THROWBACK: Three Things You Should Know About Haiti
Three Things You Should Know About Haiti
This post was written in 2016 by veteran RAH runner, Josh Elkes. Josh is about to embark on the 2017 Run Across Haiti.
1. The landscapes are incredible
After having run the 230 miles across Haiti for Team Tassy in 2015, I still cannot believe how unique every city, town, and village is. I could begin my morning running through flat farmlands, then hit a dusty desert by sunrise, and finally finish my run in a bustling city. The cities are unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Instead of taxis, there are motorbikes carrying passengers and pickup trucks packed with people on the back. The rural landscapes and mountains are also incredibly unique. You see children walking up mountainsides barefoot, livestock grazing on hillsides, and trucks going at break-neck speeds around blind turns as they wind their way down to the villages and city centers. There is a lot of beauty here worth seeing.
2. The food is delicious
When I tell people about the Run Across Haiti, one of the first questions I get is, “What do you eat?” When I tell them the Haitian diet is ideal for long distance running, I get a puzzled look. While in Haiti, I ate the most delicious goat, plantains, rice, and yucca. These foods are proteins, starches, and carbs. The perfect fuel for running! My favorite food in Haiti (aside from the goat) are picklese. These are pickled vegetables and spicy peppers, which make the ultimate condiment. I’ve been counting down the days until I could enjoy these pickled wonders again!
One of our Team Tassy family members, Carmitha, has shared a favorite and traditional recipe for you to try at home!
Recipe for the rice and beans:
-two cups of rice
-one cup of beans
-three cups of water to boil the beans
-seasonings or flavoring
-moru (it’s kind of meat to put in the meal when you prepare it)
- now it’s when you will prepare the beans and the rice together you’ll use oil and then for each two cups of rice you’ll use two big spoons of oil,for the salt it’s you who will know the quantity of the salt you’ll use it’s always up to the cooker
Here is how to cook the rice and beans:
- firstly, cook the beans in a boiler. the way to cook it is to put water in a boiler and then put the beans in it also when you see the beans change color now, it’s ready
- to keep on eyes on the beans during it’s boiling. do not cook too much, once it’s ready move the beans out of the water and save the beans’ water
-now you’ll put your hot water tank on the fire. after it’s a bit hot, you put oil and then you fry moru. it’s a kind of meat to put a small piece of it and then add seasoning or flavoring. do not let the flavoring or the seasoning fry too much. now put the beans on it and let the beans fry. so dry again and then you’ll put the salt. it’s up to the cooker now. the beans’ water you saved, you’ll put it in the hot water tank and now you’ll let it boil. after that put the rice on the hot water tank while it’s boiling. the cook will taste it now and the cook can put butter depending on the butter you use so when it’s completely dry the meal is almost ready.
3. The reality is tough, but can be improved
As soon as your flight touches down in Cap Haitien, there is no avoiding the reality of Haiti.
This reality is a difficult one, filled with incredible poverty and political turmoil. The most eye opening aspect of all of this, is that it is all just a quick flight from Miami, where things couldn’t be more different. While running the miles from Cap Haitien to Jacmel, you see the everyday struggles that people go through to survive in their country. Whether it’s mother’s selling goods at the market all day in the sweltering heat, or children walking dozens of miles from their home to school each day, a lot of people are doing the best they can to make the best of what they have. It doesn’t take much to improve these situations. For example, it costs twenty-five cents for a doctor’s visit at a health clinic. This cost helps subsidize the visits for the people who cannot afford the twenty-five cent fee. Although there is a lot of work to be done in Haiti, a little goes a very long way, and a difference can absolutely be made. This is why Team Tassy’s work is so important, as we continue to see positive change in the lives of the families they support!
www.crowdrise.com/2017RAH