VeggieHead Travelogue: West Africa  

By Alison Coluccio  

Tofu is hard to come by in West Africa , as are bean sprouts. In fact, even beans are few and far between. Among the dusty roads and baobab trees there is not much that lends itself to the American stereotype of the vegetarian, but, in spite of what you might believe, it is possible to survive.

A good thing to have foremost in mind is your story. Faith is a simple and handy device, useful because no one can argue with it; "In my religion, we don't eat meat or fish, or  -- just  because you have a religion of exactly one member, makes it no less valid. But feel free to substitute "family" (family of one, maybe.)

If you are brave or like to talk a lot, you can be as precise in your description of how you came to be vegetarian as you like, just bear in mind that few people you will encounter will have heard of such a strange person as this "vegetarian" and you will tell your story to as many people as you happen to share food with, a process that could take a lot longer than your meal.

Once established, however, your lack of eating meat will probably not make you any enemies. After all, the attitude of your dining partners may well be, "Well, OK then, more for us." Scarcity makes vegetarians of many, and the meat they were going to offer you may be something they have only as an extreme luxury. Keeping this in mind, it is a kindness to declare your vegetarianism early in the conversation, so that you might have a chance to save the life of the dinner, before it goes into the pot.

What is in the pot may not be anything you want to share sauce with, but if you decline sauce, your diet will be one long stream of carbohydrates. West African meals consist of a carbo core, generally either steamed rice, cornmeal mush or mashed manioc, none of which has much nutritional value as rendered by your basic cook, accented by a sauce typically of tomato or peanut base, with meat in it.

In a home the sauce will be made for everyone, so it's hard, but not impossible, to find sauce that never had meat or fish in it. Some homes can get fairly experimental with their meat additions, so you may find that you have more faith in your vegetarianism than ever before, when you peer into the pot and see body parts that look a little too lizard-like for comfort.

Street food is actually an easy and better bet, in most towns there are people who make food for sale, and they may well cater to the low-end customer. That's you, my dear vegetarian, that's you. Yup, meatless meals abound, for those who lack the cash for fancier foods. You can find people selling steamed rice and beans by the bowlful. It's plain but with a topping of spicy hot sauce and swirl of palm oil, it can be delicious. For the non-vegans, omelets can be made fresh as you watch, with nary a speck of ham for miles around, just a sliver of red onion, some ripe tomato and perhaps a few pieces of avocado. Wash it down with instant coffee made with sweetened condensed milk, and that protein/caffeine blast will get you straight through until lunch.

Oranges , bananas, avocados, and more varieties of mangos than you knew existed, can be available readily and cheaply, depending on the season and location. The flavors of fruits are more distinct, far from greenhouses and genetic engineering. These fruits were grown in the hot sun, inches from where you slurp them down and spit their pits, or chuck their peels, walking on your merry way, face gooey with juice. You may be so sated by the best pineapple of your life that a lack of green beans seems hardly a crime.

Still, days without green vegetables can get really old. But don't go too crazy when you finally find the vendor selling salads, it isn't a mirage, but that salad can come with unexpected microbial life-forms, not recommended for the veg, or non-veg lifestyle. In fact, sad but true, the vegetarian is at an increased risk for contracting intestinal parasites in the third world, due to the prevalence of un- and undercooked foods. Meats bear their own risks, but are generally thoroughly cooked, whereas green salads, for example are guaranteed not to be. Also certain dishes, particularly the mashed manioc, may be made with cold water, meaning water that has never been boiled. Feel free to ask, but let caution be your guide; giarrdia and amoebic dysentery can be a serious bummer. Still, your vegetarian travels in Africa can well be easier and less of a hassle than a well-meaning Thanksgiving dinner with family.

And without a doubt, you will return home appreciating tofu more than you ever.