Sharing

Despite my recent insomnia, resulting in a general lack of energy, in the recent weeks, I decided I would have a dinner party with friends from work.

Fiji, as a communal society, is very good about sharing. No matter who you are, where you come from- if there is food, everyone should be able to eat. Sharing a meal is common practice. So, everyday at work I have people say "Gunu ti" (translation: drink tea) as an invitation to eat whatever is present on the table before them, whether it be a single cookie or an entire three course meal has no bearing on the offer.

I remember during an event put on for Ministry of Health staff a man came by to sell some peanuts. He's a known man in town, to most people he is the skinny-peanut-man who walks to and fro from one end of town to the other saying "bean, peanut, bean, peanut", sometimes he will change it up a little and say "bean,bean, bean, bean..." or simply "peanuts? peeeanutss..." Sufficed it to say, he is overlooked by most. But, during this particular function he happened to come around at the right time, everyone was sitting eating palau and a doctor invited him in for a plate. The skinny-peanut-man sat contented with a full meal to feed his belly.

Although I lived in a village during training and have seen and experienced evidence of this behavior, it was a formality among most who were well nourished and could return the favor in the near or distant future. This situation, however, had been different; a Fijian doctor had invited a skinny, peanut and bean selling, indian man who surly would not be able to reciprocate the gesture, to sit and join him for lunch at his work function. This is common in Fiji, and I wondered to myself, why is it not in other places? Ohh toto, I dont think we're in aMurica anymore.

This happened within the first month of living in Lautoka. But it still stands ou to me. People share their meals- granted, it's not always as generous or genuine, but it is always offered. And, since I dont alwyas bring my lunch to work I thought it might be nice to have people over for hamburgers as my invitation for 'ti'. It wasnt quite the same, but it was what it was. We ate like Americans... all 18 hamburgers between 6 people. It was delightful and we were all happy.