Food is everything.
I'm not even kidding...if you ever plan on going to Suriname, make sure you like eating:
Chicken
Rice
Fish
Bitter vegetables
Madame Jeanette peppers (HOT!)
If you don't like them, too bad. Every single meal you will eat in this country will have at least two of these in it.
Since the muslims and jews can't eat pork, and the hindoes can't eat beef, chicken is basically what you get. Since the Surinamese invite everyone over for dinner and keep track of what their guests can and can't eat, all stores sell chicken, and only chicken. (or fish)
The only ethnic group that sells pork are the chinese.
If someone invites you over for 'tea' or 'something to drink' or 'a meeting' or 'a church service' you can bet on there being food of some sort. I'll give you an example:
On the 21st of June Wilbert and I were invited to join the Bisshop in his trip to Lelydorp where he was to lead a confirmation ceremony. After the ceremony he would drop us off on the way back to the city at our (my uncles) friends from the market's (Nita) house at Pad van Wanica. After being welcomed there with food, they took us to meet Nita's parents, where, ofcourse, we were welcomed with food.
At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when one of Nita's daughters dropped us off at home, we'd had more to eat than both of us had ever eaten in one day.....
06:00 Breakfast: Sandwich peanutbutter, orange juice, water
10:30 Second Breakfast: 1 Potato ball-like thing, 1 Plate of food containing Bami, Nasi goreng, White rice, Yellow rice, chicken, coconut stuff, sambal, beansprouts, long green beans (kouseband) etc., 2 glasses of gross softdrink, 1 piece of pie, 4 tiny pieces of cake, 1 beer.
11:45 Lunch: 1 eggroll, 1 kroket, crisps, shrimp crisps, more gross fernandes softdrink, 4 glasses of coke, 3 glasses of water, 1 plate of roti (flatbread, chicken, pepers, HOT), 1 plate of pineapple (with salt, ew)
13:00 Lunch 2.0: 2 glasses of coke, 1 coconut (water/milk & flesh), 1 piece of cake, 1 plate of roti (HOT), 5 fish ball-like-things
13:30 Tea: 1 piece of chocolate cake, 1 glass of fernandes.
We were able to convince Nita that the huge portions of macaroni waiting for us were really a little bit too much. So she made us a big bowl to take home with us. And a couple of babanas, and some other fruit, and some left over roti meat. Fortunately most Surinamese food is great, sometimes it's just a little too much :)
And every time we come to a different household we get overwhelmed by the amount of food offered to us. And most of the time, you get a full meal, and when you ask the host why they are not eating anything they'll say: "I've already eaten"
Yes so have we...about 5 times already today :D
I'm not even kidding...if you ever plan on going to Suriname, make sure you like eating:
Chicken
Rice
Fish
Bitter vegetables
Madame Jeanette peppers (HOT!)
If you don't like them, too bad. Every single meal you will eat in this country will have at least two of these in it.
Since the muslims and jews can't eat pork, and the hindoes can't eat beef, chicken is basically what you get. Since the Surinamese invite everyone over for dinner and keep track of what their guests can and can't eat, all stores sell chicken, and only chicken. (or fish)
The only ethnic group that sells pork are the chinese.
If someone invites you over for 'tea' or 'something to drink' or 'a meeting' or 'a church service' you can bet on there being food of some sort. I'll give you an example:
On the 21st of June Wilbert and I were invited to join the Bisshop in his trip to Lelydorp where he was to lead a confirmation ceremony. After the ceremony he would drop us off on the way back to the city at our (my uncles) friends from the market's (Nita) house at Pad van Wanica. After being welcomed there with food, they took us to meet Nita's parents, where, ofcourse, we were welcomed with food.
At about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when one of Nita's daughters dropped us off at home, we'd had more to eat than both of us had ever eaten in one day.....
06:00 Breakfast: Sandwich peanutbutter, orange juice, water
10:30 Second Breakfast: 1 Potato ball-like thing, 1 Plate of food containing Bami, Nasi goreng, White rice, Yellow rice, chicken, coconut stuff, sambal, beansprouts, long green beans (kouseband) etc., 2 glasses of gross softdrink, 1 piece of pie, 4 tiny pieces of cake, 1 beer.
11:45 Lunch: 1 eggroll, 1 kroket, crisps, shrimp crisps, more gross fernandes softdrink, 4 glasses of coke, 3 glasses of water, 1 plate of roti (flatbread, chicken, pepers, HOT), 1 plate of pineapple (with salt, ew)
13:00 Lunch 2.0: 2 glasses of coke, 1 coconut (water/milk & flesh), 1 piece of cake, 1 plate of roti (HOT), 5 fish ball-like-things
13:30 Tea: 1 piece of chocolate cake, 1 glass of fernandes.
We were able to convince Nita that the huge portions of macaroni waiting for us were really a little bit too much. So she made us a big bowl to take home with us. And a couple of babanas, and some other fruit, and some left over roti meat. Fortunately most Surinamese food is great, sometimes it's just a little too much :)
And every time we come to a different household we get overwhelmed by the amount of food offered to us. And most of the time, you get a full meal, and when you ask the host why they are not eating anything they'll say: "I've already eaten"
Yes so have we...about 5 times already today :D
