Friday night we had planned a bonfire at the boys home and had invited the Mengo girls to come as well. We wanted to get wood for the fire, cokes, and food to cook for everyone. We first went to Bukesa to meet the uncles who were going to take us to the market. We had no idea the turn the night was about to take.
*Disclaimer- If you are into animal rights and such.. You should maybe NOT keep reading.. fair warning.
We walked about half a mile to an open market. People were selling everything from shoes to bananas to live animals to raw meat. some of the girls waiting outside the market, thinking the boys were grabbing rice. Next thing I know I see Maleia with a live chicken in her hand! As she turns around her facial expression was hilarious; a mix of confusion and shock. As the next ten minutes unfold, more chickens keep coming, as the boys decided to buy SEVEN live chickens! This is about the moment that it clicks we are about to carry our dinner. After the initial realization and slight shock, names started being assigned to the chickens, such as Mr. Cluckles, Mr. Chicken, and Sam. This is also where we realized the reality of the situation and how hilarious it truly was.
At first, I opted out of carrying a chicken, in which Ibra, one of the eleven year old boys, flapped one in my face and said, “You have fear?” I told him I didn’t but I just preferred not to hold it. But when the youngest Bukesa boy, Abdu, was flapping around two chickens and basically forced one into my hand, it was done. I then had the unique experience of carrying a live chicken, by its feet, back to the home where it would soon meet its end. The boys kept asking, “Will you kill it? You should make the cut! It’s easy!” I told them not a chance. They kept explaining how it worked, how it was a quick death, and how they did it all the time. At this point, I was unsure if I even wanted to watch.
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| The egg! |
Back at the house, they uncles prepared the water and the chickens and brought out the knives. Before the first chickens turn, It laid an egg! It just popped out! Of course the boys grabbed it and started tossing it around. When the water was ready and neck feathers were plucked, Abdu and Katie took the honors of the first chicken. Chicken after chicken they went, it was a little bit like watching a train wreck, terrible, but it was hard to look away. I also literally saw a chicken squirming around with its head cut off! I then watched Jake kill one of the chickens, then KEELA! Which was so funny, but she was such a champ. The pictures are great.
There were then two chickens left, and I have no idea how it happened exactly, but I found myself over a chicken, standing on its wings and one of the boys demonstrating the correct way to cut it. Though the next two minutes, maybe less, was a short time, it was a LONG moment. A little gagging involved as well as some flapping from the chicken, but next thing I knew they were tossing my chicken into the pot. I am not totally sure if I should be proud of this feat or not, but If I’m being honest.. I was proud. A little in shock, a little grossed out, mostly proud. It was a big deal all of us, but the Africans just laughed, even the smallest of the girls, as if killing, cooking, and eating chicken happens at the regular. Once again, hello new culture.
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| Cooking rice |
The aunts and uncles then cooked the chicken, added spices and tomatoes, then cooked brown seasoned rice with potatoes. By the time it was ready, it was 10:00, aka normal dinner time in Africa, and we all ate around the fire. I had been hesitant about eating the chicken, since I had seen Mr. Cluckles, Fred, and Sam, all alive earlier, but it surprisingly looked good! I had one bit, and it tasted really good! But that was about all I could handle, so I just passed my plate on over to one of the boys.
Things I did not plan to accomplish in Africa: #1 Killing and eating a chicken. Definitely added to the already long list of things learned this trip. I had prayed for God to teach me knew things these two weeks, as I blogged about a while back. I think it’s fair to say this story is just another testimony to God’s humor.
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