An umu is an outdoor oven that consists of a hollowed out pit in the ground where a fire is built to heat rocks to cook on. The senior missionary couples here in Samoa mostly live in Apia. It's great because we have family home evening together and socialize together. A while back we were all invited to an umu at Tafatafa beach, a private beach resort on the other side of the island that's owned by members of the Church.
A closer look at our suckling pig. Looks like he might need a dentist!
Me in front of some beach fales. A fale is a traditional open-air home where Samoans sleep.
Mark being a hunter-gatherer. He rescued a sprouted coconut for us from the ocean (not that we'd ever eat it).
The missionaries cavorting in the water. Yes, they do allow the more mature missionaries to swim in the ocean!
Ready to go home after a great day at the beach.
Did my comment get lost somewhere? Ah well. Thank you for sharing the Umu! You didn't tell how the food tasted. I would love to hear more and about other new things you are eating and places you are visiting and such. The pictures are wonderful! I miss you.
ReplyDeleteMiss you too! The food tastes wonderful. A lot of it is cooked in coconut milk (num!)
Delete"Looks like he might need a dentist," haha! I just laughed and almost woke up Avery up from her nap. These pictures are great. The fales are interesting. Do they just sleep there? Where do they get dressed, shower, prepare food, store their belongings? What a different life. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes they do sleep in their fales. It's not much cooler at night than in the daytime and so it's much cooler to sleep in an outdoor fale than inside. These are beach fales that people can rent for their trip to the beach. Many of the fales have mats that they can lower if there is a big storm. If they don't have a house behind their fale, they cook in an umu. Many have a barrel or tank where they collect rain water. I think many of them don't worry too much about privacy. There are often several families living together. Most don't have too many belongings to store.
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