"So you are a munyarwandakazi from USA"- HC

I just discovered one of the greatest pleasures in Rwandan life. Those of you who know me well know I’m not a big fan of American sweet corn. Rwandan corn, ibigori, is a different story. My neighbor brought me corn fresh from their field this morning and I spent my morning next to my charcoal stove, eating grilled corn like a true Rwandan. Ibigori is not sweet and fresh or old, it’s basically a win-win situation. When it’s fresh, it’s so juicy that it pops and sizzles over the imbabura. If it’s old, it’s chewy and tastes like popcorn. What a perfect meal.

I was recently reminded that American spend about 10 cents to every $1 on food but for Rwandans, the fraction is certainly much higher. It’s time for a blog completely devoted to food. I am surprised I have not yet done so as it is such an important topic.

Most Rwandan families farm at least a portion of their food, like my neighbor who brought me food. She’s also a school teacher. Komera Komera. It is polite to ask someone when first meeting them, “What food do you grow?” Up here in the north, the common crops are potatoes, beans ($.50/kg), sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes ($.50/kg), cabbage ($.05), pineapple ($.5), tea and avocado ($.05). They are everywhere you look in every direction. No land is wasted here and only the steepest land is left uncultivated. Crops are grown in small plots and combination planting (I think that’s what it’s called) like growing potatoes underneath corn is very common. Composting and the use of manure as fertilizer are not new concepts to these hardy farmers. Neither are pesticides. They are also knowledgeable about natural insecticides. This morning, Alice noticed I had an ant problem near my compost pile so she had some neighbor boys bring armfuls of some sweet-smelling plant that repels insects.

Often you’ll see a woman walking to or from the field with a baby on her back, a hoe over her shoulder and a basket on her head. Farming is their life. On my walk to school every morning, I walk through fields of corn, cabbage, sweet potatoes and beans. All varieties of farmers trek on foot or by bicycle to district centers twice a week to play vendor at the market. In my small town, the market has a decent variety of fruits, vegetables and some gems like limes and ginger, but unfortunately, most calories in the Rwandan diet come from starches like potatoes and cassava. I have the luxury of being able to consume more nutrient-rich fruits and veggies and protein-sources. My recent market purchase was:

-        20 bananas

-        Onions

-        15 tomatoes

-        Garlic

-        3 passion fruit

-        4 tree tomatoes

And I paid a whopping RWF 900 ($1.80).

When  I consider the amount of time the average Rwandan invests in food (growing, selling, cooking on a charcoal stove 3x a day) I am filled with so much admiration. They are intimate with their food in ways that would make the urban hippie/Whole Foods shopper jealous. Rwandans know where their food comes from and how it was produced. Many Americans would admire the quasi-sustainable farming patterns in Rwanda but at the same time, many Rwandans are looking to break this cycle of farming. As more and more Rwandans are educated and go to school, they gravitate towards service jobs in the city. I ask my friends and neighbors who will grow the food when more Rwandans are educated but they cannot see past the current reality: all Rwandans are farmers. They cannot see a way to change this.

If less Rwandans in this densely populated, hungry country are farming, how will they increase the food supply? Technological innovations, namely machines, cannot be the widespread solution. Machines and farming techniques used on a large scale in the US cannot be applied to this mountainous landscape, especially in the north and west. This is a problem for all the East African Community and there have been many recent summits on how to increase food supply in hilly or drought-plagued countries. This question has been plaguing me for the past two months and I hope to find some answers over the next 21 months.

In terms of food preparation, the food in Rwanda is over-cooked and bland. Spice is a luxury that is unheard of in the village. It is important to have as many dishes as possible at each meal and this is one reason why I am hesitant to feed my neighbors and colleagues. Many menu items are culturally loaded. For example, meat used to be mainly for men and only women can eat squash. From what I’ve observed, ALL Rwandans serve themselves incredible, heaping portions at lunch and dinner. Some times we joke about not being able to see someone over their “mountain” or ask them how the phone service is on the other side of the mountain. Meals are a necessary part of the day and I’m going to guess a smaller source of pleasure than in my culture. They cannot afford to take food any less seriously nor can they afford the food items that complete American meals like meat, spices, dairy, processed grains and raw vegetables.

Thank you for reading. I’m going to go eat my locally-grown bean soup (except for the cumin-thanks Mom!).

Ps. Our “spring break” starts after next week. I’ll be heading to Kigali for some good internet connection. If you wanna skype, let me know and I’ll tell you when I’ll be around. xoxo