Chocolate Cupcakes and other culinary conquests.... Have I mentioned that I love my roommates? Not only does Duma's research turn our humble abode into a happenin' place filled with artists of all stripes, but Jeanne happens to be a master baker. Alxemdilallah! (translated as Hallelujah in Arabic). Of course I pitch in with the occasional candle-lit dinner or beach house hook-up (thanks tata Jackie and tonton Momar!), but most of the time I just sit back and reap the many benefits of living in the coolest apartment in all of Ouakam.

Jeanne's decadent cupcakes; candle-lit dinner of pizza bread and salad a la CK et Duma;
a rich bowl of cupcake with raspberry, chocolate and coffee ice cream
(i know- we went overboard...)

Since my students were traveling all over the country and in Mali and Guinea for their spring break this week, me and the girls decided to spend a couple of days at the beach house of close family friends in Toubab Diallow (about 2 hrs outside of Dakar). The house is located at the very end of a long and windy village road lined with fancy beach homes on either side. It's nestled between a small lake dotted with sand bars where birds from the neighboring nature preserve stop and chatter and, on the other side, an impressive white beach and the Atlantic. The beach was completely clean and deserted.

Beautiful view from beach house veranda

We spent the two days and nights tanning, reading, cooking, eating and, of course, laughing. The majority of time was spent on the verandas of the house because the one time we attempted to lay out on the beach the wind actually whipped us with sand so bad that we were stinging - it is how I imagine a painful exfoliant at a Russian spa would feel. We also made one attempt to counterbalance all of the eating by jogging on the beach and doing a few yoga stretches. Oh, how we were proud.

These ladies mean business.

The meals we were able to whip up at the beach house using the minimal kitchen supplies and salt and pepper as our only spices made me think of and appreciate the simplicity of our diets here. Yes, we do treat ourselves to a few 'luxury' items at the supermarket - good wheat bread, cold cuts, dark chocolate and spiced Gouda - but overall we eat lots of fresh vegetables, canned beans and peanuts for protein, and basic carbs (couscous, rice, bread, pasta). Very few preservatives, pre-packaged foods, or artificial flavoring. A few weeks ago, at one of several candle-lit dinners, our friend Tinari asked if we think we eat healthier here or in the US. He was surprised when we both said Senegal without hesitating. True, there are no health food stores here and most local dishes are dripping with palm oil and are spiced with bouillon cubes packed with MSG (but maaan, are they good!). On the other hand, when I bite into a hamburger at a fast food joint here, I know that the meat came from somewhere close to Dakar and was raised naturally without freaky hormone injections. When we we buy things in the supermarket, mostly local or middle-eastern products, we don't have to worry about the ever presence of corn syrup or trans fats. Plus, it's actually fun being a foodie in a place where everything isn't available and at your fingertips.

Anyway, here's to good food and good people to share it with!