For millet-based dishes, the women will spend an entire day or two each month toasting and sifting the ground flour, storing it in large buckets to take out and use for dinners for the next month. In our house, we eat a millet based dish every other day. Large pots are used to steam the rice over the fire. Pots are also used to fry the fish and vegetables in massive amounts of oil. With the large number of people in my home, dishes are a constant chore, though less so than if we used plates and bowls like we do in America. Because dinner is so late in the evening, dishes will be left until the next morning for whoever's turn it is to do them. Lunch dishes will be washed directly after lunch in the heat of the day, as it's already time to start cooking dinner by the time lunch is over.
The food culture here reflects local customs and norms at every turn. The homogeneity of the community here dictates that everyone rotates the same few dishes for every breakfast, lunch and dinner. For example, when a friend comes over to chat with my host mom while she's cooking, the friend can help without missing a beat because everyone cooks the same meals in the exact same way. As I've learned from experience, there are not two ways to skin a fish in this case, only one, and no one would dare disagree.
It must be noted that Senegal does not have a lot of products coming in from countries that grow other foods, so resources are not only limited in quantity but also in scope.
Due to the heat and the culture of late nights here, all meals are typically eaten very late. Breakfast is between 10 and 11 am.
