Feb 13th, 2020 – Lakatoro

Whilst here, I keep on venting my frustration to others that although the markets are awash with fresh produce, going into any store one is presented solely with processed goods (coconut oil, peanut butter, pineapple juice) which have been imported. It’s crazy to see the locals paying 600 vatu for a carton of Del Monte pineapple juice, when the mamas across the road are selling fresh pineapples for 50 vatu each. They grow coffee both on the islands of Tanna and Aore, a mere 10 mins flight away, a few hours by boat, and yet the only coffee you can buy on Malekula is Nescafé or some Indonesian brand called Indocafé.

So today, after witnessing this for the umpteenth time, I thought enough is enough, and I took a decision: whilst on Malekula, I’m going to try to survive purely on produce made/grown in Vanuatu. To that end, I went shopping at the market, and bought:

And I was pleased to track down a factory where they make coconut oil, along with nangai and tamanu oils (I hadn’t heard of these last two, and they were more expensive – I might try them some other time). All up, my shopping including the coconut oil cost me around 1500 vatu, or $15 USD. I don’t know whether I’ll be able to stick with this regime all the time, as honestly the economy is so ridiculously import-heavy here, but I can be pretty stubborn, and really want to make a go of it. It doesn’t seem right to be offering investment advice on how the island can produce and export more while simultaneously chowing down on Maggi Pot Noodles and Oreo cookies. It also should be beneficial for my health, and significantly cheaper. I’ll keep you informed of my success (or not) as the assignment progresses.

Separately, while I am trying to eat only made in Vanuatu goods, it turns out Vanuatu is trying it’s best to eat me. Those of you who follow me on Facebook will have seen my spider photo, so I shan’t reproduce it here. I also was bitten on the heel tonight by what I’m told by the cheerful neighbour was probably a Vanuatu Giant Centipede:

And then my left buttock is peppered with a few dozen itchy bites from some insect – I suspect bedbugs from one of the places I started in Santo. Fortunately for you, I’ll spare you the photo of them!