This was just going to be a private email to Holly, but I thought that a story of this caliber needs to be shared with the world.
**Important note: Arnold is Holly and Dad's rooster. He's a total asshole.
HollzBallz,
Greetings!! How's everything been going? Nursing school, Jacky, the chickens, the cats? Well I wasn't going to come to the internet cafe today, because it's an hour trek, but I did because something happened this morning that I HAD to tell you about. So actually there's 2 things that I want to tell you about, I'll start with the slightly less thrilling of the two things.
1.) I found box wine... That's right. A one liter box of "Don Garcia" which is just cheap red table wine that actually tastes pretty darn good. And by cheap I mean CHEAP. A 1 liter box costs 3 Ghana cedi = 2 US dollars. HELL YES.
2.) Yesterday, after a month of travel, I returned to my host family in Old Tafo. My host dad proclaimed that he would slaughter a chicken in honor of my coming home. So I thought, sweet, we'll slaughter a hen, eat it, and it will be delicious. This morning, when I got up my host brother, Emmanuel or Bub Masterson as I call him, told me it was time to kill the chicken, so I got my camera ready for action. Host dad walked over to where the chickens were standing together in a group and with incredibly agility snatched up - not one of the hens - BUT THE ROOSTER. I starred in disbelief as he held the massive rooster in one hand by the base of its wings.
Important note: During every morning and evening meal, I had to watch this damned rooster have sex with the chickens (definitely against their will) more violently and more frequently than Arnold ever does! Not only that, but also the jerk crows right outside my room every morning starting at 4AM without fail. Thus, I have come to hate him even more than Arnold.
So host dad had previously prepared for the slaughter by getting ready a large bowl of boiling water, a massive knife, and large pot of water boiling over the fire. He walked slowly over to the knife and bowl of boiling water. He put the chicken on the ground, kept its wings pinned together under one foot, pinned its feet under his other foot, held its head in one hand, and the knife in the other. With an incredibly swift movement he deftly sliced halfway through the roosters neck. He continued to hold it still for about 2 minutes, while it bled out into the bowl of hot water.
When it was done bleeding, he took the rooster over to the pot of bowling water and tossed it in. He left it to boil approximately ten minutes, then pulled it out with a stick. He proceeded to then completely decapitate the rooster and very skillfully de-feather the body.
It was such an incredible process, I had to tell you about it. Especially since we talked about slaughtering Arnold at least once a week. So tonight I am going to eat rooster, FRESH rooster for dinner. I will pretend that at the same time you are roasting or maybe bbq'ing Arnold.
MISS YA, BYE FOR NOW :)
Betsy
Love the story! I will continue to fantasize about doing the same to Arnold, who was just giving me the stink eye about 10 minutes ago. The chickens are good, as are Vivian and Nora. I suppose by now you've heard about Volcano Taco passing away. I cried, a lot. She was such as sweety. She is missed. School starts for me on my birthday, August 23rd (Happy Birthday to me), so I have some more freedom, but Jackson goes back on August 12th! His half-brother, Chad, had a car accident in Wisconsin and broke his neck and back, so Jackson went with Rick to visit him on Thursday of our lake week last week. He gets back tonight. (BTW: Chad is doing pretty well, having had surgery to stabilize his neck, and is walking with only some dysfunction of his left arm at the moment, so he's lucky, considering he rolled his car 6 times! The lake was good last week. Kayla was there for the entire week and the weather was pretty good most of the time. We missed you. No crotch shots of siblings or anything odd like that this year, thank God! Rip's bridal shower was yesterday (for which I prepared all the food) and it went well. I served chicken salad sandwiches, ham sandwiches with apricot preserves, cucumber sandwiches, three kinds of hummus with pretzel crips and pita chipsl, deviled eggs, cheese filled celery sticks, fruit salsa with cinnamin sugar chips and angel food cake. Rip got some GREAT gifts too! A bunch of us drank beer and told lies after the "adults" left. I don't know much else at the moment. Your pics on Facebook are great. Keep them coming. I love the ones of the kids, the villages, and the women in traditional dress! Be safe. Thanks for the story.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably the best story I have heard in ages. I think its awesome that he killed that rooster for you they must care about you tons. Also to your first note, box wine? Better and cheaper than goon?? I think I need to pay a visit to good old Africa hahaha Also is your address still the same as the one down below at this point in time!?
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