In general I'm very lucky. I have both carbohydrates and proteins represented in every meal in my community. While for many americans, 2 for 6 on the food pyramid doesn't sound all that balanced, but the majority of volunteers here have the options of boiled plantanes or rice. I am very lucky that I get meat or eggs for every meal. Though the meat I get isn't the high quality beef I'm used to. Generally it's fish, which I thought I'd have trouble with. I've never been a fish eater, and now I'm living in a community where the main source of income is fishing, so I've gotten used to it... three times a day... for a week in a row. I was happy when my host mother said that she brought home some beef. My enthusiasm wained however, when she pulled a hoof out of a plastic bag and began to hack at it with a cleaver. I had no idea how to find meat on cow hoof, so I watched my host father. You apparently don't find meat, you just pick it up and gnaw on the ankle fat. After I gave it my best shot, he asked me if I was done, as he picked up my piece and cleaned up all the good bits I had missed.
Occasionally someone will go hunting in the jungle and bring in some wierd animal from the jungle. I've had saino, which is kind of like a wild pig, and tastes like one too. However, everyone tells me when I get the chance I have to try conejo pintado which is apparently a protected species. They tell me though there's a reason it's not that abundant, because it's delicious.
I arrived home one afternoon, and my host brother greeted me with an awkward smile. He'd gone hunting that day, and got something, it's in the sink. I looked and saw an unrecognizeable body, i examined it a bit more and... is that a human hand, and arm, it looked like a small child was chopped up and in our sink... monkey.
They warned us in training that we were going to have to make boundaries for ourselves, how far would we be willing to go to be part of the community. I hadn't had to think a lot about those boundaries until this moment. I might be eating monkey for supper. On one hand, it's just an protein from another animal. It's not any of the gross parts (I hope). On the other hand, it's a monkey, looks a lot like a person, I remember the fun I'd had playing with a monkey, and how much person-ality it had. Could I eat my friend... now might be a good time to scroll down and play the monkey video for giggles and grins.
I went to my room, IF I was going to do this, I had to know as little information as possible, I already knew too much. I read a lot, and sketched, and wrote. I cracked open the Bible; strangely enough it was the passage were Jesus is lecturing the pharisees that it's not what you put in your mouth that's good or bad, but what comes out of your mouth. So I guess I have God's permission, but I still don't know if it's something I can do. My host mother tells me my foods ready, I go outside to wash my hands, and go back inside. I'm going to do it, I'm going to find out what monkey tastes like. I sit down at the table, and for the first time look at my plate... of chicken. wheeww that was close. It was the most delicious chicken I'd had, during the meal, my host mother asked me If I eat monkey, I said no. She replied "I didn't think so." My host brother had gone of to sell the meat in the community, I was saved, for that day.
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