Food in American Samoa

I had trouble writing this post.  I was not sure how to begin.
And it wasn't because I didn't have anything to write. Quite the contrary, I have so much!
I guess . . . let me begin by writing about the Food Situation in American Samoa.

American Samoa depends heavily on importing food to the territory.
I could not find an exact figure.
But it is very insecure.  If the ships ever stop importing food, there would be little food on the island and society would crumble into chaos.  No joke. 
American Samoa is in a very vulnerable position.And it is alarming that nothing is being done.
For my part, I always make sure that I am stocked up on water, frozen meat and vegetables, and canned goods.
You just never know!

In the meantime, the ships keep coming, and that is why I end up paying $7 for mushrooms or $10 for asparagus or strawberries...yeah...not every day purchases, only when I feel like splurging.

High prices and food insecurity aren't the only consequences of American Samoa's reliance on food importation.  One huge effect has been the fast adoption of the standard American diet of convenience foods, which means carbs, trans fat, high fructose corn syrup and the like.
When I first went grocery shopping, I was shocked.  Almost every store, even little bodegas, had pizza rolls or hot pockets, but damn if I couldn't find fresh avocados.
Every chip, cookie, candy, or soda is readily available here.

And if you want fast food - there are two two-story Mcdonalds here to serve you 24-7.
Someone told me that the franchise in American Samoa is one of the most successful internationally.  I am not surprised.  No matter what time of day or night - McDonalds is packed.
I couldn't find authority to back up that claim, so I don't know if it is true.
UPDATE: It is true.  In fact, in 2004, it was ranked Number One in average sales in the whole frakkin world!.
But there is one figure that I could readily find - 94% of the population is obese.  This fact makes American Samoa ranked 1 in obesity in the whole world!

Overall, this food situation makes me very sad.  Not just because I realized how spoiled we are on the mainland, having any fresh fruit, vegetable or meat available.  But also because the traditional Samoan diet is very healthy: fresh tropical fruits and vegetables from the land; fresh fish, poultry and pork.  Well-rounded.  Good fats. No chemicals or preservatives.

So what happened?  How did it become like this?  That I cannot answer - definitely beyond the scope of my little knowledge and experience and this post.  But it is something that is always in the back of my mind.

Whew....glad to get that off my chest. 

Now I can focus on the food itself.  This will be the first of many posts on food because as ya'll know I love cooking and eating.  Some posts will introduce local Samoa food, some will focus on my experiments at home, and others will be food reviews of the restaurants here.

For today, I would like to introduce you to breadfruit or "Ulu."

I never had breadfruit before.  But it grows fast and it is everywhere in American Samoa.
Seriously, it is everywhere.  Like I am looking at some trees right now outside.  If I wasn't so lazy, I could go pick some for dinner.

The first time I had it a neighbor had knocked on my door one Sunday morning.
He presented me with a plate:

 

I had no clue what it was...was it a grilled potato?  Was it a vegetable?

How do I eat it?  I first drank the mug, thinking it was a sweet drink.

NOPE!  I got a big gulp of onion, coconut cream, and salt.  It was delicious, but just not what I was expecting.  So I figured it must be a sauce.  I sliced the food in half and recognized it as breadfruit...thank you, No Reservations for that little bit of education.  I cut off a chunk, which was still steaming from being grilled on coals.  I dipped it into the sauce, and OMG, it was delicious!

The breadfruit is very fibrous.  It reminds me of jackfruit fibers.  The taste is a cross between  a plantain and potato!  I really like it!

It is also very filling. i later learned it is a good source of healthy saturated fat, vitamin C, and potassium.  But it is also high in carbs and natural sugars.

I could only eat about a quarter of it.  I chopped up the rest and poured the sauce over it, and saved it for later.  I really like that sauce.  It is fresh coconut, thinly sliced onions, and salt to taste.  They definitely left the sauce marinate together for a few hours.  I know that I will be experimenting with it in the future.  I already have a few possibilities for "American Samoa chowder." muahahahahahahaa!

I happily ate the leftovers throughout the week with seafood, roasted chicken, and shredded pork.  It really goes well with anything.

Later I found a store that sells homemade breadfruit chips.
Very dangerous.

Thinly sliced and fried in animal fat with a light sprinkling of salt.  mmm...mmm...mmm
I think next time I will sprinkle some cayenne pepper on it (if I can find some on this island! - spices are rare here too).  Now that I know the carb and sugar content I will be sure to make breadfruit more of a treat than a staple in my diet.

But I am surprised - given how easily breadfruit grows here, why hasn't the government looked into exporting it?  This could bring some serious money into the country.
And because it seems to be a great alternative to gluten and potatoes, some fool needs to get on that, and make breadfruit flour, bread, and other products.

mmm....breadfruit...i might get off my butt and snag one from the tree now.

I am still alive in American Samoa

Sorry!  I know... I suck.
My last two weeks at Coconut Point flew by!
And now I am back at Freddie's Beach.  Blech!

During my second week, my co-worker went on vacation, and so for 7 glorious days I had her car, and I felt like a freakin teenager again!
Car = freedom!

Every day I drove around and accomplished so many errands.
I went to Ace Hardware...Cost-U-Less and stocked up.
If I saw a fruit or vegetable stand, I was able to stop and peruse all the goods, and took my sweet time.
I could drive to the Post Office or refill my water whenever I wanted to.
I even went to the movies on a whim late at night.
I even drove past 25mph! Rebel, I know.

And most important of all, I went fabric shopping!
Check it out! This is Manua's.

Half of the warehouse is devoted to fabric!

So many endless aisles of fabric!

Rows and rows...

 I spent a good two hours there, and that was limiting myself to fabric that was $1.99/yard or cheaper.
Looking back, I feel like I rushed myself because the warehouse is NOT air conditioned and there are a horrible storm outside.  I was determined not to drive home in the rain at night.

 I bought fabric for curtains and couches.

 I originally bought yellow for the second bedroom. Baby blue for the living room.
Pink for the kitchen door, and dark blue pattern for the couches.

When I got home, the first thing I did was cover the couches and I loved it!
But I don't like the baby blue.  It does not go with the couches....
So I am switching it up...yellow for the kitchen, baby blue for the second room, and I'll take the pink to work and throw it on a filing cabinet.

Now that I am without a car again, I hope to convince a friend to take me to Manua's.
I am thinking white and cream solid colors for the curtains in the living room, and perhaps yellow and green pillows...hmmm...

There was really so much fabric...I am already imaging all the clothes I am going to have made.
I planned ahead and brought clothes that I want them to copy.
Yes, I have a new addiction!

Sorry - I know this was not a food post.
I promise I will post that tomorrow.

My first four weeks flew by, and I have been busy at work.

I can't believe this is my 6th week....time is flying.

House Sitting in American Samoa

Slowly, but surely, my tiny, stuffy apartment is becoming livable.
But I don't think it will ever be "home."
I am counting the days until I can save up and get out of there.

On a Friday afternoon, a nice lady placed a frantic ad for a house sitter.
She and her family are going to the mainland for almost a month and her regular house sitter canceled on her at the last minute.

My co-worker forwarded it to me, assured me the neighbor was nice, and encouraged me to reply.
I did, and that next day, the lady came to my house, we chatted for a bit, and she loved me.
We went to her house, introduced me to her family and neighbors, and it was a done deal!

So here is my home for the next few weeks.

It is the little house with the white roof.
And here is my view every morning!

No matter what BS I suffered the day before, I always feel better in the morning.
And here is a better view after the sun has risen.  This is taken right from the edge of the trees.

As part of my duties, I have to take care of the two dogs and 4 cats.
It is not bad at all.  The cats are easy. I just feed them and leave them alone.
But the dogs... are a handful.

Meet Toloo.

Toloo is very sweet.  He prefers to lay on the blanket all day.




This is is Harry.

Harry has the loudest bark in the neighborhood.
He is the social butterfly.
And he doesn't like to share.
He knows how to open the screen door, so he is constantly in and out of the house.
Some nights he doesn't come home, and Toloo doesn't sleep well if he is not there.
In fact, Toloo will pace back and forth until he finally tires himself out.
Some nights I wait until 11pm, and if Harry doesn't come home, too bad - he is sleeping under a palm tree, buddy.

When they are both in- they get really restless around 3am.
Sometimes they even paw at my bedroom.
I let them out - Toloo does his business and comes back.
Harry takes off! 

When I come home from work, they are sitting in the porch lounge chairs, waiting for me.
The moment I open the door, they assume their positions:

They crack me up.
And I am grateful that they are super protective!
Seriously...any person takes one step towards this house, they instantly wake up and sounds like a pack of wolves! (I wish I had a direwolf).

One week has already gone by...oh, man I am going to miss this place.

Up next - a post about food here.

Never Had Niagara

So you know when you visit some place for the first time, and everything is awesome and cool, and you love every minute of it? They call that the honeymoon phase of living abroad.
Yeah....didn't even have one here.
I skipped that stage...would have been nice.
Instead, I jumped ahead straight to stage two: frustration.

For every awesome local I meet, there seem to be dozens who will just shrug their shoulders and NOT do their job.

For example, I have been having a hard time just getting my mail.
My mom sent me some documents that I needed for work as well as some goodies.
There is only one USPS office in American Samoa.
For most of the year, mail flights are twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays.
During the summer, they add a third flight - I forget - Wednesday or Friday.
But my point being - USPS is our only source of mail (not fedex, not DHL, not ANYBODY)
USPS is also federal jurisdiction - so foolish me, expecting some level of reliability.

USPS only operates M-F, 8:30 to 3:30.
UNLESS you have a package or special envelope for pickup.
In that case, it must be inspected by a customs officer before it can be released to you.
When can you pick up?
Whenever the officer decides to show up! Somewhere between 9 and 3, but count on a long lunch and many breaks in between.

I ain't gonna lie to you...today I almost cried.
My mom sent me a envelope with important items.
She mailed it last Tuesday.
It probably arrived on a Friday or Saturday.
But I was too busy Friday and there are no buses on the weekends (where I live).

So I went this morning to pick up my envelope.
And because it was EXPRESS and because I didn't pick it up immediately,
they sent it back to my mom.

WTH people!  And the guy was like we can only hold EXPRESS deliveries for so long before we have to return them.  It is policy....blah blah blah
 
BULLSHIT!  It has been only 2 or 3 days!

I am going to check again every day this week in case it miraculously appears.

And last week, I ordered some stuff from Walmart.
All but one package made it here.
I waited, and it still didn't arrived.
So I filed a report that is was either Lost or Stolen, and well, what do you know...the package was found!

*sigh*

I need to let things go...lower my expectations....and just accept that things work differently here.

I am also focusing on the positive.  Like:

I have awesome co-workers, who are supportive and helpful.
My direct supervisors in the Civil Division have so much experience. I can't wait to learn from them.
They are also so professional - and they are amazing leaders.
They trust me to do my work and are full of insights.
I immediately clicked with them.

There is another new attorney, and he has been so patient and generous with me.
All the free rides - advice - washer/dryer use... he knows that I am trapped on the weekends, so he makes a point to have a group movie night on Fridays.  He is busy preparing his home for his wife's arrival later this month.  Every time something bad happens to me, he thanks God that he told his wife to wait and follow him later.

I have made a few awesome friends.  One girl in particular - it is like we have known each other for years.  We already know what each other's looks and sounds mean.  It feels good to have a friend, where we can tell each other everything.

And I totally pass for Samoan.  Sorry, Mom and Dad, no one believes I am Filipino.
In fact, I showed a picture of Brian, and they believed if he was darker he could pass too.
What does this mean?
I don't pay the foreigner/tourist price for most things!

BOOYAKASHA!!!

Things will get better once I get paid.
And once I get paid, I can get my own rusted piece of shit car.
And with that beloved rusted POS car, I can finally be independent and start actually living on this island, rather than feeling trapped on it.  Until next time:

UPDATE:  I talked to my mom, she didn't use Express, just regular priority mail...those bastards lied to me...