Happy New Year!

Today (Wednesday) I had the good old breakfast on the fly, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and diet coke.  It's not that I got up late but rather we needed to get missionaries to the dentist and there were several.  It kind of limits us when we can only get 2-3 at a time.  Thankfully, we got some last minute help from the Va'enuku's but we still had to make several trips back and forth before we got everyone to where they needed to be.

Elder Kau (pronounced cow) or Timote or just Kau now that he has been released as a missionary, lives in one of the nearby communities so we have seen him several times over the past week.  Now that he is no longer serving as a full time missionary he decided he wanted to test out his coconut tree climbing skill to see if he could still do it.  I'll let you judge for yourself (see video below).

Timote Kau climbing the coconut tree.

The car we have is a Hyundai Tucson and is pretty nice.  It is pretty similar to our Mazda CX5 at home as far as size and options.  It has the back-up camera built into the rearview mirror, power window and seats (not heated - thank goodness).  I did bring a simple little driving camera with us (like a GoPro but cheaper).  As we were driving some local Tongan missionaries to the clinic one of them kept asking about the car and all it's options.  When he finished he simply said, "It would take a lifetime for a Tongan to buy a car like this."

Big Mama's Yacht Club Resort - swimming pool and diving
board.  I'm not sure a sunken ship is a good way to advertise
for a yacht club but here it seems to work.

We also traveled to one of the nearby islands for 4 hours of Rest and Relaxation (Pangiamotu).  It cost os about $25. (USD) each and included lunch.  We invited one of the local families (of 4) to go with us and we split the cost with one other senior missionary couple.  We had lots of fun (and sun) but what was the most telling was that the father told us that he had never been to this island even though he grew up in Tonga on the main island.

We also hear stories from missionaries from Tonga who have never been to any other island than the one they were born on.  One of the things they really like is being assigned to an island they have never been to.  In fact, this may be the only time they ever go there.

I thought about these three things for a while and it made me realize how blessed we I am (we are) to be able to travel and see the country (or the world).  To many here, it is a dream that may go unfulfilled yet for us it is common place.

We have had a few more questions about the food in Tonga so I thought I'd share a little more about it.  There is not much Tongan food that we don't like.  I think Lepeka will eat most of it but I draw the line at raw fish.  I've included a few of the more common foods below with our best description of what they are and taste like.

Dining out is not common but there are a few local restaurants which are pretty inexpensive.  We frequently eat lunch at one of the local establishments for about $8. (USD) total for both of us.  Most of them serve fried chicken, rice, manioke, curry sipi (lamb), lu kapa pulu.  They drink mostly via (water) coconut milk (straight from the coconut) and other fruit juice drinks.  They drink very few carbonated drinks.  In fact, if they buy a carbonated drink, will shake it until it is flat and then drink it.  Most restaurants do not serve any diet drinks.

TONGAN FOOD

'Ota 'aka served with Manioke

'Ota 'ika (literally raw fish) is the national dish of Tonga consisting of raw fish marinated briefly in lemon or lime juice and then mixed with coconut milk and diced vegetables (most commonly cucumber, tomato, onion, green onion, and spicy peppers).

Manioke is a root crop (or tuber) similar to a potato and usually cooked in an oven or umu (earth oven).  It is served in a similar manner to what we would call a potato log in the U.S.  It is served at almost every meal in Tonga.  It is similar to a potato but more grainy and drier.  It is rarely seasoned or served with any gravy or sauce.  Most food here is eaten using the fingers (not utensils).  Perhaps with the exception of chips (what we would call french fries in the U.S.) for some reason most Tongans eat them with a light drizzle of catsup utilizing a fork.

Puaka on a spit one fire.

Puaka (pig) is one of the mainstays for feasts in Tonga especially on special occasions like weddings or funerals.  Pigs roam everywhere in all sizes.  It's not unusual to see a whole group of pigs just grazing and walking down the roads just about anywhere.  Puaka is typically cooked on a spit above an open fire (or hot coals) where it is turned manually for 3-4 hours.  It is served just as it comes off the spit with the head still attached.  The pig skin and pig ears are the most highly sought after servings.  Sometimes cooked in an umu (Earth oven) as well.

Kumala

Kumala tastes like a yam but not quite as sweet and it is purple in color.  Ufi is another local root crop similar to a yam but not purple.  Both are usually cut up then boiled in water until cooked and served with no other seasoning

Look at the size of those leaves!

Talo (Taro)  just about every part of this plant is used in one way or another.  The roots are another tuber and are cooked and eaten again similar to a potato.  The leaves are also used in cooking to wrap different meat doused in coconut milk.  The leaves are called lu and if they are eaten raw they can have a toxin in them that will numb the mouth and can cause sores.  This toxin cooks out and the lu tastes almost exactly like spinach.

Lu ip being prepared for cooking

Sipi is lamb and is usually cooked with sliced onions, wrapped in taro leaf (lu), and soaked in coconut milk (see photo at the left).  Once they are wrapped up they look like a giant hershey's kiss.  It is referred to as lu sipi when cooked this way which is pretty typical.  It's hard to describe how it tastes but it is one of the better flavoured dishes for my taste ( I think it might be because of the onions).

Kapa pulu (canned corn beef)

Kapa pulu or canned corn beef is also one of the main stays along with bread (which is delicious. ) It can also be cooked in lu.  The bread is sold from bakeries (not a standard grocery store) so it's always day fresh and very delicious.

Kuli (or dog) is also eaten quite frequently and most Tongans we have talked to (and even our young missionaries) seem to like it describing it as 'sweet'.  It is prepared pretty much the same way as puaka, roasted on a spit over a fire.  This is one I am going to have to take their word on as I will not be eating fido anytime soon.

There are several restaurants around that cater to the American taste so we are able to get hamburgers and other sandwiches, pizza, pasta, tacos and even a good steak along with a few other dishes.  Lepeka misses her good lettuce (and salads in general) but never really complains about anything.

Phil Hudson - Dentist

Jan Hudson - Dental hygienist

These are two of our good friends here, Elder and Sister Hudson (Phil and Jan).  Two little Tongan girls witnessed the scene of Phil taking this photo of Jan (see photo on the right).  After the photo was taken, they just looked at each other and shrugged as they raised an eyebrow.  Actually, Phil doesn't play the ukulele and Jan is the sane one.

More photos from around the island this week.

You can see the kids climbing all over this old rusty boat.  If you look closely
you can see one of them about to enter the water.  They seemed to be having
the time of their lives.

Another computer store that I have not seen until now located on the bypass road.
I may just have to check this one out next week.

The elusive black star-fish.  This one saved by the women folk.
(Jan and Lepeka)

One of the Christmas decorations along wharf road.

Elders on their P-day.
L>R, Elder Christopherson, Elder Woods, ElderArnold and Elder Mafi

The beach at Mama's Yacht club resort

Big Mama's Yacht Club Resort

Swimming pool Tongan style

Sunset at Surfers beach

Sunset at the Houma blow holes