Africans talking about Africans

Yesterday I went with a friend to an information session given by a naturally-focused Kenyan doctor. He was telling about the benefits of Spirulina, a diet supplement, but he ended up spending a lot more time discussing diet and mindset issues of islanders (and Africans in general) than actually telling about Spirulina. The issues he raised have been quite evident to me here, and it was amazing to see the islanders' response to his commentary.

See, islanders don't like new things. When I make American-style food for an islander friend I never really know if they'll appreciate it. If I go to the market and see something I don't recognize, I generally ask how they cook it. And every islander cooks it pretty much the same way. So when there are selective food shortages, like right now, islanders start complaining a lot.

For example, the doctor told of when there was a rice shortage (a couple weeks ago), and islanders were protesting near the market. "There's no food! What will we eat?" Yet all the while, there were beans and corn by the sackful in the market. Because they don't know what to do with corn other than make popcorn, they don't think of it as real food. Beans? One way to cook them, and many islanders don't even know that. So rather than being resourceful and finding new ways to cook things, they riot.

Cabbage? You make salad. Carrots? Salad. Tomatoes? Salad or a curry-type sauce. Salad dressing? Always the same: mayo, garlic, vinegar, and salt. You should have seen the shocked looks on the faces around me when the doctor mentioned that you can cook cabbage!

Most islanders eat a lot of starches and meats, but not a lot of vegetables with the nutrients not cooked away. This diet contributes to a lot of the health problems islanders experience. I don't know where his numbers come from, but the doctor said that 85% of health problems in the islands could be solved by changing their diet. And the ingredients are all around for having a healthy diet.

But in the end, mindset is the greater issue. And societal pressure just encourages the crippling mindset. At one point the doctor asked, "Women, would your husband eat the meal I just described?" The universal response was absolutely not! He would look at it and say "That's not food," and he would leave.

This is just the issue of food. It's just the mindset surrounding food. What of greater issues which involve not just the body but also the soul? Change is difficult. It's hard. It starts with individuals who take a stand.

Pray for the individual brothers and sisters who every day take a stand for their decision to be counter-cultural and follow the one we call Lord and Savior.

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That moment when... you walk into a meeting and realize you know at least a third of the people there. And they only just met each other.