Senegalese cuisine

During my time here in Senegal I have been spoiled with many delicious fish dishes, but I had never actually seen where all the lovely fish came from until last week. I went to the local fish market where the fishermen return around 5 or 6pm with the daily load of fresh seafood in their colourful pirogues. Well, I guess the picture talk for themselves. Although I was completely ripped off (as a toubab I was charged 5 times as much as the locals...) it was great fun to be part of the vibrant crowd, and the six small, red fish i bought were tasty!

This weekend we celebrated the birthday of Cecile's youngest, Mary Jeanne. She turned 11. Here they don't give presents for birthdays, they give hair. So the big event of the day was a trip to the hairdresser with mummy. Later a big lunch was prepared and the house was packed with family members although it was just a small part of the huge family that was present for the birthday. We had 'poulet yassa', which is chicken with rice and a sauce based on onions and olives. Believe it or not, I ate some chicken! Let me put it this way, the aunt was quite insisting! Generally, people are quite concerned about 'la petite toubab' and her eating habits. If you have a skinny family member it means that your family is poor, so it is very important that I start working on my 'fondé' (= behind) apparently. So I really had to put it away. The sauce was also really delicious, but chicken is still not my friend... Below a picture of some of the family eating from a big, shared plate.

Otherwise, last week was quite busy at the office for me. ENDA had two messieurs from Risø (Denmark) visiting. They were here to perform a workshop and to gather information on the outcome of a big programme initiated in collaboration with, among others, ENDA. I had the pleasure of following the two colleagues of Gordon all week, participating in numerous interviews with small energy entrepreneurs, micro financing institutions, and specialists in renewable energy. I even had the opportunity to be the translator for the minister of energy in Senegal! It was a good and efficient way to get an insight into the methodology behind developmental programmes, and to get an understanding of how an NGO functions in real life. More of that, please!