How Not to Order Dinner in Another Language

I've never considered myself very adventurous. In fact, I actually think that I can be a stick in the mud at times. Like I've always been wary of traveling to far away places with hard to identify foods. Come on we all know I live to eat. Then there's also the language barrier. Oy ve. Can you imagine thinking you ordered chicken and they bring out a goat's head or cow liver? I say all this to say that is almost exactly what happened to us in the restaurant. The lone Cape Verdean in the group wasn't with us for lunch so we had to make do on our own. 

Take a look at the menu and see if you can figure out what's what.

This is before we took a look at the menu

Cheers to the Freaking Trip!!!

Bom dia!

That's Cape Verdean for hello/good day/good morning. Since I'm on my way to Cape Verde I might as well use some of the limited vocabulary. We're a group of 5. Prior to the trip I didn't know any of the other participants. After almost three decades of life on this sometimes lovely planet we call Earth, I have learned a thing or two about myself. One very relevant lesson, is that I don't do well under restriction or when forced to socialize with others. Yes, I know sound a little psychopathic. I love people, I love learning about everyone's story and what has shaped them to become who they are today; but I don't like having to be on. Clearly I've never done well in the diplomatic aspects of relationships, work and well life. Still a work in progress folks. Back to Cape Verde, we flew to Cape Verde, because it is a direct flight from Boston(who knew?!). We'll spend two days in Praia and then fly to Dakar, that is about an hour flight. The fact that there are that many Cape Verdeans in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to necessitate a direct flight from Logan Airport to Cape Verde is awesome, and it isn't Delta or American Airlines or that godawful clunker Spirit!! Errrmmm Haiti can we get on this ASAP?! Enjoy the airport pics below.

What better way to kill time than to imbibe in some adult grape juice?

I'm ready!!

Drinking alone is never fun.

*Updated---> Pale Franse pa di lespri pou sa

I'm part of several social networks, including Facebook and Twitter. On Facebook, I'm a member of a Haitian Facebook group. A couple days ago, I suggested that if people are posting documents in French or Kreyol, that they should also provide an English translation or a link for people to translate it themselves. I surprisingly received mixed reactions. Below are screenshots of the convo. That post is what brought today's topic to mind.

 French was the primary and only official language in Haiti for a very long time. However there was a movement to recognize Kreyol as an official language as well, partly because the majority of the population does not read, speak or write French. Kreyol was legally recognized as an official language in 1987. French is the language of instruction in Haitian schools however I think there is often a disconnect because most students are not using the language in their home lives.