Sunday, April 27, 2008

More Tonga Food....



A bunch of volunteers are visiting Nuku'alofa for "in service training". I haven't seen them for several months, so we all go out to Chinese food. The other islands (except Vavau) don't have restaurants so this is a big treat.

My steamed rice arrives and I dump it to for a neat little dome on my plate. In the top of the dome lies a steamed roach. Everyone peaks at it. I eat it.

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I stop by my house to grab stuff to take to the guest house for the training. I hear shouting from kids outside. There are a half dozen boys wading in the neighbors flooded yard. They are beating the water with sticks.

"What's up?" I ask.

"Tuna Tuna!" they reply.

There are giant eels in my neighbors yard. They are called "Tuna" in the local tongue. They hold one up. It is perhaps four foot long and thicker than my arm. And I've been working out so my arm ain't too skinny.

I ask if they "kai" (eat) it?

In response a kid takes the still squirming eel and takes a big bite out of it. Yum!

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I cycle to the Peace Corps to check for mail. The Economist for this week has not arrived. I wander into the administration building to check for packages. My friend Lois has been trying to send me something since around Christmas, and the prior attempt(s) have been stolen.

I have a huge box. It is prominently labeled "Books - Reading Material". In other words, "nothing in here worth steeling."

It worked. I get the package. Inside is a nice blue T-Shirt of a quality not available here. Good.

In the bottom of the box is a wooden box labeled "Made In Texas". It has a tongue-in-groove top and I slide in back.

Inside, packaged like a necklace from a jeweler, there sits a beautiful pecan pie. Honest.

I show the other volunteers. I see tears in their eyes. It is an emotional moment for us all.

We will all be staying together at the guest house tonight and we'll finish off the pie.

Thanks Lois!!!!!!

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Election Day in The Kingdom

The roads are jammed with cars. Today is one of the election days here in The Kingdom. Here is my understanding of what is happening.

There are about 67,000 commoners registered to vote for 9 members of parliament. These will be the peoples reps.

Although there are no defined political parties, (parties are illegal), there is a pro-democracy group and a couple other groups.

Yesterday the 29 Nobles elected 9 Nobles members of parliament. All 9 must be selected from the 29 nobles.

There are a total of 34 members of parliament and a bunch of ministers. They are all selected directly by the King.

So 9 out 34 are elected by the people. All of the ministers are appointed by The King. Are we clear?

The government has cracked down hard on the press here. No real open political discussions. Definitely no rallies, no debates etc.

Everyone here can tell you anything about Obama of Clinton, but what is happening locally is a bit of a mystery.

Oh - and each ballot is coded with a number identifying the voter. My Tongan colleagues are shocked that voting in the US uses secret ballots.

The Economist has a good review of the election on their website.

Takes a bit of getting used to...

Transportation Update

I drop my bike off with Niko, the old man in a house near the Peace Corps. The cranks are wobbling all over the place. I know this is a worn out bottom bracket.

I am biking about 300 miles a month. Thanks to my sister for sending a bike computer so I can keep track. I am on my third seat. Yup - I've broken two seats. My rear tire is almost worn to the cords.

After leaving the bike with Niko, I walk back to work. Within a few hundred meters of the office my flip-flops tear. They are completely unrepairable. I stop at a China Shop (what we call the small shops if they are run by a Chinese person.) He has no size 13s but he has 12s in white for TOP$8.50 and a cheaper pair in black for TOP$3.50. I get the black, they are tight, but they sorta work.

I had assumed that large sizes would be common here, but I have discovered that despite huge feet, they wear smaller sizes. Their feet are just wide. There are no size 13s here.

I return after 4 and Niko has the bike waiting. He has actually rebuilt the bottom bracket and replaced a ball bearing. In the states we would just replace the entire cartridge, so I am hoping this will hold up for at least another 750 miles or so.

But for now it is nice to be able to stand and sprint when I need to get through a roundabout before getting smashed by a van that fails to yield.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Finally - A House

View from my kitchen door, through my carport to my neighbors.
Past the fence is a pigpen and the remaining slab of a house burned in the 16/11 riots.
My new digs. Could be the home of the Cleavers. (I know most of you are too young to remember "Leave it to Beaver", sorry.)

Click on the above pics for a high resolution glimpse into my world!

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I've been at the campsite for four months. This has taken its toll, and my attitude has been gnawed away for each of those hundred plus days.

I finally have a house. A very nice house. It even has a super nice washing machine!

The neighborhood is interesting... It is at sea level, although a long ways from the coast. The water beneath my neighbors house is permanent. There are even small fish. The neighbor also has a small pharmacy in his front yard. Trust me - It is not competition for Walgreen's.

The roads are a string of connected potholes this time of year. During the raining season they are more like canals.

The Pig Sty to one side of the house has a small shack or corrugated steel. The neighbors who live there had a large two story house, but it was burned in the 16/11 riots. I don't know yet what singled them out. They plan to rebuild using one of the foreign aid loans for riot victims.

The neighborhood is a hodgepodge of nice homes and shacks. Most have Sky Satellite TV. I fall asleep to the blaring of "Dragnet -The Movie" from a neighbors house. Dum da dum dum.

It would be a mistake to judge the wealth or poverty of the occupants by their houses. The Kingdom, for many cultural and legal reasons, does not have private property rights in the same sense that westerners are accustomed. This is the single biggest reason their economy is one of the worst in the world. There is no incentive to invest in building a nice house if you don't really own it. This particularly challenging for businesses as their lease terms drop to twenty or ten years they will no longer invest.

The inside is well furnished and could be a house in the States. It even has hot water and good water pressure provided by a pump. Of coarse the hot water is currently not working, but I hope to get it fixed soon. And I need to go into the back yard to turn the pump on and off when I need to use it. This should also be fixed soon.

I have a washing machine. This replaces my blue bucket. I have done two loads and can't get over the difference it makes. Cloths feel and smell different. And the spin cycle drys the cloths. When I hang them they already feel dry. When I take them down they aren't moldy. It is a miracle of modern technology.

I am about two miles from the market, so the several trips I need to make each Saturday back and forth with my backpack full of local fish and fruit (currently guavas) is a bit of a ride.

An Australian Youth Volunteer drove me between the houses. They are similar to Peace Corps on the surface, but have a heck of a lot more trust and freedom (and food allowance) from their government. Several have cars and they are all allowed to drive. I use them when we need a lift. They are the fun group here, and I hang with them as much as I can get away with.

It remains to be seen if this beautiful new house will pull me back up from the abyss. I have already had my first two nights of decent sleep since arriving in Tonga, but I fell as though I've been hiding in a foxhole with shells exploding around me for months and it maybe too late.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

Finger lickin good!





Peace Corps Volunteers never turn down free protein.

I use the nice pan my sister sent me. She didn't like that I was using an old corned beef can as a rice cooker. The new pan is real fancy, I'm sure that if I had the original packaging there would be a note from the marketing firm that it is a perfect pan for cooking arthropods of all types.

The molokou spent a few hours in the freezer as I ran around town on Saturday morning. The entire town closes around noon and doesn't reopen until Monday, so this is my only shopping time.

I use canola oil. I'm health conscious and try to avoid the generic 'vegetable oils' that are common here. They are mostly tropical oils such as palm. Artery cloggers.

The oil looks pretty hot. He is curled in the bottom of the plastic cup. I pick him out with my fingers, he is cold but not frozen, and into the bath he goes!

Splatter pop pop. As he heats up the steam inflates his shell and he straightens out like an inflated inner tube. Splash! The steam escapes and I dodge an eruption of hot oil. Without the internal pressure he returns to the convenient curl and just hisses a bit.

I give him less than a minute. Al dante.

I look up, there is a Tongan looking in my window. He moves on.

Off with the gas.

I look close. His fangs are now spread wide and fried into place.

Well, no use waiting for it to cool!

Munch Munch - Not bad - Tastes like the fried fiddler crabs you get in Tokyo.

I wonder if I can get some of local kids to find me twenty or more of the full size molokaus. That would be a great appetizer if I ever get a house and have a housewarming party...

BTW - I had felt a cold coming on in the morning on Saturday. It was better by evening and today is gone. The Peace Crops Volunteer who lives the life has an immune system that is right up there with a junk yard dog. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Here is the recipe I posted on a super secret internal bulletin board for Tongan PCVs only:

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Fried Small Arthropod - (Molokau Fakapaku)

Ingredients -

One or more of the larger local land dwelling arthropods. Molokau is best, but like all good cooks it pays to be adventurous. The really big roaches and giant spiders should work just as well.

A healthy frying oil such as Extra Virgin Olive or Canola. Avoid tropical oils such as coconut or palm. (Saturated fats!)

Preparation

Make sure the meat is clean. Do NOT eat a critter that has been soaked in Mortein! Catch it alive. Since the meat may not volunteer to be your appetizer, you should place it in the freezer until it is either immobile or dead. Remember, depending upon your choice of arthropod, these little buggers (ha ha) may be of the biting variety.

Heat oil to early smoke.

Drop in the critter. Watch for steam releases that will splash oil. I would recommend eye protection when frying.

Cook until the spattering slows noticeably. Al dante.

Remove.

Eat while still hot! Cocktail or horseradish sauces are the most appropriate. Pair with a dry white wine.

Friday, April 4, 2008

A bit more revenge

My daughter calls and wakes me up. This is strange since it is about 08:00 and I never sleep past 05:00 here, even though today is Saturday. I know I am puke (pronounced pookay, but yes... this is where the American word Puke comes from.) After getting a quick but much appreciated update on her wonderful life I face the slime in my bathroom.

The drain is 100% plugged and the ensuing pool of water has grown a slime film on the tile. This does NOT feel good squishing between my toes when I shower. The Peace Corps is doing health checks this week and they plan to inspect my wonderful campsite to be sure I am keeping it clean and healthful. I need to get rid of this or who knows what kind of bad thing will happen to me.

I dump about $10 of chlorine bleach into the slime and open the outside door. The gap beneath the door has been the only drain for my bathroom since it plugged. (And yes... I have told my landlord, the last time was yesterday. I have also informed my employer and the Peace Corps. Self sufficiency is required here.)

I use a mop to swab the breaking down slime out the door. It stinks of chlorine and slime, but that is better than just slime. I do this as often as I can afford and I know that later a few dollars worth of pine cleaner will give it all a nice clean pine fresh scent. (With overtones of human waste and slime...)

I am going slow, since I am a bit sick, but I move on to the laundry. My washing machine is the blue bucket mentioned in my prior post. I fill it with soap and water and kneed to loads of cloths. Then I repeat to rinse them.

After I put them in the dryer (ie hang them on a line outside) I return to clean up my kitchen sink.

There is a little 3 inch molokou gurgling by the sink. He must have been sleeping in my dirty clothes and gone along for the ride. Still alive, but much the worse for wear. At least the little bastard never got his fangs into me.

I put him is a recycled disposable plastic cup (I don't actually dispose of anything here that can be used again) and drop him into my freezer.

Next time I have hot oil on the stove I will post just what fried molokou tastes like.