Collegekitchen24

Mainstreaming Haitian cuisine

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Chef Lemaire's journey

Chef Lemaire’s journey

Chef Alan Lemaire is someone I have been following for a couple of years now and his success in the culinary industry makes my heart skip a beat. Haitian cuisine, outside of Haiti, is typically presented under the very wide umbrella of Caribbean food. Granted, there are several similarities between Caribbean countries in terms of spices and flavors, however, the culinary style varies with each…

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Hominy with red kidney beans with Red snapper

Hominy with red kidney beans with Red snapper

Red kidney beans ½ cup of red kidney beans* 2 cups of water 2 tablespoons of your choice of oil 2 garlic cloves parsley Ground corn ½ cup of ground corn 1/3 cup of your choice of oil boiled red kidney beans ½ can of coconut milk 2 tablespoons of Haitian spice mix salt to taste or add 1 chicken stock cube 2 ½ cups of water (preferably the bean broth) Directions: Bring to boil on medium high heat…

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Jetlag. 9 hours and a half training days. Buna (about 5 cups a day).Say (pronounce like shy in english,which is tea). Food. Goat meat (my favorite).Freshly squeezed orange juice no sugar added. Cold gold (Habeesha beer). Wifi!! By the way, I wrote this post a while back, I just now have wifi (Yes I am Im Addis Ababa again).

These are the words that comes to my mind when I think of my first two weeks in Addis Ababa. After a 13hour and 15 minutes flight from Dulles to Bole airport, my day started with a typical Buna ceremony.

The ceremony represents a sign of hospitality and respect on the part of Ethiopians. It is basically a coffee break but every time it is done, the person making the coffee goes through the same ritual every single time. They serve the coffee with snacks (popcorn, bread,roasted bulgur wheat, fried potatoes etc…). In some regions, instead of sugar, butter or salt is added to the coffee.  Children are not allowed to drink coffee but they can participate in the ritual. The youngest person present at the ceremony distribute the snacks to the attendees. Attendees are expected to drink 3 cups of coffee (not the mug size but the little cups). Interesting enough, each cup has a name. The first cup is called Abule, the second Tona and the third Baraka. Im not sure if I spelled them correctly but you get the idea. The oldest person present receives the first cup of coffee. Ethiopian women usually make their own coffee so men are more likely to get coffee at a coffee shop, where there is a minimal female presence.

Everything I’ve experienced in Ethiopia so far is a life  lesson (I’m not saying everything else that I’ve experienced in life wasn’t a life lesson but for the purpose of my service its relevant) Buna breaks teaches me to STOP AND LIVE IN THE MOMENT.I did not think about it that way until I heard someone say it and actually realized how Ethiopians focus on the sound and smell of coffee making. The ceremony is usually quiet and a soothing sound comes from the roasting coffee beans. Incense are often added to the charcoal and provides a calming environment.

When I moved to my pre-service training site with my host family, I was constantly asked to join a buna ceremony. It could be while I’m walking to class, buying scratch cards for my phone at a suq (boutique) or visiting a family friend. There is no such thing as no for an answer to a buna invitation, unless it is randomly from the opposite sex which implies that the person wants to take you out on a date.

I did not only drink coffee during my time in Addis Ababa but I also went out to different restaurants. Oh yea! Cheap and good food (but I will post about it separately). I’m saying cheap because I’m always comparing prices in Ethiopia to the United States but I need to stop doing that  because I am getting paid in birr so far :/.

  2 weeks in Addis Jetlag. 9 hours and a half training days. Buna (about 5 cups a day).Say (pronounce like shy in english,which is tea).

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Head to my blog for my very first post from Ethiopia! Advice of the day: Be careful what you wish for! #peacecorps #peacecorpsethiopia #collegekitchen24 #travel #meskelsquare #ethiopia

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Be careful what you wish for

Be careful what you wish for

 I’m starting this blog post with a cliché: Be careful what you wish for because you just might get that wish granted. This means that you might desire something and unforesee the consequences. They may be pleasant or unpleasant and often times people dream about something, say it out loud but don’t ever think about how it will affect their lives. During my undergraduate senior year, the only…

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First Buna ceremony. This ceremony is basically a coffee break but every time it is done, the person making the coffee goes through the same ritual every single time. They serve the coffee with snacks (popcorn, bread or roasted bulgur wheat) and the youngest person present at the ceremony distribute them to the attendees. The ceremony represents a sign of hospitality and respect on the part of Ethiopians. I will have more details on the blog soon. #bunaceremony #coffee #ethiopiancoffee #buna #peacecorpsethiopia #collegekitchen24 (at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

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Eat healthy

Food guide

Hello everyone, As the new year approaches, many people will make healthy eating habits a goal and this blog post is about guiding you through your healthy eating journey. I changed my eating habits as soon as I graduated college ( yay for me)  but you shouldn’t wait to start. You can choose to use this list if you are moving back into your dorms or at home, It doesn’t matter. Use it as a grocery…

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Up close and personal Tarte a l'oignon #collegekitchen24 #ilovecooking #onionquiche #tartealoignon #haitianfood #thanksgiving #ilovefood #food #foodie

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Happy thanksgiving!! 🦃 #collegekitchen24 #thanksgiving #happythanksgiving #food #foodie #haitianfood #turkey #potatosalad #tartealoignon #onionquiche #rice #ilovecooking #ilovefood

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Caramelized onions with bacon and tomatoes MAC AND CHEESE. Comfort food never tasted so good😋 #collegekitchen24 #homecooking #ilovecooking #ilovefood #macandcheese #bacon #tomatoes #caramelizedonions #foodie #food #foodporn

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🍗🍗🍗 I think i wet my screen when I saw this picture😋

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Pumkin season in a haitian kitchen!! Soup joumou on its way! 🎃 #collegekitchen24 #pumkinseason #soupjoumoun #ilovecooking #ilovefood #homecooking #haitiancuisine #haiti

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Ciborek (fried pita with meat and/or cheese). Click the link in my bio to learn about turkish cuisine. I want to thank @_womaninprogress for sharing her experience with us. #turkey #turkishcuisine #aroundtheworld #ciborek #baklava #dolma #menemen #olives #collegekitchen24

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Turkish experience

This past summer, I had the amazing opportunity to teach English in Turkey for a few weeks. While I was there, it didn’t take me long to become integrated into their rich culture. I was enthused to learn about their history, traditions, and customs. The Turkish culture is a very hospitable one; I’d run out of fingers counting how many times I’ve been invited to share a meal with someone. That’s…

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Cornmeal with tomatoes and smoked herring Mayi moulen ak zaboka in creole Typical haitian breakfast or brunch dish in my case. #collegekitchen24 #cornmeal #tomatoes #avocado #smokedherring #mayimoulen #tomate #zaboka #aransò #brunch #ilovefood #ilovecooking #haitianfood #haitian #haiti

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Start your morning right! Eat a healthy lunch, do something productive, exercise, do whatever float your boat.. Just start right so you can have an awesome day #fallishere #healthybelly #happybelly #collegekitchen24 #salad

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Fritay is a combination of fried foods in Haiti. They sell it on the streets and it is served with Pikliz, which is a spicy slaw. In this picture i made an onion pikliz ( because i did not have cabbage). #laborday #ilovefood #iloveeating #ilovecooking #haitianfood #haiti #collegekitchen24 #fritay #friedplantains #friedbatata #marinade #fritters #yesnomeat