Fady (taboo!)

When Rachel first arrived, her host sister made her a dish that contained 4 raw eggs, lightly beaten together with canned, mashed sardines, served over rice. Now, Rachel never was very fond of eggs and has always disliked fish. She has also been taught that raw eggs aren’t safe to eat. Peace Corps has taught her that in order to avoid being impolite, if you don’t want to eat something, you say it is ‘fady’ (taboo). So Rachel politely said that the egg and sardine dish was ‘fady’ for her.

That unfortunate event may well have been one of the things that limited her to vary sosoa at many meals: she didn’t know how to explain that, while raw eggs are indeed fady, she would be happy to eat cooked eggs. Since eggs are laid fresh daily and don’t require refrigeration if used reasonably promptly, they are a major source of protein for many Malagasy. [Even on the Plateau, meat has to be brought from the butcher’s, i.e., from the market, and consumed that very day–no refrigerator to keep it–so it is not in everyone’s daily diet. Teresa]

Now, with her increased knowledge of Malagasy, Rachel is able to explain that she will be glad to eat COOKED eggs.