Tougan

July 15th, 2009


There are literally hundreds of flies, maybe even thousands. They swarm around a myriad of fish, lying in the hot sun. Every time one of the fish vendors waves her arm, hundreds of flies jump into the air. It’s a wonder that they don’t knock each other out of the sky. I have seen a lot of flies here in Burkina, but never have I seen this many.

And yet I’ve never seen fish that looks so good. Fish here is the staple meat; I would say it is probably in four out of five of my meals. The fish that we get in Ouahigouya is usually dried and then rehydrated in some sort of sauce. I eat it, for the protein. This fish on the other hand, looks fresh, even with the flies. I look at the catfish, perch and chunks of other fish I don’t recognize and start to wonder if I can justify eating some.

Beside me, my new “brothers” (Catholic frères) argue with the fish ladies. It seems that the first vendors want a bit too much money. I have just met Frere Jean-Baptiste, who seems to be the one in charge. My counter-part, Frere Prosper, told me that Jean-Baptiste will be our supervisor. The good natured bantering goes on for a while until Prosper looks up the horizon. The rain is coming.

The brothers start telling the fish ladies to hurry. There is a pot of boiling oil in the midst of their tables, and they drop the chunks of fish in that we selected. That should take care of any bacteria the flies may have left on the fish right? I’m not quite convinced, but I think I will try some anyway.

Nervous glances at the horizon continue as the fish finishes cooking and we jump in the truck. Jean-Baptiste hands me a chunk of fried fish, it is scorching hot. I take a bite and am blown away. This is the best fish that I have ever had in Burkina. Mmmmmmmm… I almost drool on myself as I take another bite, I really hope I don’t get sick from this.

I finish the fish soon enough and glance out the window of the pickup we are riding in as the town of Tougan starts to disappear. Buildings and garbage heaps are replaced with trees and bushes and we are in the bush. The drive to my site, Toma, will take forty-five minutes. I’m excited.