Food on Mission

Nate writes:

Here is a photo of our weekly food consumption for one week.

FMS supports us with a monthly stipend that compares closely to the minimum wage of an average “official” work sector job of a Bolivian. And it’s worth noting that the majority of Bolivians work some where within the bounds of an unofficial economy i.e. black market goods, service jobs etc, meaning they could be making much less than the minimum wage.

But I’d like to share with FMS blog readers what it looks like eat on the minimum wage salary while living out in rural Bolivia.

We shop once a week and try to stock up to avoid extra trips to town, which is 30 minutes away from where we live on campus. Luckily we have a nice fridge and freezer to stock up for the week (most Bolivians have neither).

In the photos you’ll see a meal we cooked with some good friends called “Pique Macho.”  It’s marinated beef, sausages, hard boiled eggs, green peppers, and french fries, and it’s so delicious.

We cook everything from scratch. There’s no other option! There are no processed foods available in the markets in Coroico. Mary and I have always loved cooking and do mostly everything from scratch, but the freshness and wide range of produce goodies at the markets makes cooking in a Bolivia a true pleasure.

The two other images are photos taken right after a shopping trip to town.
Foods seen in the pictures are
green beans
peas
broad beans
green peppers
plantains
lemons
papaya
potato crackers
local wine
milk in a bag
yogurt
local coffee from a womens cooperative
granadillos – mini pomegranates
avocado
tunas – juicy and seedy cactus fruits
homemade biscuits