South Sudanese falafels are different and can be found at several farmers’ markets in Los Angeles. I found this claim online and was determined to track them down. I checked the vendor lists of every farmers’ market I could find, sent a message to the Facebook page making the claim, and even sent a connection request to the owner’s LinkedIn account. No luck. So I found a recipe and called Sheryll. She and her family were willing to make them with me at the last-minute last week. We added a few more South Sudanese items for good measure and Isabel said that this was the best meal we have made yet. She even asked for the recipes. Here are the details.
The ad was right. South Sudanese falafels are so good and very different than middle eastern falafel because they are full of fresh dill and are made with other bean options than garbanzos. We made them with red lentils. They came out more like fritters, so don’t add the water unless you think your batter is too thick. The sauce is also delicious, so make both! https://arroyomonthly.com/you-think-you-know-falafel-you-dont-until-you-try-sudanese-tamiya/
Because Sheryll’s family is vegetarian, we made the next recipe with vegetarian beef medallions that I found in the frozen section of Loma Linda Market. We added them last because they don’t need the cooking time of real beef. This is the best version of veggie beef I have ever had. The lime juice is such an interesting complement to the flavor: https://tasteofsouthsudan.com/recipes/everyday-meals/pan-fried-meat-shaiyah/
The people in the family who like gumbo (Michael and Noah) thought the soup was wonderful. The people in the family who think okra is slimy (Sheryll and Isabel) still think okra is slimy. I agree with Sheryll and Isabel, but the flavors are good and I am happy with my first experience cooking okra: https://tasteofsouthsudan.com/recipes/vegetarian/african-okra-soup-with-kombo-swala/
While traveling around Africa (while staying at home), I’ve found that peanut butter can add depth of flavor and protein to many dishes. I would have never thought of adding peanut butter to spinach on my own, but it wasn’t bad and I appreciated all the recipes on the webpage Taste of South Sudan: https://tasteofsouthsudan.com/recipes/vegetarian/spinach-peanut-butter/
The food is great and so is the literature. The book I read for South Sudan, What is the What by Dave Eggers, is based on the story of Valentino Achak Deng, one of the Lost Boys. Not only does this book have my favorite form (a framing system leading to a center), but the voice of the narrator is so unique and engaging. To see Valentino Achak Deng discussing the book and his childhood, see here: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=742413099579474
To see Dave Eggers perspective, including his acceptance of his absolute uselessness in making suggestions for how they should build a school in South Sudan, see here. Fortunately, the people of South Sudan know how to build a school and Eggers is good at raising funds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSIE0_OfibM
The focus on education in South Sudan continues in Hope Road: A Sudanese Refugee Builds a School in His Hometown which I watched on Kanopy. Zachariah Machiek is another of the Lost Boys. He has immigrated to Australia and walked 1000 kilometers to raise money for a school in his village. Reports on the progress of the school are found here: https://www.facebook.com/HopeRoadProject/
Education is a theme from South Sudan that resonated with me, so here are two more videos on that subject:
· UNICEF discusses the magic of school in South Sudan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGe2KgkphRI&t=55s
· The UN reports on a student who is eager to further his education: https://www.unrefugees.org/news/against-the-odds-south-sudanese-refugee-student-eager-to-continue-his-education/
Another theme I found in South Sudan is basketball. Because the Dinka people are often tall, there is opportunity. Sooley by John Grisham presents a fictional basketball player from South Sudan. Two generations of actual players are Manute Bol and Bol Bol. When watching the video, it is not always the person making the shot to watch. Seven foot, seven inch Manute Bol was amazing at blocking the shot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fte5QerlN14
To lead the section on musicians from South Sudan, Emmanuel Jal’s TED Talk covers his experience as a child soldier, his rescue by an aid worker, and his new life as an international hip-hop star and activist:
More musicians include:
· Gordon Koang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJljfcX_skI&t=4s
· Chuol Nyak Gak: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=conKxhLVi4I
· Yaba Angelosi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zK_tyckOBOw
· Nya JJ singing traditional songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GIyR_SOaog
There are beautiful places to go in South Sudan https://www.thecrazytourist.com/15-best-places-visit-south-sudan/#more-20869 and yes, I would love to go! I look forward to that time when we can travel broadly again. In the meantime, I’m hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace, health, and safety to flourish in South Sudan and throughout the world.
Photo Credit: Canadian Red Cross https://www.flickr.com/photos/canadian_redcross/40184331405/in/album-72157693220977061/
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