Tilapia, Cameroonian Style

My roller derby head shot, left us with a whole Tilapia in the freezer. Warren bought a couple more and cooked up a feast to celebrate the first day of his forty first year on planet earth.


Jiro wandered over and asked, "Dat Nemo?"


While he came to terms with this, Satchel pointed out which Nemo he planned to eat.


I stood watch as Warren flipped them over and thought back ten years to my days in Ngaoundere, the provincial capital where I "vacationed" during my two year stint in Cameroon. I'd usually hop on a moto taxi after a long night of carousing with other vacationing volunteers and walk up and down the fish quartier until I found the biggest Tilapia on the street. "Give me the gros papa (big daddy)," I'd say much to the delight of the women manning the roadside grills.


Our fellow Peace Corps volunteer and neighbor, Dave Greenberg, was invited to join us for the feast. He whipped up some piment (hot sauce) to go with the fish. (Warren smartly cooked it on the grill so that the children didn't asphyxiate.)


Turnip greens, fried plantains, avocado, mini eggplants, and rice completed the meal. (The only thing we were lacking was baton de manioc. Oh, how I miss that!)


It was absolutely delicious. I told Warren he should quit his job and set up a small hibatchi next to the movie theater.