Sunday, August 23, 2009
film title decided!!
So my trip to St Louis was kind of a bust in the sense that I was unable to get any filming done, my one scheduled interview got canceled due to a funeral (can't really be mad at that). I did learn a lot though.
The St Louis variety of the dish is also different than that in Dakar. I can't quite say whether it is better or not, it is just different. Certain condiments are substituted, for instance in Dakar there is a special sauce that is made to accompany the dish called Dakhar (because its made from the tamarind [dakhar] seed). In St Louis there was the absence of this sauce, but the variety of the rice itself was different, thus the end product differed, and yet the method remained the same! I have now learned that the rice used in St Louis is locally cultivated in the river delta, as oppose to the asian rice used in dakar. I don't think this minute difference accounts for the difference in outcome.
I had lunch in a friends family home, her relatives were rather curious about my inquiry about Ceebu jen. Her uncle thought it quite quaint, until I explained to him that the nature of my inquiry is not at all superficial, I shared some of my knowledge about the dish and suddenly he realised he was not dealing with an ignorant observer. We spoke at length about Ceebu jen, and focused mainly on eating it, and then for a brief moment the conversation lingered on the topic of Penda Mbaye. He asked me if I had ever heard about her outside of the 'ceebu jen penda mbaye' (the st louis variety of the meal) context. He then proceeded to tell me in what region of St Louis I would most likely find out information about her. The conversation was both entertaining and enlightening, at some point he said "Penda Mbaye was the first woman to prepare Ceebu jen here in Senegal, but now all Senegalese women [who prepare ceebu jen] are Penda Mbaye -- you know". His wife chuckled and quickly refuted "...I am not Penda Mbaye!" (moi, je suis pas Penda Mbaye). My trip to the local museum was also pretty unfulfilling, though I did come away with an angle to actually tell this story. The man in charge of the archives after laughing dismissively at my request to see any information on penda mbaye or st louis/senegalese cuisine in general then said the only people who 'claim' to know about penda mbaye are really old, and there is no telling whether what they say is plausible or not. So in short he was insinuating that i am headed down a dead end road, or that the old people not wired correctly anymore. In any event where he sees no opportunity I see a goldmine, because I can already see how much fun it will be interviewing as many old people as possible and looking for the common thread. Interactions like this one make me more interested in the life and person of Penda Mbaye now more than ever before. Her legacy feeds the nation daily and it lives on everyday in the lives of the Senegalese so I think it only fitting to find out so I have also decided on a few possible film titles
les filles sont interdit: reconstructing penda mbaye
or
les filles sont interdit: searching for penda mbaye
or
les femmes penda mbaye
The St Louis variety of the dish is also different than that in Dakar. I can't quite say whether it is better or not, it is just different. Certain condiments are substituted, for instance in Dakar there is a special sauce that is made to accompany the dish called Dakhar (because its made from the tamarind [dakhar] seed). In St Louis there was the absence of this sauce, but the variety of the rice itself was different, thus the end product differed, and yet the method remained the same! I have now learned that the rice used in St Louis is locally cultivated in the river delta, as oppose to the asian rice used in dakar. I don't think this minute difference accounts for the difference in outcome.
I had lunch in a friends family home, her relatives were rather curious about my inquiry about Ceebu jen. Her uncle thought it quite quaint, until I explained to him that the nature of my inquiry is not at all superficial, I shared some of my knowledge about the dish and suddenly he realised he was not dealing with an ignorant observer. We spoke at length about Ceebu jen, and focused mainly on eating it, and then for a brief moment the conversation lingered on the topic of Penda Mbaye. He asked me if I had ever heard about her outside of the 'ceebu jen penda mbaye' (the st louis variety of the meal) context. He then proceeded to tell me in what region of St Louis I would most likely find out information about her. The conversation was both entertaining and enlightening, at some point he said "Penda Mbaye was the first woman to prepare Ceebu jen here in Senegal, but now all Senegalese women [who prepare ceebu jen] are Penda Mbaye -- you know". His wife chuckled and quickly refuted "...I am not Penda Mbaye!" (moi, je suis pas Penda Mbaye). My trip to the local museum was also pretty unfulfilling, though I did come away with an angle to actually tell this story. The man in charge of the archives after laughing dismissively at my request to see any information on penda mbaye or st louis/senegalese cuisine in general then said the only people who 'claim' to know about penda mbaye are really old, and there is no telling whether what they say is plausible or not. So in short he was insinuating that i am headed down a dead end road, or that the old people not wired correctly anymore. In any event where he sees no opportunity I see a goldmine, because I can already see how much fun it will be interviewing as many old people as possible and looking for the common thread. Interactions like this one make me more interested in the life and person of Penda Mbaye now more than ever before. Her legacy feeds the nation daily and it lives on everyday in the lives of the Senegalese so I think it only fitting to find out so I have also decided on a few possible film titles
les filles sont interdit: reconstructing penda mbaye
or
les filles sont interdit: searching for penda mbaye
or
les femmes penda mbaye
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Indil ma Ceebu jen Penda Mbaye neex na!
So therefore, (LOL), mangi de Ndara demain de matin. translation: I am headed to St Louis tomorrow bright and early. I hope to learn a lot more about the life and times of Mme Penda Mbaye whose delicious culinary contribution is the subject of this blog and the film that will follow.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
No short clips...
Because my pc is not firewire compatible, so I have to watch till I get back to NYC to be able to digitise and edit my film. In the meantime, I will continue to post write-ups and pictures etc. So keep coming back, I promise I'll keep it interesting.
New Angle, new attitude...
Upon the advise of a very dear friend, I am putting a new spin on things. If people are finding it hard to think critically about this Thiebou dien culture, perhaps a little bit of reverse psychology may do the trick.
What does it mean if a women claims to be a REAL/GOOD woman and cannot prepare Thiebou dien? Or better still if she can prepare it yet has no idea of its history? How does her ignorance of the meal impact her identity in this society. Is she more or less of an asset to her family, or her potential spouse, if she chooses to marry? In the event that she were to have children, particularly daughters do they risk being ignorant of an important aspect of their cultural heritage as Senegalese people?
So instead of asking people what it means to have and know Cheb, I am going to pull a little switch-a-roo and ask them what the complete absence of Cheb would mean. How would that transform/manipulate what the think about themselves as people, as a nation. I am going to work on this new angel both here in Dakar and when I journey to St. Louis, and I will keep you posted about just how well that goes.
A bientot!
Faithful Inquirer
What does it mean if a women claims to be a REAL/GOOD woman and cannot prepare Thiebou dien? Or better still if she can prepare it yet has no idea of its history? How does her ignorance of the meal impact her identity in this society. Is she more or less of an asset to her family, or her potential spouse, if she chooses to marry? In the event that she were to have children, particularly daughters do they risk being ignorant of an important aspect of their cultural heritage as Senegalese people?
So instead of asking people what it means to have and know Cheb, I am going to pull a little switch-a-roo and ask them what the complete absence of Cheb would mean. How would that transform/manipulate what the think about themselves as people, as a nation. I am going to work on this new angel both here in Dakar and when I journey to St. Louis, and I will keep you posted about just how well that goes.
A bientot!
Faithful Inquirer
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Differences
Ndeye Fall was more involved in the cooking process. The Griotte on the other hand served more as a supervisor while her daughters did most of the cooking. Aside from that I am not sure whether Ndeye Fall was conscious of doing things differently because she was being filmed but her preparation had an aesthetic/artistic quality that Mme Thiam did not. Her inspection of the rice, the way she washed it, even the tools she used were simply more camera friendly! However the end product Keur Yaay Thiam was in a completely different class altogether. Although she did not participate in the preparation in the same way as Ndeye Fall, her calculated visits to her pot left just enough residue that pervaded ever grain of rice.
I think that my experiences with the two women in some way relates to the evolution of the dish. Exactly what is says about it, I am not quite sure, so the journey continues. I am off to St Louis in a few days and I hope that I find more answers than questions otherwise I may just be coming back to Senegal.
I think that my experiences with the two women in some way relates to the evolution of the dish. Exactly what is says about it, I am not quite sure, so the journey continues. I am off to St Louis in a few days and I hope that I find more answers than questions otherwise I may just be coming back to Senegal.
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