I trained as a teacher in the years soon after the World War II when the British Government was trying to improve the diet of children, which had become very restricted because of post-war shortages. This was shortly after the time when our Susan Parkinson was working with the Ministry of Food and doing an excellent job travelling all over England teaching women and making a great difference to the nutrition and diets of their families. Ms Parkinson was young then and this was her first venture out of the farm she grew up in, in New Zealand. The work gave her a good start to her life as a nutritionist and also a good opportunity to see much of the “old country”. As a result of her work, part of our training to teach youngsters was to encourage their mothers to provide good food for their families. I had no idea then of this connection with Ms Parkinson, whom I came to know in Fiji some fifteen or so years later.
Coming to Fiji
MY husband and I always had a sensible diet of traditional English food with breakfast of porridge and buttered toast. To this we added home-made cumquat marmalade, and had pawpaw and banana to start, when we came to know Fiji’s good fruit. Lunch for my husband was sometimes in the office during a meeting. I had no control over this. When he was home he liked to bring in some curry and enjoy that. For myself it was sandwich or two or a little salad.
Our evening meal was always home-made soup – I got good at making soups with vegetables readily available here in Fiji – followed by traditional meat and two veg – two veg always included green leaves (basic China cabbage) and carrots or green beans, and of course potatoes. We only had desserts on special occasions. Occasionally, if we were having a roast I would make palusami. I became good at scraping coconuts with a traditional Fiji scraper, and I have always made it without any additional meat etc, using only soft dalo leaves, onion and a little lemon juice, as I was taught by a good iTaukei friend. Canned lolo is to be avoided if possible.
The change to vegetarian
When my husband passed away, I moved to a more vegetarian diet, with a little chicken or fish occasionally. This meant exploring the market for vegetables new to me and discovering how to cook them successfully. Fish or chicken are my choice when out for lunch, or on the very rare occasions when I am out for dinner. On these days, my lunch becomes my main meal and I have soup and dry biscuit in the evening.
Breakfast
My breakfasts now are preceded by a glass of hot ginger, lemon, and honey. Followed by a bowl of every fruit available, chopped into suitable size for fruit salad. The minimum is chopped pawpaw and banana. To this I add passionfruit, local orange, mango and sometimes pineapple, when available. Also, when available, I add a little sweetened cherry juice and/or sweetened cumquat juice. Recently I discovered a delicious locally produced muesli – “Maries Kitchen Oven-baked Muesli”. I add a spoonful of this to the bowl of fruit. Next comes the cooked part: usually a fried egg or scrambled egg with a slice of homemade wholemeal bread fried in a little oil, and maybe a little fried left over green veg from the night before, or a fried tomato. Occasionally, for a change, two slices of the wholemeal bread are toasted, buttered, one is spread with vegemite and the other with the cumquat marmalade. I have always treated breakfast as an important start to the day.
Lunch
Lunch always includes a little salad, even if only a few lettuce leaves which I like to be crisp, not slices of damp lettuce lying limply on the platter as often served in restaurants. Sometimes lunch is egg sandwich or cheese on toast, or very rarely chicken liver pate that I make as a special treat. I have always enjoyed a good coleslaw and watercress makes a tasty addition. I have recently developed the habit of slicing English cabbage very finely and adding finely sliced lettuce, young raw China cabbage leaf, local capsicum, grated carrot and thinly sliced onion. This is mixed with a minimum amount of mayonnaise or oil and, as a recent experiment that turned out to be a delicious touch, a little good quality sweet chili sauce. A slice of wholemeal bread or toast buttered is a usual accompaniment. Occasionally I go out for lunch with a friend. My lunch then counts as my main meal/dinner, and dinner is then soup and perhaps a dry biscuit.
Dinner
Dinner continues to always start with soup. I no longer make my own vegetable soups as I’m always used to make enough for at least two days, which I found definitely did not work when there was only one of me! I began experimenting with dhal, making my own in preference to buying canned dhal from the supermarket, good though that is. My Indian friends gave me good advice insisting I included chana dhal to make up for the lack of the protein in meat. I now have a dhal on the go for a few days, re-boiling each evening, and occasionally using a packet of “one cup” soup for variety or when I have forgotten to make a new dhal. My recipe for dhal has improved as I gained experience. I have learned to start early in the day and choosing a good well-varied packet of mixed dry dhal and some chana beans, rinsing them well, then bringing them to the boil, switching off, and covering, leaving them ready for the adding of vegetables around mid afternoon. At this time I prepare finely cut vegetables: onion, carrot, green beans, a little green capsicum when it is in the Suva market, and of course garlic. When it is not raining a few curry leaves from the garden are picked and added. These I fry in a little oil adding some turmeric powder and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. I re-boil the dhal and add the vegetables when they are beginning to soften. I add a little salt just before serving. Each evening the remaining dhal is cooled and placed in the fridge ready for a little water to be added when it is time to heat it for my evening meal.
Main dish
For the main dish, I went exploring in the market, enjoying the abundance of good vegetables especially in the cooler season. We have both our Chinese market gardeners, some of whom come from families that have been in Fiji far longer that our Indian friends who are also into farming vegetables for the market, to thank for the many varieties of vegetables. I can name a few of the green leaves and enjoy them all, taking full advantage of the great variety. Some have English names, others have Chinese names that I easily forget and nicknames given to them by my husband, such as “green stalk” for mustard greens. As I go to the market once a week on Saturday morning early, I usually choose two different kinds for the week. For storage, I find the vegetable section of the modern fridge is very good, and years ago my husband bought me good green bags from a firm in England, that I wash and reuse. I found some similar ones here in Fiji from Japan, but they were not as good. Some of my original ones are now very old, but still reusable. I now wrap the green leaves in newspaper before placing them in the bags. I recommend this even if you have only an ordinary plastic bag. I always buy some green beans especially the French beans available in the cool season. I am grateful for the long beans that are available all year round. There was an assortment of beans/peas in the market recently that I don’t remember seeing before. My Indian friendly stall keepers firmly told me they were Indian beans which rather discouraged me from trying them. Tomatoes when in season are so good that I like to buy plenty. I then make tomato sauce for dishes like pizza. I make my own pizzas which may be a little limited in filling, but I enjoy more than a bought one. I make my own homemade pizza dough and spread a little bought tomato paste first then a good layer of my chunky tomato sauce and then plenty of local “tasty” cheese. The addition of a little chili powder helps to strengthen the flavour of the cheese and plenty of black pepper is a must. Pieces of green capsicum are added when available. I enjoy good pasta; macaroni, spaghetti and occasional other varieties are my choice even though this means buying imported food as I have never dared to venture into making my own. I enjoy making a sauce, adding a local vegetable and usually the “tasty” cheese, boosted by chili and plenty of black pepper. I do not always add cheese as it is good to savour some local vegetables in a good white sauce. The local cauliflower is the best I have ever come across and I never buy imported ones. The sauce is best if made mainly with cornflour instead of white flour. This makes a smoother texture.
Energy food
For energy food I use local root crops in place of potato, though an occasional boiled and mashed potato with a little margarine, milk and a little salt added makes nice change. There was a time when potatoes were grown in Fiji in the highlands, and the variety that the agriculture officers were experimenting with, were especially delicious. Unfortunately they had no staying power and were bad before they had been out of the ground for more than a few days. I like most local root vegetable especially a good breadfruit, a nice variety of dalo, especially when cooked in a lovo, and cassava. Best of all, with these three I make chips, like the potato chips that go with fish and chips. Today there seems to be confusion between chips and crisps. I rarely buy the packet crisps, nice though they are. To me they are junk food. I do make a curry sometimes and can make my own roti or puri. However, I am now in my 90th year and have a carer who makes the best roti I have ever eaten.
Dessert
In place of dessert, I sometimes have a few pieces of dark chocolate and very occasionally I treat myself to a dark chocolate-covered Kapiti ice cream, some of which are a great favourite with me. I try to keep some in the freezer. Usually I feel I have had sufficient food for the day without the sweet treats.
New ideas
I always enjoy cooking shows on TV. My favourite at present is My Kitchen Rules. You can learn a lot from watching their methods, and understanding their mistakes they make because they are cooking for a larger number than usual; like the man whose gelato had not frozen because he put too much into one big pot. The Cook Up is always enjoyable and one can gain new ideas and methods from the host Adam Liaw and his two guests, who are new every week. The local Pacific Vegan is especially good for learning new ideas and skills. We will all miss Lance Seeto’s cooking programs.
Conclusion
Although I am now entering my 90th year I still do all my own cooking.
I even still make cumquat marmalade or guava jelly, although lifting the pot of boiling liquid to pour into the pre-heated jars is a risk for me. I recently burnt my hand with boiling cumquat. Fortunately a quick rush to the Aloe Vera growing on the veranda and a generous application of its juice, relieve the pain and it healed quickly. I have not yet cut my finger with my vegetables, but I do sometimes forget to turn off the gas when I take a pot off to serve! My carer lives in the lower part of the house with her family and they generously supply me with an occasional cooked meal. My health is good, for which I am very thankful, so I know I am not making too many mistakes in my diet. I have always enjoyed cooking. I am making the most of what I do now as I realise there may soon come a time when I cannot continue to do it my own.
I recommend a mainly vegetarian diet to all. It tends to be cheaper as so much can be grown in the garden, or is available in the local vegetable market. It’s the onions, garlic and carrots that have to come from overseas. It is the healthiest and tastiest choice to eat vegetarian.
- TESSA MACKENZIE is a retired teacher who designed Fiji’s Nobel Banner Blue flag. The views expressed are the author’s and are not necessarily shared by this newspaper.
