Food programs at the local schools are often the only times that they will receive any kind of non-rice food in the forms of freeze-dried peas and fortified millet. In this patriarchal society, women are also behind men when it comes to what is available for who. Guests of honor and men will be privy to more food than the women will be.
With the women being the ones to prepare all of the food, I've had my fair share of days spent in the kitchen, chopping, peeling and mashing vegetables, and skinning fish. All in all, it feels a bit more dangerous than cooking in my American kitchen back home.
Chopping boards are not a thing here, so all foods are cut directly into one's own hand. Knives are not sharpened often or meticulously. Even the most skilled women cut their hands often and badly.
The fires over which the pots are placed are created by abbutting three logs and creating a smoky, low fire. These are often done inside of the kitchen instead of the outdoors, which aggravates asthma and breathing problems in the female population.
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 amount 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.
