"A banana, a meal in a peel" sounds like something I should hear in a Chiquita commercial. But there were no radios or TV within miles. Then I realized they were my own words, and I mumbled them over and over as I forced each succeeding bite of the grey mass into my mouth. Checking quickly to see that no one was looking, I managed to get a huge portion of the grated green banana concoction onto my coworker, Steve’s plate. Now I only had to hope he did not notice and force me to take it back. The green very sad look on his face communicated that Steve was not noticing anything. Anything but a huge pile of grated green banana.
Back in the land of McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken it is difficult to realize food in most parts of the world is much different than our own. Some people have even expressed surprise that missionaries can’t just skip down the trail and buy meat, turnip greens and grits.
The last time Katy bought a package of meat from our Tribal friends, it came tied with a vine, covered with salt to keep from spoiling, left in the sun to dry and left over the fire at night to smoke. It was more than three days old. Sticking out of the package was the animal’s claw. Katy’s idea was we could use the claw for toothpicks after the meal.
I think I have made my point. If you live with Tribal people you had better forget the McDonalds hamburgers and KFC. If you’re really into chicken, learn to enjoy the head and feet as well as your other favorite pieces.
The Embera tribe diet consisted of bananas plus what fish or game they were able to find. If there was no game or fish, they ate bananas….. For those of you who can’t wait to try this diet let me give you a few recipes I have seen and tried.
There should always be 10 to 15 stalks of bananas laying on the kitchen floor. They should be in varying degrees of ripeness or greenness. Most will be eaten green so keep a sharp eye. They will come in varying degrees of size, shape and color. Some will be 3 inches long and fat. Others will be up to 15 inches. Some will turn red when ripe and one type will be square rather than round. These bananas are called ‘squares" for those who collect trivia.
The most common way of cooking is to take a green cooking banana and peel it by giving sharp blows with a machete. If you can’t find the machete the baby is probably playing with it. Peel and boil the green banana until it is the same consistency of a boiled potato. This really isn’t too bad if you keep telling yourself that it is a potato.
After a few tries I found I could eat about half of the 10 or so the Embera ladies piled onto my plate. The others of course would somehow make it onto coworker Steve’s plate while he did his colors of green routine. Some would accidentally fall through the floor to the pigs and dogs underneath the house.
My favorite way to have cooking bananas is fried. And it is so healthy as well. Again, get the green banana and attack it with a machete. Then cut into 1 inch chunks. Deep fry in pig grease until lightly browned. Remove and smash sharpely between two rocks, return to grease and fry until golden brown. Delicious.
Roast banana is also popular. My favorite is the little fat 3 inch ones. Let them get very ripe and throw them into the coals to roast. When the peel splits open they are ready. Pick them up immediately and begin eating. Between bites you toss the hot roasted banana into the air to keep from burning your fingers..
One day, returning from a fishing trip, four of my tribal buddies and I ate a stalk and a half of these roasted bananas in one sitting. While waiting for the bananas to cook we ate a stalk of bananas the "American" way. In my mind’s eye, I can still see the five of us, eating little hot bananas and tossing them into the air to keep our fingers cool like a moving work of art. I still have dreams of this.
For the more courageous, there is the grated green bananas. Finely grate green cooking bananas, wrap in banana leaves and place on hot coals. With bare hands reach down every few minutes and turn. It is ready when it has reached the consistency of play dough. Something in the grating brings out the worst in a banana and the taste has a strong resemblance to the consistency.
When 3 year old Jeremy got a plate of this he immediately began to mold snakes, animals, baskets and other works of art kids make when playing with play dough. Since he had been known to eat play dough, it was not surprising to see him pop a piece into his mouth making the Embera happy. Learning to sneak it onto Steve’s plate came when he was older.
I don’t want to mislead you into thinking all they do is eat bananas. Sometimes they drink them. If too many ripe bananas get on hand, peel and throw them into a large pot, add water and boil forever. Remove and force the pulp through a sieve using dirty hands. Mix it until it looks like banana drink should look like and pass from person to person in a large gourd. This tastes great and I was sorry when the ten gallons of banana drink was gone.
I remember the time when I went several days with nothing to eat but bananas. Surprisingly it was not all the bananas I ate that sticks in my mind, but rather the hospitality of our Embera friends. Though they had little food , they gave freely of all they had. The smiles and nods of approval as I ate the grated banana gave me a renewed effort to learn to eat their food and to learn their language.
Food was just one thing that was different. Embera dress, housing, cleanliness and their way of looking at life, their world view, were just a few of the things that we missionaries label, cultural differences.
How easy it can be to offend in some way. Missionaries need your prayers for wisdom, adaptability and grace to let God’s love shine through while living in different cultures.
"I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." I Cor. 9:22