Sunday is a family day in Fiji.  It’s common to have a lovo (an underground roasting of meat and local starches) as well as a whole lot of delicious food that is not roasted.  I enjoyed a meal that looked like a Thanksgiving feast, Fijian style.  And, I was so very thankful for the experience.  I gathered more recipes than I ever imagined.

And, I learned one thing that I’d never eat again.

I’m a good guest.  I tried almost everything prepared for the feast.  The one item I stayed away from was the taro stems.  They looked sort of like celery and tasted that way too.  But I learned you are not supposed to eat them raw.  Nobody warned me beforehand.  But, unfortunately, I have this habit of sampling food.

As I said, taro stems tasted like celery, but there was an after effect.  I noticed a little later that it felt like I’d swallowed a cactus.  Little tiny spears pierced my tongue and halfway down my throat.  I thought it was an allergic reaction.  But no, that’s simply what happens when you eat raw taro stems.  And the cure, that nobody bothered to tell me, was lemon juice.  I simply had to suffer about half an hour and let time take its course.

When those little suckers are fully cooked, there is no problem – or so I’m told.  But, I didn’t take any chances.  I wouldn’t try them again.  It’s one of life’s lessons you learn once and know better than ever repeating.  Of course, the entire extended family quickly learned about the experience.  A visiting American can be a source of great entertainment at times. 

And, this was one of those times.