Foooood!

As I already said, the food here is great. I have always nice fruits in my kitchen, most of which I collected my self. For example there is a fruit called Jaca. A huge green fruit with spikes. I heard that it is very nice, so I wanted to try it. The problem is that I had no idea how to recognize a mature fruit and how to get it, as the trees can be very high. Typical for me, I just asked the first person I met on the street to help me. It was a woman that told me that she's not experienced enough, so she addressed me to a guy that has a shop/bar in the neighborhood. As I'm a foreigner, all the people sitting in the bar get involved in my fruit mission. I finally came back with two huge Jacas and some Jeni papo (a small round fruit, of the size of a Guava, very sour and apparently good for the throat), with no idea how to eat them. I just asked if I have to cook them, to avoid self-poisoning, and the guy told me "não". So I came home and opened these fruits and tried to eat abit from all parts. I then chose the tastiest ones and kept on eating them. Fortunately Leidy, a flat mate, came back from school and reassured me that I was eating the right parts! :-) 

During the field work. Luciola and I, were eating mangoes which are growing along the streets. They are small and sweet, the best mangoes I've ever eaten! 

The Mensa in our school has a very basic menu (rice, beans, salad and meat) but is really nice. But the best food so far, I found it in buffets were it is possible to eat for lunch or dinner! After the soil collection, the other day, I was so hungry that I insisted to go to eat some meat, which here is delicious. We went to such a buffet and I filled my plate with chicken, beef, pork and fish... I eat like a pig for something like 9 CHF. 

The main problem is that they not only have nice fruits and meat here, but also fried things and sweets... I have to call all my discipline to not eat too much! We'll see if I'll manage... ;-)

The Jaca and the Jeni papo

The table of my kitchen with a papaya, some banana and  the collected mangoes.