Turtle Dinner

Well this was definitely another first for us!  Jason brought this guy home from Kawito with the instructions to get Agisa and Roana to cook it up for us to try.  Jason so kindly called him Dinner!  Always up for something new, off we went to Agisa's house.  I was a little more hesitant after seeing them kill it.  I guess I am not used to seeing my dinners face before I eat it.  For people here in PNG that is life, if you want some meat, first you have to kill it, and then you will have to eat it shortly there after or it will spoil.  Sam, the Kela's little boy was quite excited about having Dinner for dinner and knew that was just what he was, there was no other sentimental attachment.  Where as our boys came home saying we should get a turtle as a pet.

Here is Kaleb playing with his dinner, not a good idea, but he had no issues later

Dinner is done!  Cooked on an open fire right in the shell, Roanna is now carving him up for us to try.

Carter digs in!  And yes what they say is true, it really does taste a lot like chicken, not a whole lot of meat though.  However there were many eggs inside, I think we counted eleven.  Just tear off the top (the eggs have soft shells) and suck out the insides.  I must say that none of us could stomach that but we did watch Sam enjoying them. 

This little girl was sharing dinner with us.  She had the neck and head and was doing a pretty good job cleaning it off, certainly no squeamishness there, just dig in.  I remember vividly the first time something was put before me that could look up at me from the plate, I am pretty sure mom and dad where trying hard to shush me and not make a scene in the fancy restaurant.  This little girl would not have had any issues.

I am impressed by this little girl for another reason also.  She is not from Rumginae but was medivaced here with her father back in February.  She came in with a huge infected ulcer on her elbow and has been going through treatment ever since.  When the Dr's finally got the infection cleaned up she had to have a skin graft because of all the tissue that had to be cut away.  She then spent many weeks in a cast while it healed only to have it removed and find out she had to have another surgery as she could no long straighten her arm.  Sounds like that surgery went well but now she will need a little more skin graft work.  Amazing! Arm still in a cast, she seems so content, never complaining.  I often see her and her dad walking around the station hand in hand.  Her father also must be a very patient man as his life has been put on hold for many months now.

I guess that is a lesson I can learn from my PNG neighbors, who are much better at taking life as it comes eyeballs and all!

Mel for the Marshes