(25) Things I Learned in the Jungle

(About Food)

Pretty much everything is different when you go overseas. From the kinds of animals you can see to the way that the seasons change it's just different. This can lead to some interesting interactions between people who are already in "the know" and those who aren't. Namely, me. This is a catalogue of some of the more interesting tidbits that I discovered during my time in Papua New Guinea.  

Check out my wife's post on this here.

1. Green coconuts are great when you're hot. Not so much when you're not.
2. Brown coconuts need specialized tools to open and eat. Seriously.
3. There are vegetables out there that I'm still not certain how to eat.
4. Shrimp goes well on pizza. 
5. Its way cooler to eat off a banana leaf than a plate. 
6. There are nuts that have the texture and flavor of bread.
7. Bread, though, doesn't always. Also, bread takes forever to make.
8. Tuna can come in pretty much any flavor. (Chili con tuna anyone?)
9. Sweet just means good. Don't turn down someone's potatoes just because they say they are sweet.
10. Fish fresh from a river tastes amazing! The bones of this fresh fish feel like small daggers that are trying to kill your gums.
11. You can boil anything. This does not mean you should. Roasted is much better.
12. Passion fruit should be avoided at all costs. Especially if you have a cut in your mouth.
13. Just because your spices are solidified by the humidity, does not mean that they won't make food taste awesome-er.
14. Ants are good protein. I'm not sure they're worth the effort though. They aren't very filling.
15. In America we use yeast to carbonate Ginger beer. In PNG/Australia, there is enough bacteria in the air to do it.
16. Trees are edible. It takes a lot of work to eat them, though.
17. Salt is candy.
18. Neither PNG or Australia know how to make a sausage taste good.
19. If an Aussie offers you a spider, they (probably) aren't offering you a bug.
20. There is a process to freezing vegetables. Follow it.
21. Bacon is a form of currency in PNG.
22. Custard is the best jungle dessert ever! Unless you burn it.
23. Coffee can be made anywhere. If it is Garoka coffee, it shouldn't be.
24. Pancakes make a great birthday cake. 
25. Fried chicken is a world wide staple.