bon appétit!

A few people asked me before we left England what vegetables we’d be able to buy here in Benin, and I had to admit that I wasn’t too sure. Well, I can now answer, at least in part! There is a woman who comes selling fruit and vegetables at our door, and my neighbour Miriam told me that although she is more expensive than the market, it is worth it to save the journey. Last week I bought lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, onions, garlic, green beans, an avocado pear, potatoes, mangoes and eggs. Ok, so the last aren’t fruit or veg, but they are mostly definitely a local product! This week the same selection of vegetables was available, with oranges, bananas and apples. The same woman apparently delivers up to the missionaries living in the North, where we’re going, though charging even higher prices because of the distance. It might be worth it though, since fewer vegetables can be grown up there where it is hotter and drier.

Simon loves mango, and when we eat it he chants, “More, please! Mango, please! More, please! Mango, please!” Benjy seems very put out to still be excluded at mealtimes. I don’t dare tell him that he has another seven weeks or so to wait!

The main meats that are eaten are chicken and beef … and when I was last here I ate guinea fowl too. The beef is a lot tougher than we’re used to, and we’ve had to invest in dental floss and toothpicks! Fish is available, though this far up the country it is generally dried fish. We can also get tinned tuna, at a price!

Many Western products are available if you are willing to pay high prices. We have bought in some tinned food for now, but I am hoping that as we get used to the local produce we won’t need to use it so much. We can buy Thai rice too, in large quantities, and with Simon’s passion for rice I suspect we will continue to buy it on a regular basis!