When it comes to cooking as a Peace Corps Volunteer, you
have to realize that you will most likely have to make adjustments to what you
are used to. You need to explore
what options you have in the markets around the area in which you live. This will of course vary from country
to country. In many countries,
what will be available may vary from region to region even. Also, keep in mind the cost. Every country is different in how
expensive or inexpensive food or anything else may cost (but Peace Corps will
generally adjust the monthly living allowance to an appropriate amount based on
the country you are in). With all
that in mind, you can begin to think about what you want to cook throughout
your service (or if you want to cook at all)!
I should note now that I know cooking is not for
everyone. In many volunteer sites,
there are often at least one or two restaurant options. But the smaller the site, the more limited
your options are. If you are in an
extremely small and rural site, there is the possibility of not really having
any restaurant options. But if you
are lucky, you will have great neighbors and friends that will love to invite
you over for meals!
Here in Ethiopia, you can find (organic) fruits and
vegetables just about anywhere.
Each town has its own market days in which it is easiest to find what
you are looking for. Fruits that
can be easily found just about anywhere include bananas, oranges, mangos, and
avocado. You can also find
pineapple, apples, and some other fruits, but are more common in certain
areas. For vegetables, what you
can commonly find includes tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots,
etc. The basics essentially.
I find that I really do have to get creative with my
cooking. Lately, I have been doing
variations of the same thing. I
will often cut up a ton of veggies and stir-fry them. I will often add whatever spices I happen to have in my
house. Two spices that I often use
are shiro powder and berberi.
These two spices are very specific to Ethiopia. Sometimes I will make a sauce that
includes soy sauce, a little peanut butter, and a little honey. If you add the right amount of each, it
actually turns out really well. I
have also gotten into the habit of scrambling eggs into my stir-fries. In Ethiopia, it can be very difficult
to get the amount of protein that you really need in your diet, so things like
eggs and peanut butter I have found are great ways in which to supplement that.
 |
| Veggie Stir-fry |
Rice, spaghetti noodles, and couscous are easily found in
Ethiopia. There are many times in
which I will make one of these three things and add vegetables to it. When I have a large variety of
vegetables, sometimes I will make a soup with everything I have and will add
pasta to it. When I make soup, I
usually start by sautéing onions and garlic. After sautéing the onions and garlic, I slowly add cut up
vegetables and let them cook. As
the vegetables are mostly cooked through, I add the desired amount of
water. I let it all cook and bring
it to a boil. Once it has come to a
boil, I will add a chicken broth cube as well as any other seasonings that I
want. I mix it all together
and let it simmer for a little while before eating it.
Tomato paste is also available in Ethiopia. Sometimes I will sauté garlic and
onions together and then add any tomatoes that I want. I will let it cook a little bit and
then will add tomato paste and any extra seasoning together that I want. While cooking this, I will boil
spaghetti noodles for spaghetti.
In addition to the spaghetti, I will sometimes buy bread. With the bread, I will put some oil and
garlic on it and toast it for garlic bread. I have found that this meal is relatively easy to make and
is a familiar one as well. I feel
like being able to make meals that are similar to ones that I have made in the
states can be extremely comforting at times.
Another meal I have made before would be one that I would
generally prefer as a breakfast meal.
For this meal, all you really need are eggs, bananas, and whatever extra
spices you would like. When I have
made it, I have used about five bananas and four eggs (which I shared with
another person). First, mash up
all of the bananas. Then in a
bowl, mix the bananas and eggs together.
In this mixture, add the spices that you would like. When I have made it, I have added a
little sugar, salt, and pepper. Once
the mixture has been completely mixed, add a little bit to an oiled pan. It depends on how thick your mixture
is, but it should cook similar to an omelet.
When I cook in site, I usually fall into a consistency with
what a cook. This is totally fine. But it can be very easy to get bored
with the things you cook if you also do this. If that happens, the easiest thing to do would be to have
slight variations with the things that you cook. This could mean alternating between things like rice, pasta,
and couscous. This could also mean
even just making different types of sauces when making stir-fries.
You can even try making cultural food specific to your
country of service. The volunteers
in Ethiopia have a cookbook that includes many Ethiopian recipes. Sometimes it can be really fun to try
to make these and some of the recipes are also very easy.
When it comes to cooking, here is my final advice: Get creative. Find what is available to you and discover what you
like. Even if you feel like what
is available to you is limited, you can still make so many different
alternations and variations. And
when getting creative, have fun!
 |
| Popcorn is super easy to make and has become one of my favorite snacks during my Peace Corps service. |
 |
| Yogurt, strawberries, and cereal. In many places in Ethiopia, it might be a little bit more difficult to find all of these ingredients... but was able to find them all in the capital (Addis Ababa). |
