down, I've just realized that you are probably what I've been eating these last four months.  Though I mention it occasionally in passing posts, I would like to dedicate my two-weeks-to-go post to, yes, FOOD.  (Due to the lack of photogenicness of Senegalese cuisine as well as camera availability during meals, I take credit for most but not all the photos.)

I. Main Dishes

The traditional dishes in Senegal are based around the following staple ingredients: fish, chicken, sheep, rice, Moroccan couscous, and ground millet.  Sauces are frequently oil, tomato, and onion-based, spiced with garlic, paprika, mustard, and the famous orange "pimon" (pepper).  A few vegetables such as carrots, manioc, and potato are added to dishes but are considered more of garnishes than key ingredients.  If eating communal, the rice or couscous is first spread over the platter then the sauce and meat is poured atop.  You may eat either with the left hand or a large spoon.  If served as an individual dish, usually the starch will be served on a plate and the sauce in a separate bowl.  You would then spoon the sauce over-top the rice as needed.

The National Dish: Ceebujen

This big guy is the national dish of Senegal.  Whole fish is boiled in tomato sauce and served atop seasoned rice.  The rice is actually cooked in the tomato-fish broth rather than steamed traditionally, hence why it has a reddish color.  And this dish has veggies!  Usually, one of each vegetable is prepared per batch: carrot, potato, sour eggplant, manioc, and sweet potato.  The juice of the Senegalese pimon can be squeezed over-top the rice, or a pimon relish is served on the side.  I did not really like ceebujen when I first came to Senegal, but times have changed!  My family now saves a small pot for my dinner on Fridays since I can't make it home for lunch.

The Personal Favorite: Mafé

Chunks of meat (beef or sheep) are slow-cooked in a thick, medium-spicy brown sauce.  Peanuts are roasted and ground into a heavy paste that serves as the base of the dish.  Oil, garlic, and a diced potato or two later, this stew-like sauce is poured over rice or occasionally Moroccan couscous.  Mafé is usually made every Wednesday in my house, and I can usually sneak some after school.

The Sweet and Salty: Yassa

There are two choices for Yassa- poisson (fish) or poulet (chicken [pictured above]).  The protein is grilled over a charcoal fire then simmered in the sweet and salty Yassa sauce.  Onions, onions, onions with a splash of oil, mustard, lemon juice, and spice make this dish one of Senegal's easiest and tastiest dishes to prepare.  No vegetables in this guy, unless you count the french fries that sometimes replace the rice as the starch.

The One to Eat Just to Say You Did: Soupou Kanja








Not the most popular dish among foreigners, this seafood and okra-based meal is (literally) hard to swallow.  Its thick slimy texture and strong flavor overpower the bits of shrimp, lobster, and snail that swim around the bowl.  Served over rice or steamed millet, it's the dish you should order once just so you can say you've tried it.  You never know, maybe stewed okra is just your thing after all.  (Think the picture looks appetizing? The restaurant where I took it does a nice job of disguising it.)

II. The Ivorian Way

So as you may know, I actually live with a family from the Côte D'Ivoire.  They have lived in Senegal for quite some time and have a Senegalese maid, so as a result, I get the best of both worlds when it comes to African cooking!  Many of the staples are the same between Senegal and Côte D'Ivoire, but there are a few things you just won't eat in the normal Wolof home.

The One That Grew on Me: Attiéké

Mashed and steamed manioc is the staple of the Ivorian diet.  This pale yellow starch resembles rice in size and stickiness but tastes nothing like it.  Attiéké is chewy, slightly bitter, and easier to eat with your hands than a utensil.  A whole grilled fish and a raw onion vinaigrette are served on the side.  It took about two months, but this dish became one of my favorites.  The only problem?  The war in Côte D'Ivoire has prevented my family from acquiring their usual supply, so we ate our last attiéké meal about three weeks ago.  And just when I started loving the sticky yellow stuff...

The Occasional Treat: Aloco

A yummy little bonus of living in my house, aloco (fried plantains) doesn't need too much explaining!  Because they are native to Côte D'Ivoire rather than Senegal, plantains are an occasional but tasty side dish at dinner.  They usually have a slight fish and potato taste since all three are cooked in the same oil during preparation, but I try not to complain about the little things.  However, they are usually a little mushier than I like after sitting in a bowl on the counter for 2 hours.  My aunt likes to make them in substantial light, and when the power goes out, it's a little harder to fry plantains properly at 9 pm by candlelight.

To be continued...

My internship

Students in my program have the opportunity to participate in "internships" throughout Dakar if they so wish.  Like any other internship, our school lets us pick a domain and then contacts an organization.  About 5 or 6 of us have these stages (as we would say in French), many of whom teach English at local primary schools.  I work at the National Confederation of Senegalese Workers (CNTS), located on the southeastern side of the city.  Here's the friendly doorway!

The problem with these stages is that it takes about 2 months to find them.  First, the school has to send a written letter rather than calling or sending an email.  Senegalese are just old-fashioned like that.  But as a result it takes a long, long time to hear a response.  Then, you have to make sure your schedule is even compatible with the work hours of your site.  I was told I may have trouble since I have class every morning but Friday.  People don't tend to work much past 1pm here, and Friday is mosque day.

About half of the student like their stages, and the other half don't.  Some students actually get to do things, others just sit around in an office and pretend to observe.  This can be quite frustrating.  I don't really mind my stage, but it's frustrating to walk an hour each way for the minimal work I do.  Unfortunately, there isn't a bus or car rapide that goes on a direct route to my destination.

The CNTS is located in the Bourse du Travail of Senegal, which houses all the little offices of the members unions.  The facilities are not very great considering this is a national organization.  The courtyard is filled with broken down buses, and we are constantly the victims of power cuts.  There's a small little restaurant in the corner (aka a picnic bench inside a hanging tarp).  The CNTS has it's own little building to the left, and the rest of the unions are in the central structure or across the pathway surrounding it.  Each union is marked with a hand-written posterboard.  I'm pretty sure some of the pro-union kids in ILR would go nuts if they saw the working conditions here.

I work in the upstairs of the CNTS complex.  It's a small, metal building with posters glued to the walls.  We have a "conference room" with plastic patio chairs, a "waiting room" with no chairs what-so-ever, and a few different offices scattered around.  I'm pretty sure there's no bathroom.

I work in the room right outside the Secretary General (aka president)'s office.  We have a fax machine, two phones, a computer, an ancient Canon photocopier that is always out-of-order, and too many stacks of paper and binders to do anything with.  There's also an office chair that's missing it's back, but it's usually occupied by the Saliou, the Assistant to the Secretary General.  That's ok, because I prefer the plastic patio ones anyway.

So what do I do at my stage?  Not much.  People are always coming and going from the office, and Saliou is all over the place.  In reality, there's not much I can do since my Wolof sucks.  Sometimes, they leave me alone, and I have to answer the phone.  This is really no phone, but not only can I not understand the people's French who call in, I certainly can't reply when they speak Wolof to me.  Usually, they just hang-up.  And then call back because they think they mis-dialed the first time.  Nope, just the American intern here.

So though I often dread the walk (and walk home) on hot afternoons, my stage gives me something to do two days a week.  I also get to practice my Wolof, since that's the choice language of most blue-collar, Senegalese workers.  Every now and then, I met someone cool with whom I can have a great conversation in French.  And if I'm really lucky, I get to make photocopies!