I thought
Jollof rice was only available in Ghana, but I saw Jollof rice here in Sierra
Leone! I just realized that Jollof rice is a popular dish in West Africa. This
rice has some taste because it contains red pepper. Street Jollof rice had no
ingredients, but it is commonly with tomatoes, onion, salt, vegetable, meat,
and spice.
The side dish was meat soup(?) and it was spicy. I
liked it! Another good thing was I could have it with cheap price: 5,000 Leone
($1.15) whereas the shrimp food in the hotel café was 80,000 Leone ($18.44). It
is really ironic that hotels in Sierra Leone are for foreigners or travellers
who can afford to stay, not for local inhabitants.
I ate this meal for three-day in a row at night. I
should cook at this point, but I do not want to be bothered by cooking… Taking
a taxi to go to supermarket, buy stuff, come back home, cook, and wash dishes…
I just wanted to eat something cheap food to satisfy only my hunger.
Freetown Supermarket sells everything. Last Saturday, I came across my neighbor, Nephas, and we went to Freetown Supermarket. Foods in that place were almost exactly the same what I saw in the U.S., and I even saw Korean noodle, 신라면, which I can probably find any supermarket across the world. The prices were even higher than in the U.S., and I was hesitant to buy anything. I thought, “What is this supermarket for? For rich travellers? Can local inhabitants afford to buy food here?” I am curious where and how residents find food. I just wanted to understand Sierra Leoneans food life, not just finding noodles or U.S. food. However, I know that I cannot eat street food every day because I do not know how much my immune system endures brand new unfamiliar street food. When I was about to drink street water, Amadu stopped me and said, “This is not good for you!” Then, he bought a bottle of water for me. Maybe, trying to do the same thing that Sierra Leoneans do might be my greed. However, I do not want to be afraid of experiencing something that might have some risk because I am here in Africa, and I do still remember the idiom that “Do in Rome as the Romans do.”
Freetown Supermarket sells everything. Last Saturday, I came across my neighbor, Nephas, and we went to Freetown Supermarket. Foods in that place were almost exactly the same what I saw in the U.S., and I even saw Korean noodle, 신라면, which I can probably find any supermarket across the world. The prices were even higher than in the U.S., and I was hesitant to buy anything. I thought, “What is this supermarket for? For rich travellers? Can local inhabitants afford to buy food here?” I am curious where and how residents find food. I just wanted to understand Sierra Leoneans food life, not just finding noodles or U.S. food. However, I know that I cannot eat street food every day because I do not know how much my immune system endures brand new unfamiliar street food. When I was about to drink street water, Amadu stopped me and said, “This is not good for you!” Then, he bought a bottle of water for me. Maybe, trying to do the same thing that Sierra Leoneans do might be my greed. However, I do not want to be afraid of experiencing something that might have some risk because I am here in Africa, and I do still remember the idiom that “Do in Rome as the Romans do.”
No comments:
Post a Comment