Lunch at Lupe’s House

After church and kava we went back to Lupe’s house (the one not on campus) for a home cooked Tongan lunch! Her brother (who is actually a cousin?) is staying there right now with his wife, and so we had lunch with them and another one of Lupe’s sisters-in-law. Everyone else did not speak a lot of English so I mostly talked with Lupe but fun to hear them all speak Tongan with eachother.
A huge lunch with so many dishes, lots of yam and taro and breadfruit, and a cooked fish dish Lupe made with coconut milk and cheese, as well as a raw fish dish with lime (kola) and the bones still in! Also her sister-in-law brought Lu Pulu, coconut and corned beef (or may have been pork) wrapped in taro leaves and cooked in an umu (a type of earth oven, that all the yams and breadfruit were cooked in too). More unknown molluscs like the buffet dinner last night, and finishing it off with some frozen lychees (from the lychee season) and mango ice cream.

A delicious meal, that I left feeling so full. And lovely to meet more of Lupe’s family. She drove me back to the backpackers, but not before confirming that I would indeed stay there starting tomorrow night, and sending me home with bottled water, chocolates and oranges!

Such a lovely welcoming experience. Lupe explained to me how religion shapes her world view and how it encourages her to help others and be selflessRead more