Category: On the road

Eating by hands

In my neighbourhood, the majority of people still eat by hands.

I tried once near Reo to have rice sauce with my fingers, and the experience was not unpleasant.

Of course, the psychological burden of childhood’s first commandment: do not eat by your hands converted this incident in a cultural shock.

Eating by hands could look as an uneducated behaviour, but is not. You have to wash carefully your hands before and after the meal and there are some more rules of etiquette, especially if you are sharing the bowl with others (that is the natural African complement to this way of eating).

If you enjoyed the chopsticks Chinese way, now try your fingers, you’ll not regret.

March 16

‘Pintades’

At the corner, along a busy road, the pintades look at cars passing by trying to wiggle out from sellers’ hands.

It is one of the few signs of a ‘developing’ country in this town quite modern and sophisticated.

From my office’s window I see a bunch of new buildings and if in the evening you go listening jazz at Nandjelé the skyline has nothing to envy to New York’s one.

Markets are similar to other African towns, but I am not shopping there a lot, lately.

Now it starts raining, the sky is dark.

It rains where it’s already wet!

I went to the office of an air company to ask information regarding a ticket to Europe.
They were kind and efficient.
I asked about possible discounts and they answered that special prices are available for diplomats and UN people.
An ill-proportioned salary and a combination of different privileges are not sufficient for them, they also pay less to travel.
The existence of those advantages, benefits and rewards tend to reproduce that world where someone is in and the others stay out.
It appeals to factors stronger than the financial ones, those of status, class, privilege.

digestione

Screen life


It?s a strange way of life. The relation with the local environment mediated by the window, at home or in the car.

Because of security, for lack of energy, as it is more simple this way.

Form time to time, some relax in the garden, swimming pool and ping pong, even more distant from here.

Around the office the bats fly around in huge groups, and I wonder if they create the same problems as for petrol stations in Piazza Esedra.

‘o Vesuvio

I was urged to write something interesting, because I am preparing a collection of 2004 blog’s notes as a Christmas gift for the family (“how mean” someone will comment).

And it had to be robust and appealing, as the last inputs have been quite weak.

And obviously an image was needed, because images make a better blog (and for sure a better gift).

Then, this is the Vesuvio volcano.

But I do not know what to say.

Volare, oh oh.

To keep the routine, I planned travelling to Italy and then to Bruxelles.

November the 17th, I bought a flight ticket to Rome by Volare, low-cost Italian company.

The cost was probably too low, as the company declared failure on the 19th.

Nobody called, no e-mail messages, but, as usual, a family information (this time coming from my sister) informing about the situation (she had bought another ticket to Paris).

It’s not my lucky month, and still there is a week to go.

War

War is a word I never thought I would be obliged to use in relation with my personal circumstances.

I considered it a concept of history to study in the books or news from faraway, to watch in the TV.

Here the war is beginning (again) ‘normally’ with no emphasis and no tragedy.

The same as it was when Italy participated in the Kosovo war.

Once again, after many years. Or perhaps not so many.

Alloco

One of the local dishes is the fried banana that you may admire below.

It’s good, it’s sweet, it’s fried and oily and wouldn’t be welcomed at the annual lunch of the World association of nutritionist.

Fried food is common on the Ivorian table, banana, igname, potatoes and any sort of meat.

Sometimes, to have a break, I have dinner with an apple.

it’s hot

OK, here is Africa, therefore it’s hot. But until now the weather was kind, not warm not fresh, and it was understandable to expect the same for the following weeks.

But not. It is hot, perhaps not as hot as in N’djamena, neither as some months in Cambodia, but quite hot. Hottish.

Luckily my new car (I have got it now, see it below) has got la clim, so that, challenging the notorious weakness of my throat, I can survive. So far.

car