fufu

There are two primary foods that the Togolese people eat on a regular basis. The two staples here are rice and and something known as fufu (pronounced foo-foo). Fufu is made from cassava (also called "yam" here.....but it's nothing like what we know as yams).

If I'm not mistaken, cassava is a root that they dig up, peel, boil for approximately 30 minutes, cut into chunks, throw in to a wooden thing and then beat with wooden poles for a long time until it is the right consistency. It has no flavor but takes on the flavor of whatever sauce they pour on it.

Two of my Togolese friends (pictured above) thought it would be fun if I would pound fufu with them. Apparently I do not have the rhythm, the strength, or the endurance required to properly pound fufu. I tried to pound the fufu in step with the others but I just kept whacking their sticks with my stick which is completely against proper fufu pounding technique. They did get a good laugh so I guess it wasn't a complete loss.

When it was all said and done, we sat down to a plate of fufu with chicken sauce. I ate as much as I possibly could while wondering the entire time why we used up so much of our energy to make such a thing. I still can't figure it out.

Anyway, for those of you who would like to experience a bit of African culture, go to your nearest Wal-Mart or Target (I prefer Target because it's cleaner and there are less people than at Wal-Mart) and buy some play-dough or silly puddy, take it home, whack it with a stick and then eat it.

If you really want to have some fun, buy the glow in the dark silly puddy and eat it with the lights off.