Fresh food- fast food?

I've pretty much adapted to the lack of what used to be my favorite foods here in Kinshasa. I've come to accept what's available as my new favorites and the high prices of occasionally splurging on my old. A sale on grapes makes it even more possible. (only 4000FC- that's a deal even in the states I think!...well, ok I have no idea what the price of grapes is in the states these days so I can't be sure, but 4000FC is just under $5 and a package- or 5- of red seedless grapes is well worth it.)

Eating local might be the new craze everywhere else but in Kinshasa it's a must. The plus side is that eating local also often means eating fresh. I've woken frequently to finding this in my kitchen- a pan full of what looks like tied up grass. Lemongrass. Usually a sign someone in the house is feeling a cold coming on.

There's another kind of fresh food that's caught my eye and left me fascinated in that horrified way that happens when something is just so different it can't be synthesized. It's partly because I don't eat meat and it's partly because, as an American - an urban American- I have been comfortably removed form the reality of where meat comes from.

Eating goat is one of the delicacies of Congo. Goat is readily available and often grilled to order. You can find goat kabobs  at many outdoor stands as well as tucked in the back or off to the side of many cafes and restaurants. The "goat stand" is accompanied with the sound of whacking and chopping. Because the goat is just that fresh.

In this poor case, the goat does not yet seem aware of what happened to his cousin or the fate that surely awaits him. Surrounded by cardboard he must think he's landed in some kind of heaven, unknowing that the real heaven is only days away.

Despite my revulsion, no one else really seems to notice the hanging carcasses. They walk by - I even observed one man pushing it slightly out of his way- and stand next it while placing their order. I've come to see it as the ultimate in fresh, fast food. (Although, depending on the number of patrons, the goat plate could actually take awhile to receive.) It is grilled or smoked (I'm not completely up on the culinary method here, I just know there is a large grill and a lot of smoke) and it comes served on a plate wrapped in a brown paper, usually accompanied with a small pile of red pepper and seasonings and perhaps some mayonnaise. Finger food.

Myself? I'll stick to the vegetable stands selling tomatoes and eggplants and sweet potatoes. Even better, I'll stick to the green beans and cucumbers fresh from my garden. I don't eat out often, and when I do it's certainly not local (the tofu plate at that Chinese restaurant on the boulevard is simply divine!) but for all the meat eaters out there, I recommend the goat. Better than McDonald's. Fresh, fast and local.