La Cuisine Beninoise

I’m noticing a pattern, and that pattern is carbs. For breakfast, we have bread and coffee, and sometimes oranges (which are green here). For lunch, it’s pasta or rice with tomato/onion sauce and a chunk of fried fish, bones and fins intact… hilarious to watch people eat with a fork. I fail miserably every time. For dinner, more pasta or rice with sautéed tomatoes and onions and a chunk of seasoned beef, plus bread. I’m not sure if I’ve started gaining weight yet, but get ready – I hear the guys lose weight and the girls gain it. Awesome.
One surprisingly drinkable thing here is the coffee – I’d heard horror stories, but it’s actually not that bad. The bad part: the coffee is all instant, and there’s no milk or cream to mix with it. The good part: I’m okay with instant coffee as long as it’s hot, and we have sweetened condensed milk to pour in it. Not quite the same thing as an indie coffee shop cappuccino, but I’ll happily down it as my daily dose of caffeine.