1 post tagged “harlem”
My mind has been on Africa and food these days. Africa is on my mind almost constantly. Food is on my mind because I am enjoying the glories of summer vegetables and I am on a pretty good steady diet these days.
Not a day passes that in some way I don't reflect on my time spent in the Peace Corps in Zaire (Democratic Republic of the Congo). I loved eating fresh fish and dried fish there along with rice and beans, wild greens, fresh pineapple, fresh mangoes, and goat among other things. Reading the New York Times these past few days I've been apprised of what seems like a truly sad story in the case of Zimbabwe where it doesn't look like anyone will have anything to eat if things keep going the way they are going with Robert Mugabe's and Zimbabwe's dire economic policy situation.
On a brighter note ... when I lived in Ann Arbor, MI I was a habitue of a local restaurant there that came and went with much fanfare. It was called Latdior. The cusine was from Senegal, the West African country pictured above. If you have never had Senegalese food then you are truly missing a culinary sensation. The people of Sengal do things with fish, chicken, and lamb that make you want to slap your mother as they say. Latdior in Ann Arbor featured many of the traditional Senegalese dishes done in a very authentic style. I ate there several days a week because the food was so good. Traditional Senegalese dishes include thiebu djen (fish), yassa (chicken), and mafe (meat w/peanut sauce). The New York Times just reminded me of how much I love the food from Senegal. Please visit this very infomative article about a often overlooked and underappreciated cuisine. To my friends Michael and Keisha who live in Harlem, I look forward to exploring some Senegalese joints the next time I find my way up past 116th Street ...
