I was still avoiding taro (remember that it is poisonous unless fully cooked) and I felt like I had seen all the food ingredients from the Pacific Islands. Also, Sierra is vegan, so I worried that this Vanuatu meal would be plain. I was pleasantly surprised as the sweet potato soup was really good with the spicy vegan scallops that I swapped in for the shrimp: https://www.panningtheglobe.com/coconut-sweet-potato-soup-with-spicy-shrimp/. I was delighted that the coconut cake was delicious and light despite the vegan substitutions I made for butter and eggs: https://www.food.com/recipe/vanuatu-coconut-cake-457026. I also had a whole box of mangos that I picked up from the Filipino Market, so Sierra, Michael, Sheryl, and I had a lovely long chat over the table as we enjoyed food that was once again unique and wonderful.
One of the few ways here at home to experience Vanuatu, previously known as New Hebrides and part of the Melanesian island group, is the season of Survivor that was filmed there. It’s too old to be on Hulu, so I ordered the DVDs from the San Bernardino County Library and was thrilled that Survivor celebrated the culture and beauty of their filming location. There was a greeting by the locals with a traditional festival of kava, pork, and pole climbing; a resident who taught the participants to find manioc, cut coconut, peel sugar cane, and hunt crabs; a visit to a village with a dance and a chance to meet the children; a resort with local entertainment; swimming by a waterfall; a horseback ride to Mount Yasur with a night visit to the peak to see the exploding lava; a game of Vanuatu trivia, a helicopter ride through a gorge to the top of an extinct volcano; and a canoe trip to an island to see Roi Maya’s grave, a sacred place. Throughout the entire season, there was beautiful video of the volcano, beach, jungle, and bats.
For additional film of Vanuatu, Will Smith’s Welcome to Earth series on DisneyPlus visits Mount Yasur in the first episode. The best film I could find is the movie Tanna. A summary and preview are here: https://filmroot.com/2018/01/24/tanna-vanuatu/ and it can be rented or purchased on Amazon Instant Video, Google Play, or iTunes.
I enjoyed the music and art in these videos:
· Traditional music: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-oceania/oceania-peoples-and-places/melanesia/v/tin-mweleun-slit-gong-atingting-kon
· Music with a twist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UozUsQVxOg
There is literature from Vanuatu, but it wasn’t accessible to me, so I’ll let Ann Morgan tell it: https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/2012/08/06/vanuatu-a-global-village/
To get some reading material, I turned to news sources and found:
· BBC’s video report on why Vanuatu is one of the happiest countries on Earth: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgwjHcnbjEs
· A video on vaccine drone delivery in Vanuatu (of course I showed Allan!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXyspnAl9-0
· A history of bungee jumping, which comes from Pentecost Island in Vanuatu: https://www.hideawayholidays.com.au/travel-blog/pentecost-vanuatu-the-mother-of-bungee-jumping/
· An article about a recent UN win for Vanuatu against the practices that cause climate change: https://apple.news/ADtaVxj1ITE2YX7iieukAow
· An article on western men who think they are South Pacific kings: https://apple.news/Ar-9ZxI3_SYehqhMojCKJ3w
There is plenty to do in Vanuatu as shown here: https://xdaysiny.com/top-things-to-do-in-vanuatu/. I would love to go! I hope for a time when broad travel gives us new perspectives. 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 Vanuatu and throughout the world.
Photo Credit: Wendi Halet https://www.flickr.com/photos/wendihalet/43124555580/
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