I have heard baobobs referred to as "drowned rat trees" and "dead rat trees" - you can see why! To crack open the fruit you hit it hard against something, which is not too difficult since they conveniently have their own built-in tethers. The fruit is hard, dry, chalky, white, tangy and sweet, with tough fibers and large seeds throughout. You can suck on the pieces and spit out the fibers and seeds or mix it with water to make juice and sift out the solids. It's quite good and good for digestion as well.
The kids here especially love baobob and we had a related "Africa moment" last night that is worth sharing. We were sitting around the fire with a few of our host siblings and a couple of them were pushing pieces of baobob into the fire, presumably to roast them like marshmallows. After quite literally sticking their little fingers into the fire repeatedly, they proceeded to rob the baobob pieces in the dirt to put out the burning/glowing parts and then immediately pop them into their mouths. Needless to say, we passed on the roasted baobob this time :-)
On a different note, before we left, I enjoyed, reading about what items Peace Corps Volunteers valued the most, so I decided we should make a list of our own. Here is our current list, compiled with Jacob's input:
1) Solar lamps - I wrote about these lamps earlier...they are hugely useful and possibly the best gift ever.
2) Mat (basso) - 150 delasis well spent...we eat dinner and hang out on it every night.
3) Toilet paper - worth every batuut (1/2 delasi), I assure you.
4) Chacos - sturdy, reliable, comfortable
5) Water filters - crucial for keeping healthy.
6) Travel sheets - soft, comfy, and just warm enough.
7) Nalgenes/Siggs - we never go anywhere without a water bottle.
8) Bandanas - equally useful for cushioning your head when carrying things on it, covering your mouth/nose to avoid breathing in dust, hiding the fact that your hair hasn't been truly clean in weeks, etc, etc.
9) Camera - crucial for preserving memories and sharing our experience with all of you at home.
10) Tupperware/Ziplocks - essential for keeping critters out of our stuff and great for organisation as well.
11) Fly swatter - gives us some distance when killing bugs
12) Headlamps - many uses, but most importantly, they allow us to see what we're eating at dinner and pick out bones and other unidentified bits
13) Emergenc-C/Prebiotic - does an amazing job of nipping most ailments in the bud
14) Nylon rope - endlessly useful, key uses being hanging curtains and closelines
15) Messenger bag - I literally use mine every day
Finally, here are a couple pictures from an oral rehydration solution and weaning foods talk we gave in our village:
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