Malian Independence Day!

Today is Mali's Independence Day. Happy 51^st Birthday Mali! The “chinese bridge", so named because of the strong Chinese support and aid for it,  is to be dedicated today-- it was said to be opened on this celebration day, but now we hear that it will be a ceremonial 'opening', but not available to traffic yet. Promises that do not arrive on schedule--such is life in Bamako. We are also told that this is the 5th or 6^th fastest growing city in THE WORLD! We see that growth going on all around us, and the street scenes change day by day. That might be because of the stable gov't that is here. May it long continue!

9:30 am: Ray took me to the market on the moto this morning. and we decided to buy some extra foods to have a little feast with the boys to make it a special celebration. (Besides the 3 ladies that do the cooking thruout the week there is only one other girl here- Fanta's 6yr old daughter-- but a dozen and a half boys) So we bought a dozen big ears of 'kaba'/Malian corn, and some beef . After lunch I'll give the meat to Fanta to make Malian brochettes—charcoal grilled beef on a stick, served on a bed of tomato slices and onion slices.

Try this authentic recipe straight from Bamako Mali:

Take 1 kilo beef, carefully cut out all 'silverside' tendon-y bits and then cut meat into bite sized chunks.You may need to solicit the help of a family member to hold the other end of the meat strip.) Pound some parsley and chopped celery leaves with some salt til a paste is formed and add to beef, along with a few tablespoons of vinegar, and about double that amount of oil. Crumble 2 soup cubes, a tsp or 2 of garlic powder, a little pepper—and tosswell. Leave in marinade, tossing occasionally while slicing onions and tomato. (Cover with a lid to keep the flies off, so your hands are free to do other things). Adjust seasoning—more pepper, salt, another soup cube, a little more garlic....

Add some of the slivered onions to marinating meat, and continue to marinate.

Assign some boys to husk the corn (Malian 'kaba' is like our field corn),and put it onto boil for an hour oe so.

Prepare the charcoal in the brazier, a sheetmetal grill about 18” square, that will be topped with a grill rack. You may neeed to need a little help to get a good start-- just borrow a lantern, tilt it and sprinkle some kerosene fluid from the resevoir over the charcoal. :))

[Meanwhile, one of the boys brought a 5'stick of 'sweet grass'(sugar cane) and whacked off several 6-8”pieces to give me and others. Fanta saw my attempt to bite into the unpeeled stem, and helped me out by taking my piece and peeling it with her teeth, revealing the more tender inside part that you chew, then spit out the fibers after the sweet juice is sucked out. Now I know!]

It's now 3:30 pm: Rosalie, our evening cook, just arrived with a helper, (a 12 or 14yr old neighbor or perhaps extendedfamily member) who has Rosalies infant son strapped to her back in the traditional way. Rosalie and her husband, who is our day guard, live a short walk uphill from the base here. Their 5 children are some of our 18 nonresident children, who are sponsored and have schooling and medical needs provided for. Rosalie will prepare the evening meal which consists of skinny noodles to which oil, some soup cubes and a little diced tomato has been added for flavoring. This 7pm meal was already planned and purchased for before we decided to make the addition to the menu. We all had a bite of meat in 'jaba-ji' an onion sauce served over white rice for lunchi.

I smell the meat grilling, corn is boiling, and I hear something frying in oil just now. Flies are buzzing over and climbing on the scraps of onion and tomato peelings that are here on the paving near my feet. A larger than usual crowd of boys is milling nearby--they have a vested interest – tasty food will soon be available:)) What a hive of activity; a game of connect four, multiple conversations, a little one brandishing the remnant sweet grass stick, the cooks about their business and older boys just sitting nearby. Ray has been working on some project at the shop and has just arrived as well.

Well, gotta run. Food is ready!(I have a vested interest as well:))

Happy Independence Day!-- along with Happy Birthday wishes to my sister-in-law, Linda Heisey

Mim in Mali