First Pancakes

Post by Lara

20  July 2012

Last week, our host mother procured some flour, eggs, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda and allowed us to make our own breakfast-for-dinner (i.e. brinner) one evening. We decided to add some bananas and groundnuts (peanuts) to make them a bit more interesting, and set to work frying American pancakes in a wok over a coal fire, with a big metal spoon to flip them.  While we fried our pancakes, our 5 youngest host siblings sat around us helping out as much as possible, while we did our best to appreciate their zeal and ignore our American yearning for wider personal bubbles and independence. 

As I poured the very first pancake, I explained to my host siblings that we have an American proverb that “You always mess up the first pancake,” referring to parents tending to make all their rookie mistakes with child number one and then finding a better rhythm with subsequent children.  [Yes, Eric and Keith: we mean you.] We burnt the first one a bit, which my sister Mami K pointed to saying, “this is a bad child.” We had a good laugh while the rest of the pancakes cooked, and they always pointed out whether the “kids” were good or bad.  When they were all done, we let each of our family members have one pancake with some Ohio maple syrup on top. Our first effort at cooking American food in Salone was a success.

Today was Mami K’s birthday, so we went out on a special run to the supermarket and bought what we needed to make chocolate chip cookies.  With the 5 youngest siblings in tow again, we headed over to our training site which has a coal-heated oven and made our cookie dough.  Since we used vegetable oil rather than butter, I was afraid the cookies might spread wide in the oven, so for my first tray I set out just four little dough balls with at least 6 inches between them. Effe, the eldest sister, asked me why I was only putting four in. I explained my logic, and 16-year-old Abdulai chimed in, “Dis na di fos pikin dem” (“These are the first children”).  This is pretty stellar example of accomplishing Peace Corps Goal 2: working toward a greater understanding of America and Americans on behalf of the people of our host country.  Mark one point in the “Win” column!

*Note* In the nearly 2 months we’ve been in-country, we have now made pancakes, chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, chocolate chip cookies, bread pudding, and a pineapple upside-down cake. We have used charcoal to make each of these- either in a metal oven that is heated with charcoal or over a small coal pot. We’ve used a Dutch oven and a double boiler. So far everything we’ve turned out has been delicious; though it’s not always pretty enough to feature in Better Homes and Gardens. Soon we’ll be branching on to entrees: Teriyaki chicken with pineapple and rice is number one on the list. Being relatively obsessed with food, you can bet we will be posting updates on our various culinary adventures.