Food and water

Our team learns how to fake drink out of a large bowl such as might be offered when you first arrive in a village. Where we are known this is no longer a problem. But it is best for team members to know how just in case. You slowly lift the bowl up to your mouth. You press your lips hard against the bowl praying for few germs in the area you touch. Tilt the bowl up until the water or milk goes over your lip. Keeping your lip pressed firmly against the bowl, take two or three slow, dry swallows. Nothing is in your mouth, but you swallow air or spit anyway. Wipe the water off your mouth with a sleeve and smack your lips, make a remark or something that might naturally follow drinking. The process may leave the impression you have had some water. Or it may look like you at least tried.
Alternately, learn how to say, “Thank you, I have water” in the local language. It may only be a few syllables and helps avoid looking ungrateful. Last resort when there is no translator, say thank you in their language or English, pull out the bottle of water you always have on your person, and take a sip from it. They will understand you have your own water. Someone may have walked a good distance, drawn the water out of a deep well, and carried it back on their head. Now they offer it to you. Do all you can to show gratitude for their kind hospitality.

Water or milk that has been boiled is perfectly safe. Normally tea or coffee has been boiled and is safe to drink.

Eat anything that has been cooked and is still warm. Whatever you eat, show you enjoy it. Anything you decline, through a translator or pantomine (pat full belly) convey you are thankful, but not hungry. Anything you do not eat, anything in the bowl you do not finish will be shared with someone, possibly children. Whether eating or not eating, always appear happy. Someone does not need to know English to read “Yuck” if your face expresses it. Your guests have probably served their best. It is important to receive it well.

If you peel a fruit, what is inside can be eaten safely. Vegetables must be peeled, cooked, or scrubbed in water with a little bleach (4 cups water + 1 teaspoon bleach).

Each team member carries a personal spoon in a baggie in their back pack (or a baggie of plastic spoons) to use in villages. If food is served to you in a private setting, break out the spoons. If food is eaten with our in front of locals, eat as they do.

Our team trains by eating one shared meal (rice with some sauce on it) in the states using only their fingers. We eat on the floor sitting on mats. Women eat with women out of a common bowl, men eat with men out of common bowl. We each eat using only our right hands. It is considered unsanitary to eat with your left hand which is reserved for bathroom duties. Sit on your left hand if you have trouble remembering.

Consider the common bowl to be like a pie. Eat from the slice that is directly in front of you. Do not reach into the invisible slices in front of the others around the bowl. Do not leave a small wall between your portion and your neighbor eating with you as if you do not want to touch their food. Pray, then enjoy.

When eating with fingers, take a portion of rice with your right hand. Squeeze it together in the palm of our hand (keep sitting on that left hand). Place the balled rice in your mouth with your fingers. Or lay it across your forefinger and pop it in your thumb as if you were shooting marbles (Thank you, Bose, for teaching that method.). Some teams do not need to eat with their fingers on the field. But if they do, it is better to be experienced so you can smile and show by your face how much you enjoy the experience.

Comment: Rice from Chinese take out is excellent with silverware or chop sticks. It is very sticky with just fingers. In our area Japanese cooked rice is less sticky and more like what we find on the field.