Eating under the mango tree

We left our compound in Makeni Sierra Leone and headed down the dusty unpaved road towards breakfast. Along the way children danced and called out opporto –Krio for white man- in a rhythmic sing song way. Our 7 minute walk to the 5 block lady, as we called her, was filled with these greetings as well as beeps from ocada drivers asking if we wanted a ride and blind beggars politely demanding money after overhearing our English. When we arrived, the 5 block lady greeted us and despite our protests shooed her current customers- mostly school children- off a bench and relocated it into the shade of a mango tree. Even at 8:30 in the morning, the sun and heat were intense. We asked for our usual breakfast- 5 heaping spoonfuls (priced at 1 block or a few cents a spoonful) of spicy rice and beans topped with delicate rings of cooked onions- and sat and exchanged shy apologetic smiles with the displaced customers and nearby children. Within minutes of arriving, we received our breakfast and with our first bites enjoyed the initial burn of peppers and palm oil that seasoned this delicious African chop (food). Despite the spiciness in the extreme heat, her food was delicious and convenient. It was also vegetarian and because it lacked meat and was served on the side of the road, it was deemed by locals as washa washa food- poor people’s food. Citizens of Makeni who believed the food below their standard- not in flavor but in economic status- stopped as they passed us, openly staring and laughing. Used to seeing opportos at pricier eateries in town or passing by in seclusion in big white NGO trucks, the sight of us sitting with school children and old farmers was amusing. Our local friends and colleagues refused to join us for breakfast under the mango tree even though they ate this dish at home. It didn’t matter to us. Regardless of social and economic status, delicious food is delicious food whether you’re sitting under a mango tree by the street or in a fancy restaurant.