Food Conservation in Haiti: Eat the whole thing before it spoils...

Case Study #1 - Eat the whole thing before it spoils...

I went to a friend's house in a Haitian province town, I was invited over for dinner. When I sat at the dinner table, I noticed there was way to much beans in the cooked rice.

"Wow... That's a lot of beans," I said...

"Wi, " she replied, "Si-m pa itilize tout, l-ap gate." (Yes, if I don't use it all it will spoil, it will go to waste)

It is beans season in Haiti and my friend has just received a whole bag full of "Poid Je Nwa" (black eyed peas) from her grandma's farm on the country side.

She has a very simple concept: Eat the whole thing before it spoils...

So she sends "poi je nwa" to her sisters, her friends, and whoever she can think off... and she completely ignores the refrigerator in her dining room...

That's for 'dlo Glacé' only!

"Kale pwa-a pitit, Lave li, epi mete'l nan frizè a, ou ka itilise-l pou plis pase yon mwa," I told her. (peel off the beans, wash them and place them in your freezer. you can continue to use them for over a month)

Do you now how many people in haiti who have a refrigerator, or a freezer, but use it for everything else except conserving food?

So, I think I just saved some black eyed peas from going to waste too soon. but I can't do it alone.

This may sound like a joke to you, but, I assure you, it is not. Food is abundant in Haiti certain times of the year, and in certain parts of the country. during those times, it gets over used where it it available, a lot of it rots under the tree due to poor Haiti transportation system, and very little of it gets conserved.

What do you think about this?

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