Cooking up a Storm

If you know me you know that two things that I love are foodand kids, so getting to help out at the St. Benedict’s School feeding programwas tones of fun for me. Jan started up the feeding program at the elementaryschool again when she came down in October, she had run it two years ago andreally wanted to take it on again and create a system that is sustainable aftershe leaves. Gary and Jan were going to be gone for a week so someone needed tostep in take over so the kids could eat for the week. So I went with Jan for afew days to learn the ropes and then was there all of last week. Brenda is ayoung mother who also volunteers in the kitchen with Jan. Brenda is an amazingcook and knows how to cook Belizean food that the kids love and unlike many Belizeansis focused on providing the kids with lots of healthy vegetables in deliciousways. The feeding programs feeds about 15-30 kids a day for BZ$1.50 (US$0.75)and those who cannot affords that eat for free. The program is still able to run a small profit of BZ$25 aweek; which is then used for things that are needed in the kitchen. It's pretty incredible that it can be done for so little money, and for many of these kids they don't have another place to go at lunch if their parents work, and they probably wouldn't get as nutritious and generous a meal as they do with Jan and Brenda at the school. It's a very important program and every school should have one, many do, but some just a few days a week.

Plenty Belize's GATE program has set up gardens at all of the schools throughout the Toledo District. It is an awesome and ambitious program that has taught many people not only the joys of gardening, but where their food comes from, and supplemented the schol feeding program with free vegetables (something Belizeans don't eat a lot of). After 5 years of being in the program Plenty "graduates" the school garden. The kids do little songs, poems or skits about gardening and there is a big meal for everyone at the school and any parents/ community that wants to come. Plenty and Sustainable Harvest International where there with informative booths.

The school has about 235 kids from Infant 1 to Standard 6(Kindergarten to grade 8) and plus there was about another 75ish people. The cooking was lead by Gomier who owns a vegetarian and seafood restaurant here in PG and is on the Plenty board of directors. Jan and I had cooked up a storm the day before making Banana bread for snack (356 good sized pieces) and making 36L of Fever grass (from the garden) iced tea, on top of cooking the regular days lunch and snack. The day of the graduation was a little crazier than we had hoped for, but it all got done and all the guests got to eat (despite there being not enough of everything for people in the kitchen). We made fish, cabbage stirfry, cassava and cocoa yam fritters (delicious, I will be making these at home), boil up (half way between a soup and stew), green salad (I made the dressing) and fruit for dessert. It was delicious and I think the kids ate way more vegetable than they expected (even though some of them turned up their noses).
After washing 1.5 million dishes in a very small kitchen we went home, with some lessons learned about how better to run it (just making sure the kids eat on their time, but Belizean time is its own thing)
I have learned a lot from getting to spend time at the school. We take a lot for granted at home, can you imagine elementary school without a gym? a play structure? a library (St.Benedicts just got one this year)? an auditorium (or at least a gym with a stage)?
Life here is a lot more laid back and the schedule is a lot more lax, which I find a little uncomfortable to witness since I feel like my academic career was so time oriented. Things start and stop at very precise times. Not always the case here, sometimes recess is 15min and sometimes its 40.
It makes you think about what is necessary and what is just cultural? How much structure to children really need and how much is too much? It seems to me its somewhere in the middle of Belize and North America Suburbia, but I don't think anyone has gotten it perfect yet.
Much Love
Mariel

All the delicious produce

The kids assembled for their presentations

The girls cooking in the kitchen

Fritter recipe yummmm