Blog du Wren

A Gambian Meal

With the thought that a little might not hurt, I decided my first days in might call for a beach and, well, little else. I found a nice "eco-lodge"* where the price was right. Tourism is very low, due to COVID, so I practically have the place to myself.

And while I'm looking for down time, I don't want it to be boring, so when an ex-pat who is living here asked if I wanted to accompany her on an "adventure", I was totally game. I needed to go into the little town anyway to exchange money*. So off we went in the bush taxi.

The plan, as I understood it, was to hook up with a local beach bar owner friend, visit the market and get some stuff for a meal, convince beach bar owner to cook said meal, and generally make a day of it. And a day of it, it was.

Nothing in Gambia (or Senegal, for that matter) seems to move with any sense of urgency/speed/seeming purpose, so I was very prepared for the meandering, side quests, distractions, and more that made our trip to the market take 2-ish hours. And when I mean market, I don't mean grocery store. The little fishing village near Gunjur was a mishmash of ramshackle huts, each selling a little of this or that. We got onions here, tomatoes there, rice bread water there there and there. I say "we" but I just happily tagged along while Lamin and Antje chatted our way through and handled the business. I was just along for the ride.

The focus of the meal was to be butter fish, a step up, as I understand it, from the standard fish that seem to exist in piles all over. So we found a place cutting it (though a million miles from hygenically) and grabbed some fillets. And with that, we were off down the beach!

Lamin's beach bar was, well, sparse. No electricity, no floor, thatched roof, and cooking that happened over a fire out back, as far as I could tell. But it was right on the beach and really really peaceful. The cooking was another unhurried event, taking more than 2 hours. While we waited, I entertained the locals who were hanging out with some juggling, having found a machete and a couple of kitchen knives. They were a great audience.

When dinner was served, it was, well, authentic. Carrots, sweet potatoes, taro, egg plant, tomatoes, cabbage, onions all coated in oil and slow cooked. The fish was battered and fried. And off it was served with white rice. The plate was so full I could barely finish it (thought left a bit of the smooshy eggplant). All in all, the food was good, though not great. Definitely a good boost of veggies that my diet has been sorely lacking*. The experience, however, was top notch. I got a local experience and down time, really exact what the doctor ordered.

Back at the hotel, I entertained a staff with my rope tricks. Talk about the best audience ever! They all wanted to all of them and I was happy to oblige!

Friday December 17 2021

File under: travel, Gambia

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