Food.

My dog eats better food than many of the people I interact with on a regular basis. How can this be you ask? My dog eats fish or meat nearly every night with a large helping of milked-posho. The humans in my life eat posho and occasionally beans or greens, hardly ever meat. In Uganda, food is part of politics, community, family, celebrations, and social status. The heavier you are, the more wealth you have because if you are fat, you can afford the food. However, the majority of Ugandans eat the same thing every day: posho and beans.

Food is so central to cultural identity, community, etc. It is hard for two human beings to get together without eating or drinking something. Think about it! You invite someone to your house, you will defiantly offer a drink and perhaps offer food. Sometimes you will cook for hours for the perfect meal for your guest. It is the same in the office. You have a visitor come and you offer coffee, tea, water, and perhaps some soda. You would be rude not to.

This week I spent a few hours at the home of a friend’s mother out in the village. This woman is strong; she has raised her children, lost her husband, and is now raising many of her grandchildren. (This community is feeling the effects of AIDS!) She “digs” in her garden to get the food she needs to survive. As in any other culture, it is rude not to offer your guest anything to eat or drink when they visit. So we received warm milk, jackfruit, and boiled maize (still on the husk). The milk came from the cow that greeted (or moo’ed) at me as we approached her compound. The jackfruit came from the tree she owns, and the maize came from a friend who happened to walk by and stop to say hello. This could be the epitome of the fashion trend of eating locally grown food. (Disclaimer: I am totally for eating locally grown food- support the local farmer, eat healthy, etc.) However, eating locally grown food, for most people in the world, is normal. Eating imported food is not.

As a recovering food addict, I tend to think a great deal about food. I like food, I like the flavors of food, I like sharing food with friends and family around a good conversation, I like trying new food. Food sustains our bodies, food defines what culture we come from, where we grew up, and who we have become. I had a lot of fun socializing with my friends and this dear woman’s home. While the foods I ate that afternoon would never be offered to a friend in the USA, I am grateful for the food, the gesture of kindness, and the continuation of a universal human trait: socialization and food.

Since being in Uganda, I am mastering the art of cooking from scratch. For example, last night I spent nearly three hours making the following from scratch: salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips, and taco meet. I made four things, from scratch that a person in the west could get in ten minutes if they ran to the local taco bell. I think I was on a Mexican food kick this week because earlier I made flour tortillas and sautéed bell peppers and onions for a “make it yourself taco bar” effect. Unfortunately, we have no access to cheese and no sour cream.

Cooking in Uganda is not like cooking in the States. In the States you combine pre-made items to get another meal. Take for example spaghetti: canned spaghetti sauce (which in my opinion is terrible) plus some pasta that you pull of the shelf. Heat, boil, and whala! You have dinner in twenty minutes. If I wanted the same dish I would boil the tomatoes, deseed, juice, dice, heat, mash, season, reheat and eat. In addition, there is the process of making pasta (although I am fortunate to have access to pre-made pasta).

Access to food is also different. I have the means to buy essentially whatever I need to make my American food. My friends, they are not fortunate enough to even buy the food to make their national dish and instead opt for the less expensive food.
People are dying of starvation around the world. And my country is gorging itself on pre-made, pre-packaged, packed full of sodium, fast food and is also dying. We have people starving to death and we have people eating themselves to death. Perhaps someday we can find a balance in the middle and share a table full of fresh, healthy food that sustains our lives.