Our host expects the men of the community to begin arriving around 9 AM. But, before the day begins, our host has provided a breakfast of cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and a fruit medley. A better tasting cinnamon bun could not be found in the States. After breakfast, several men from the community begin arriving around 10 AM.
Islam AM Prayers
As we wait outside for the men of the community to come, we hear the Islamic call to prayer from the city. This reminder of the beautiful, yet dark, calls us to remember why we came. We hear this faint reminder five times each day. Our arrival coincides with the month of Ramadan. In Islam, this month features a call to prayers before sunrise followed by a day-long fast. Throughout the day Muslims are called back to prayers and each day concludes at sunset with Muslims breaking their fast until the following day.
Monday Meals
Meals, especially for breakfast and supper have been fairly standard. As mentioned before, we had cinnamon buns and scrambled eggs with fruit each morning. But, lunch each day is more the standard for Mozambique. Rice is served at virtually every meal. Usually, there is so much served that it is placed on our outdoor table in two wash pans. Today, lunch consisted of xima, matapa and fried fish. The fish market is less than a mile from the house and is a way of life for the people here. As in most countries besides the US, the fish is always cooked head on.
Xima is a dish that is made from cornmeal and looks like grits or even porridge. The taste is blander than grits. The men usually squeeze the xima into a ball and use it to sop up the matapa without using a fork. The matapa is quite tasty and is made from multiple different types of items. Casaba leaves, ground peanuts, garlic and onions and tomatoes. We have not starved while here but we have not had the standard American diet either.
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