Lunch break

I take my usual spot on the wooden bench that doesn’t quite sit even on the sandy ground. I am joined by the three other Yovos in my French class. Each of us balance a plastic plate of rice, beans and sauce – our normal lunch here.

“Hole in the wall” would be an apt term for what has become our usual lunch spot if it had walls. The wooden structure has a back wall and a slat roof that leaks when it rains. We came here the first class and have continued to come mostly because it is close and we aren’t ripped off.

The lady nods in recognition of us now from behind the table where she serves. A metal bowl of rice is to her left covered with a cloth to keep out the flies. Next to it is a bowl of spaghetti noodles and a plastic container of powdered manioc, a root vegetable similar to a potato that adds calories more than taste. A large pot of black-eyed peas is in front of the rice. These are served with either rice or manioc and then topped with a spicy red sauce. A plastic container of fried fish is on the right. This and a hardboiled egg can be added to our rice and beans for an extra 100 CFAs. On an extra good day, there is also a cheese similar to paneer on the menu.

The lady doesn’t ever say much, but I wonder what she thought the first time a group of Yovos walked up to her and gestured wildly at the pots in front of her.

I scoop the last spoonful into my mouth and hand my plate and spoon to one of the girls who is washing dishes in a plastic tub. I pay and walk back down the stone road to class. “Until tomorrow,” I say.