July 25, 2013
Feeling board with my Tongan language I’ve started a new goal- to learn 6 new words a week. I have also been more diligent about my village strolls; in a flash back to life when i first got to site, I took my flashcards on a walk last Saturday and found myself in an interesting situation.
I was walking and chatting with various people and passers by when I came to a family eating outside there house. Since one of my favorite things is free food on an eve pe I called to the family-
ko e ha me’a ‘oku mo kai? (what are you eating?)
The answered back kolukalu. I had no idea what that meant so I went in to investigate. My first impression is the word kolukalu must mean some sort of animal mucus because it appeared to me that they were slurping up grayish colored snot.
I asked again- ko e ha? (what is this?)
Again they responded kolukalu.
I asked mei fe? (from where?)
mei tahi, ifo (from the sea, delicious). It is a rule of mine to try everything in Tonga so with an apprehensive face and anxious onlookers I slurped up the offered spoonful of goop. Nothing about it was pleasing to the pallet, not the texture, the flavor or the rank after taste.
I wanted to know what I had just put in my mouth so I questioned more-
mei fe? (from where?)
Mei tahi (from the beach)
Io! Ka mei fe, mei tahi?! (yes, but where from the beach?)
Mei tahi, ifo (from the beach, delicious) seeing as I was not getting anywhere I decided to write the word down and look it up later. I stayed with the family for a while and we laughed at my confusion and dislike for something they thought of as a delicacy.
In case you were wondering what I ate was jellyfish and it was not delicious.
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