Monday, Oct 21 - Lessons in cooking and setting the table

Colleen asked if she could help the cooks as she beginss to pick up a little Kreyole.  They were cooking "bouillon", a kind of soup.  They began with chicken broth and water, added green onions, and spinach, as well as carrots and potatoes and malanga (I still don't know what that is.  It looks like a root vegetable, maybe related to sweet potatoes?).  They showed us how they peeled the vegetables with a knife.  Colleen tried, but they were very worried that she would cut herself so they would not let her try.  Their way is different; they don't use cutting boards, but rather cut holding carrots or potatoes in their hands.  I know I would feel all thumbs if I tried to chop vegetables that way!  They tasted the broth by cooling a little in a wooden spoon and then pouring a few drops into the palm of their hands.  They added a spice mixture that contained salt, MSG, garlic powder and a few other spices.  Finally, they made a kind of dumpling.  Fenise showed us how to make them by adding salted water to some flour, mixing to a sticky consistency.  More flour is added until the dough begins to hold together when you roll a tablespoon full between your palms.  They come out shaped like little crescents and are put in the broth.  They make sure to boil the broth hard, both to cook the vegetables as well as to kill any microbes.  We stirred the large cauldron vigorously over the charcoal fire to make sure it didn't stick or burn and it was ready for dinner.

Learning to set the table:
In Haiti, because everything is pretty much open, everything is covered to prevent dust or bugs from falling in.  To set the table, first the silverware is placed in the middle of the placemat and this is covered with an inverted plate.  Next, if there will be soup, the inverted soup bowl is placed on the plate.  In the morning, saucers are placed to the left of the plate with the coffee cups inverted on the plates.  Finally a glass is placed to the right of the plate and a napkin is rolled into a kind of funnel and placed in the glass.  Voila!  Food is brought to the table and is covered with inverted plastic baskets which serves to keep any flies off.  Every meal begins and ends with a prayer, either sung (Mange sa a) or spoken.  Fr. KK begins ;by wishing everyone "Bon Apeti"t, and ends by wishing everyone "Bon Digestion" which always makes me smile!