Things To Bring #7 - Food

I Skyped Scott yesterday and received up to date information on the food situation.  Yes, it's true that the prepared food is NOT as plentiful as it once was now that the Supreme Master has left the building but there is usually one Haitian meal available per day per volunteer.  It also remains true that if you're unable to make it to the volunteer break room in a timely fashion, the meals may run out.

The mid-day meal usually consists of rice, beans, vegetable protein, and a vegetable.  Our team overall thought that they were quite tasty and in my opinion greatly enhanced with a small shot of your favorite hot sauce.

My current recommendation is Sriracha made from sun ripened chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle perfect for travel on the airlines. 

I would also recommend bringing along at least one protein/energy bar per day that you are there.  Make sure that you taste test them before leaving as some of them (particularly the high protein variety) have a bit of a funky taste and you might not find them palatable.  Other options include dried fruit, trail mix, nuts, jerky, etc.

There also continues to be a plentiful supply of the previously reviewed Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDR) in the break room.

I also noticed some volunteers who had brought along a plastic jar of their favorite peanut butter.  There is a tube of highly processed peanut butter in each HDR but it seems a shame to break down the whole package just for that.  Bread can be purchased locally or you can simply eat the peanut butter by the spoonful.

As alluded to above, there is a small but reasonably well stocked market in the local village, a short 5 minute walk from the hospital.  It is probably a good idea NOT to make the trip alone, particularly if you're a female.

There are also roadside stands and wandering vendors outside the hospital front gate.  It is recommended that if you purchase fresh fruits and vegetables that they should ideally be of the variety that requires peeling and not washing in order to avoid untoward GI repercussions.

The bottom line is that it's not difficult to find at least 3000 cal of food per day to sustain you.  The most common scenario I observed was that the volunteers brought too much supplementary food with them.  So, if you're like many of us, it may not be a bad idea to restrict your caloric intact during the duration of your trip and in addition to your service, consider donating a pound or two to the volunteer experience.