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March 13, 2007

Life Lessons

Just a few days after my introduction to Mielie-Meal or pap (the grits-like porridge I told you about in my last entry), I found myself in front of another big, wafting pot of the buttery goodness. This time I was in the kitchens of the Waterberg Welfare Society, an HIV hospice on the edge of Leseding Township, near the South African village I was visiting. The previous day, I had learned that the majority of meals consisted of pap. I quietly wondered where the rest of the essential nutrients necessary for any healthy diet (and particularly for anyone living with immune deficiencies) were coming from. When I asked, I learned that fruits and vegetables are scarce at the end of each month, when budgets run out.

As I toured the hospice, my mind raced for a solution. Just on the other side of the kitchen, I came across a few members of the Kutlwano group, a support group for those suffering from HIV/AIDS or TB, tending a colorful garden full of cabbage, spinach and other nutrient-rich greens. I was incredibly hopeful, though this hope turned bittersweet when July, Kutlwano’s vibrant leader, told me that few members of the group had the experience or skills to turn this lush harvest into a meal.

My hope was refreshed in the knowledge that my cooking skills were transmittable to any culture, and with a little help, any language. The next day I returned to spend more time with my new friends, and help them turn the garden harvest into a healthful soup.

“This is a pumpkin, full of vitamins B and E, and these beans are full of fiber and protein,” I said as I held up a quarter of a gigantic squash in one hand and a bag of red beans in another. “When you eat these things, your bodies will say ‘thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Then I turned to Betty, the nurse next to me who translated. “Maphutsi,” she said, pointing to the pumpkin, “Dinawa,” taking the beans from my hands. And she went on to translate into Afrikaans and Sotho. I wondered if she was translating word for word, but when I heard her say “Danke, danke, danke [thank you, thank you, thank you],” which was met by laughs and smiles, I knew the message was getting across.

This was a different kind of cooking demonstration from anything I had ever done before (there were no Viking ranges, All-Clad pots or pans, no pressed white chef's jackets), but it was suddenly the most important demo of my life. And because each person was committed to taking steps to improving their lives and their health (in addition to learning a new recipe and tasting something good), they were incredibly encouraging to work with.

Before long we were we all gathered around a table peeling, cleaning and cutting vegetables, preparing a nutrient- rich vegetable stew, exchanging ideas and stories in broken languages and gestures and sharing knowing smiles that told one another this simple act could change lives--both theirs, and mine.

There are 35 million people worldwide living with a nutrient-deficient diet. Engaging with a part of that community that's even more affected by the role that HIV/AIDS and TB play in daily life, has forever changed my vision of how I relate to the abundant food resources I live and work around every day. This experience definitely planted a seed in me, and I hope to return with more information in the native Sotho language on cooking and nutrition. In the meantime, back in New York, I will begin by seeking out more HIV-sensitive nutrition training, and sharing what I learned in my local community. In April, I’ll begin teaching a course on nutrition for HIV-positive teens through Share our Strength’s Operation Frontline Curriculum, and I’ll be sure to tell you all about that in the coming weeks!

Sarah Copeland, Food Network Kitchens

P.S. For more information on the Waterberg Welfare Society, visit http://www.waterbergwelfaresociety.org.za/

Posted by Food Network at March 13, 2007 3:26 PM

Comments

Posted by: Donna Copeland at March 13, 2007 5:43 PM