Before you dive in, a quick warning: I'm about to talk about some food habits that not everyone knows about, and some you might even find hard to understand. So, if you think you're not ready to discover unusual or shocking foods, you might want to brace yourself.
Last time, I took a picture of my kids watching the cook cleaning what I think was an eel and sent it to a few friends. They were excited and curious about what else I had been eating or seeing. And just like that, the idea for this post popped into my head. Because, oh yes!, I've seen and experienced quite a lot in the past nine months.
Let's start with the Goat. I overheard someone saying they were getting goat for lunch, and I thought: okay, we're just going to eat it today, maybe a bit tomorrow. The truth is, they brought the goat alive and kept it at home for about five days. She was tied up in the yard -except for one night when, of course, the electricity went out, she came untied and started running around. Marcus, our guardian dog, chased her through the dark, and all I could hear were her bleats and his barks. What a spectacle, no TV needed! I politely asked my mother-in-law to let me know when she was planning to cook the goat. I guess I got attached to her.
Monkeys. On my first trip to Congo, I saw them from the car, dry and laid out on market tables. They are not sold everywhere -you have to go to a specific neighborhood. Thankfully, I now know where, so I turn my face down when I pass by to avoid seeing them.
Maggots. I know it might seem disgusting, but they taste exquisite. Yes, I've tried them, it taste like roasted prawns. They sell them alive, and at home you just fry them in oil. We actually eat these very often. The kids love them too.
Cat. This one I heard from a man who used to do errands at our house. It all started when the four kittens our cat had gave birth to disappeared. Someone jokingly suggested that he might have taken them all. "What for?" we asked. "Well, he eats it" he said. Later, I met him and asked if it was true. He confirmed it. I honestly didn't want to know any more.
Wild Rat. It all started by accident. While helping unload food from a car, I noticed something strange inside. I asked my husband what it was, and at first, he didn't want to tell me -he knows exactly how disgusted I get by these animals. But eventually, he explained that it was an animal the driver had bought for himself, without even saying the word "rat". A few days later, my curiosity got the better of me, and he finally told me. Honestly, I wish I hadn't known. Weeks later, while helping unload food again, I nearly touched the tail of something I hadn't even noticed at first. I jumped in shock, and immediately realized: same driver, same animal. As it turns out, it was a wild rat, bigger than the ordinary ones. You rarely see these in the city, but in the surrounding villages. People consider it a real delicacy, something extraordinary, not meant to be eaten every day.
Bat. It wasn't long ago when I saw someone selling them outside a street market. They were still alive, inside a cage. I couldn't help but wonder how many would you have to eat to even taste the meat.
Porcupine. They've brought one to our house twice already. Another animal that I didn't want to watch being prepared -or even think about eating.
Turtles. This one is a very funny story. One day, some of Papi's friends came over and brought a gift. Here, it's normal to bring food as a gesture of appreciation (avocados, plantains, cassava, or even turtles). They brought two very cute turtles, which they put in a basin of water, and the kids were delighted with them. A few days later, while eating at the table, everyone started wondering what kind of meat it was. It didn't taste bad, just very bony. We asked the cook, and she said: "It's turtle!". There was a collective "ohhh!" around the table. Papi had decided the turtles would stay at home as pets for the kids but unfortunately, this information never reached the cook.
Live Fish. This animal isn't really that unusual by itself but the story is pretty amusing. They arrived alive in a supermarket bag, which was placed on the kitchen floor. At some point, I heard a noise coming from there -glass bottles crashing to the floor. I had no idea what it could be; I didn't even know there were live fish in that bag. When I looked under the table, one of them was trying to escape behind the refrigerator. I got such a fright because it took me a moment to figure out what it was. My first thought? A rat. Luckily, it wasn't!
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