Gabon
Novel:
The Fury and Cries of Women by Angèle Rawiri
Summary: This
novel explores themes of womanhood, motherhood, marriage, and sexuality through
the eyes of its main character Emilienne. Emilienne is married and has a child,
but has suffered a series of miscarriages and is unable to have a second baby.
Her infertility causes her to question her own worth as a woman, and that
uncertainty is reinforced by the community around her, including her husband
and mother-in-law. After her daughter dies, Emilienne’s situation deteriorates even
further, and she ultimately has to decide whether to continue in a loveless marriage
or to strike out on her own.
Response: This
book was a pleasant surprise, and it felt very contemporary and relevant. I
didn’t particularly like the writing style, and there’s a “twist” that seemed a
bit soap operatic, but overall the story was good, and I was rooting for the
main character. The author spends a generous amount of time pointing out the
double standards between men and women, and exploring both sexual and racial
taboos in central Africa. Overall, I really liked it!
Food:
Poulet Moambe
This was the first meal that I just couldn’t finish. My
first experience with red palm oil was in the Peanut Soup from the Republic of theCongo. When I cooked that meal, I was bothered quite a bit by the
smell of the oil, but when mixed with all of the other flavors, the taste was
mild and pleasant. This dish relies heavily on red palm butter which smells and
tastes very strong. It doesn’t smell or taste bad, exactly – it just really
smells and tastes strange. It is not something I am at all accustomed to – and
I am a pretty adventurous eater! Nothing really scares me, except snails
(which, by the way, I have knowingly eaten, so even that did not keep me from
trying it!) – but this dish really put me off. I think it was just too much. I
needed to water it down or thin it out or something. I only ate a few bites and
had to stop. I would love to go to Gabon someday and taste it how they make it.
Maybe I just did it wrong?
I also made the cocoyam fufu instead of the cassava fufu. They taste exactly the same and have the same consistency. Seriously - no difference that I could tell.
The finished product:
Cocktail:
This cocktail is a mix between a Banshee and a Banana
Hammock.
2 oz rum
1 oz banana liqueur
1 oz Cointreau
Mix ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice, then pour
into an old fashioned glass. Top with milk and stir together. Sprinkle with cinnamon, if desired.
Santé!
