November 2010The month of November marks harvest season in Mali. During this time everyone from young to old goes to the fields to cut millet. As this time has fallen during my three months of integration (not that the period of integration will ever end) I joined my homologus family everyday for nearly a month out in the fields.
As my only familiarity with any sort of "harvest" was that I heard the word while watching an episode of "Sex in the City" (the one where Smith is in the play in dreaded Brooklyn) I clearly found myself facing quite the learning curve. But after the first few days, several gnarly blisters and quite a bit of sunburn I quickly learned the proper technique of holding the knife and that a hat is an essential part of the millet cutting garb.
Millet is what I and most Malians eat on a regular basis and is one of the major agriculture crops produced in Mali. Millet is used to make a few different foods including Couscous, moni and to (pronounced "toe").
To is the most popular food and is usually, at least in my case, made in large quantities in the morning and then reheated throughout the day; this is a popular practice especially when families are going to the fields. The women will gather sticks around mid-day and build a fire then set the bowl of to on top. I must admit that I enjoy the second round of to better than the first- in my mind I think of it like cold pizza always a little bit better as leftovers!
The Brat Travel Guide describes to as " (a) moist, millet-based dough with a consistency similarly to plasticine" and if that wasn't appetizing enough for you its a greenish-gray color! To is pared with a sauce which is what makes or breaks your to experience. There are a few sauces traditionally served with to is a green okra based sauce, called fondly by Peace Corps Volunteers "snot sauce," because of its slimy texture. The sauce is what makes or breaks ones to experience. Then there is my favorite sauce which is tomato paste based.
To certainly took some getting used to; in fact, when I took my first handful of to a few months ago I thought to myself "There is NO WAY you can eat this for two years!" and I mastered the technique of swallowing before I had to feel the texture of it in my mouth. I must admit however, now I enjoy to. Although certainly if I had a menu in front of me it would not be my first choice but from time to time (if I didn't eat it everyday) it would be a nice treat; and there you go Peace Corps-- another volunteer integrating her way through Mali).
