Simple Pleasures

In addition to the puppy, Drissa and I have made two other very important acquisitions. One is a 1985 Diesel Mercedes (190D). The Mercedes affords us accelerated mobility – we had been confined to borrowing cars and motorcycles and/or pulling our taxi off duty to give us some rides or paying rides in sotramas or taxis. Drissa looked at 30 or so cars before buying this one, and has already started to try to sell it for a higher price than what he paid. Bamako – has no “Craigslist” and thus flipping cars (without doing any extra work on them ) is time-consuming, yet possible. It does feel great to zip around the city, slicing through waves of motorbikes listening Malian radio programs – “learn Russian and explore diverse Russian contemporary music” or a Malian remix of some of Lil’ Wayne’s recent beats. I compare Mali to Chicago in that it is a city of neighborhoods. We live in Magnambougou, Drissa’s family is in Niamokoro, and I coach basketball in Kalanbancoura. Luckily, Niamokoro is sandwiched between the other two “quartiers.” However, these are only 3 of 8 or 9 neighborhoods on this side of the Niger. The other side of the city has another 10 or so neighborhoods and is continuously expanding farther out.

Our second acquisition is a kerosene cooking stove. I cannot tell you how liberated I feel. Any domestic talents that I might have acquired over the last 6 years or so were rendered worthless due to my inability (or at least unwillingness) to create a charcoal fire, wash clothes by hand, or skin and gut poultry. I used to ride past roadsides, eyes desperately searching for a new whole in the wall restaurant to test. On my research budget, I have allotted $10 a day for meals for Drissa and me. This will not pay for fancy meals at toubab restaurants and even a splurge at a mid-range faux Lebanese patisserie would eat up most of the budget. So, we usually eat most meals at my host family’s house and/or make do with yogurt/laughing cow/bread or an occasionally meal at one of these hole in the wall $1 a plate Nigerian/Senegalese/Togolese spots. Eating at my host family’s entails gender segregated eating – boys eating out of one big plate and girls out of another. While this is fun and social, sometimes I want to eat a meal with Drissa. Also, I get no input on what is being cooked (clearly) nor can I predict what will be there when I show up – except for riz au gras and fish – which is always a Sunday meal. However, now with my stove – all the produce that was formerly street decoration now looks like food. I can boil anything and eat it! I can cut and boil potatoes, fry fish, make salads, cook green beans, and even buy canned lentils to cook. Last night I baptized my stove with one of my rations of Kraft macaroni and cheese brought from home. I peeled carrots and cucumbers and was ridiculously pleased with myself. Tonight I might try potatoes with garlic, butter and cheese with a side of green beans.