Mafé with Fanta

I had a great afternoon yesterday with my best friend in the village Fanta. She was over earlier in the morning looking at my Economist magazine in the shade of my backyard and had so many questions about the pictures that I agreed to come over for lunch with some more magazines.

Around 1pm I went over to her hut to see that she was preparing mafé (pronounced ma-fay). It is a wonderful peanut butter sauce stew with cabbage, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and lots or garlic and onions, served over white rice. It is hands down my favorite Senegalese dish when prepared correctly.



Thick smoke gathers in the small cooking hut from the open wood fire she uses to heat the pot.





As promised we looked thru a few magazines that I brought over. One of them was Cosmo. As we turned the pages Fanta wanted to know about the make-up advertised and the nationality of the models.



When we got to a weight loss ad I asked her to point and the most beautiful woman on the page. It was the ‘Before’ model. In Senegalese culture a meaty woman is considered very beautiful. Since I have returned from America with an extra 10 lbs I often hear "You have gotten fat, how pretty!" or "I like how fat your butt has gotten." Women of America, hear this message, Big is beautiful!!



As for the boys, well Cosmo was the closest thing to porn they have ever possessed. I didn’t realize how many thighs there are in that magazine, but after seeing the guys’ faces I knew the what was going on in their minds.



This boy begged me to let him keep the magazine, or at least give it to him when I leave. Fanta was so sick of hearing him beg that she ended up telling him to shut up. I couldn’t blame the kid for trying. Adolescence sucks. Although I don't want the only images the boys have of European or American women to be pornographic, since I have been trying to humanize the American image since my arrival. I don't think I will be passing out Cosmo again any time soon.




Mafé has the bizarre side effect of causing extreme drowsiness within twenty minutes of finishing the meal. Fanta invited me to lay down on her bed with her and her son. We all slept for about 30 mins until the heat roused us from bed. We drank ice water (ice block was biked down from Kedougou) and sweet strong tea. Only in Africa will you sleep with your friends and their families without ever feeling out of place.