Fu Fu Day

It finally happened.  The Elders decided to have a special "P" day (preparation day when they have the day off to clean, wash, shop and get ready for the  upcoming week).  They decided to get together and play futbol (soccer) and then have a special treat -- a fufu lunch.  As I mentioned in an earler blog, fufu is the traditional main meal most Africans exist on.  It is made of cassava and plantain which is mashed down with a huge mallet for hours, until the starch breaks down and becomes a gooey ball, then cooked with no water to become an even gooier ball.  It is then submerged in a soup or stew that has been cooking for hours and has who-knows-what in it.  The big pot is placed in the center of those eating and everyone sticks two fingers in the dough and then scooping up some stew, puts it in their mouth and swallows without chewing.

I found out later that all of the Elders were taking bets as to whether or not Sister Thayne would eat fufu.  I should have known something was up when two of the neighborhood kids showed up with two live chickens for the Elders. They took them over to Auntie Mary, the wonderful woman who lives in a mud hut next door. Little did I know then they were to be the main ingredient in the stew.  Auntie Mary spent literally hours pounding the plantain and the cassava roots into the fufu dough.

I was amazed at what great soccer players all of the Elders are.  They were quite incredible and it turned out to be a very competitive match.  Then it came time for the "fufu dinner". 

Forcing mayself to forget the live chickens that were now floating in the stew, we actually broke down and tried this Ghanaian main meal.  The stew was actually quite tasty, but a little spicy, and the fufu dough was tasteless, just plain gooey.  I do have to admit, that much to everyone's objections, Elder Thayne and I ate our fufu out of our own private bowls.