Food and Swine

Our teeth are crazy white, like everyone’s here. There is a lot of natural fluoride in the water. And our diets, like the people here in Matenwa's, consists of whole grains (corn, polenta, rice), lots of vegetables, (carrots, potatoes, yams, tomatoes, eggplant, many spinach like leaves), beans and fruit. Sugar and salt are local, readily available but not overused. Little oil or fat is used to cook; food is mostly roasted or boiled. Our family eats fish two or three times a week, but meat only once every two weeks or less. We wonder if we will eat and crave less meat and diary after this experience? Luckily for us, our host family never cooks pork.

Pigs here in rural Haiti are like savings accounts, you have one if you can afford it, but use it only when you really need it. Some history, USAID gave well intentioned but misguided help when human cases of African Swine flu were diagnosed on the island in the 80’s. USAID had peasants exterminate every native creole pig. An entire species wiped out. Later, a few inappropriate, non-indigenous hogs from the US were delivered. These large, pink swine couldn’t forage like the small dark native pigs, needed lots of water, and therefore were a huge burden to rear, costing more to feed than a child or adult. During this trip we have occasionally seen small, darker pigs, which have either been relocated from another island or reintroduced.