May 6, 2004
"Camp Chow"
by Jennifer Scheibling

Anyone who's ever lived for an extended period of time in the field knows the importance of food to the morale of everyone in camp. Here at "camp fossa" women from the local village (Ambodimanga) cook three meals a day for us, and they do a wonderful job!!

At the coreof every meal, including breakfast, is rice. Usually, in addition to the rice is one or two side dishes or toppings. These side dishes can include any of the following: beans (my personal favorite), chicken (on the bone), fish (usually tilapia), zebu (the local cattle), various stews (made with ground zebu and mixed vegetables) andmashed squash.

Breakfast is usually a little different thanlunch or dinner meals. The rice is slightly more watery which gives it the consistency of oatmeal. Not suprisingly, this is also what the rice tastes mostly like. With a little sugar of sweetened condensed milk it's not half bad. The side dish forbreakfast is usually french fries or some form of zebu. To drink there is hot tea or coffee.

A traditional Malagasy drink with lunch or dinner is rice tea. When the rice for a meal is done cooking the rice that sticks to the bottom of the pot is used to make this tea. Water is thrown into the pot and boiled and voila, rice tea. It kind of has the look of dirty dishwater but supposedly itis pretty good (I personally haven't tried it yet).

Every now and then we also get salad with our meal whicheveryone thouroughly enjoys. The salads are made of grated cucumber, and carrots and chopped up onions and tomatoes. The dressing is simple; oil and vinager but it is delicious.

Occasionally oranges are served as a refreshing and much appreciated desert, sincefruit is hard to come by here. Ironically, the oranges here are green in color.

All in all there have been no complaints so far about our meals here at camp and we always eagerly anticipate what we will be served up next.