Culture / Cats

There are so many cultural differences to process. I just finished a long conversation about what informed consent means here. It turns out that this is a very Western ethical idea designed to promote individual autonomy. This is hardly a highly valued ideal in a society where the community good and other priorities supersede the rights of the individual. It’s hard to comprehend what consent even means to a woman who may not have consented to her own marriage and must sign with a fingerprint (without ability to write her name). 

I try to keep a nonjudgmental tone in all this. Especially after the story our driver Kofi told me regarding the delicacy of cats in Southern Togo.

On my second day here, I sat in a Lome cafe eating a hamburger with Kofi. I just had to know, so I asked “Kofi, do you eat cat?” 

“Yes!” he replied enthusiastically.

Perhaps seeing my eyebrows raise, he was more measured in his response to my follow up question, “What does it taste like?” 

“I mean…I don’t know yet” he answered. Then he laughed loudly and launched into what I suspect is now a well rehearsed story. This is my best recollection of it:

“One time I was picking up a missionary at the airport and while I was loading her bags she asked me if I eat cat. I said ‘yes’…. this is normal in Togo, this is accepted.  But she becomes very upset…”

Now his arm motions get into the story. 

“I mean she becomes very very angry… she says, “Kofi, I don’t want you touch my suitcase,” the whole way to the hospital she will not talk to me. She tells Madam at the hospital that she doesn’t want her to send Kofi to pick her up anymore. The missionary never comes back to Togo!”

So madam tells me ‘Kofi, when someone asks you what cat tastes like, say “I don’t know yet.”

By then I was just shaking my head, smiling and reassuring him I wasn’t a big deal to me.

The next day, before going to the hospital I was putting on khakis when my son asked “Dad, why are you wearing pants?"

“It’s not appropriate for men to wear shorts in this culture” I replied.

“WHAT?!” he shot back, “They want you to be even hotter?” followed quickly by “What do kids have to wear??”

Oh culture.… It is interesting isn’t it?

Back to the cats for a minute. Last evening over dinner - rice with unidentified meat in a red sauce - Finley said “Dad you know is this cat meat don’t you?” through his ornery grin. Actually, cat is “VIP meat” as Kofi called it, reserved for your boss or the chief for example. He went on with details about the cat trade and how meat preparation works, showing big claw scars on his wrist to verify his claims. I have noticed there aren’t many cats around here. In fact I haven’t seen one. One of the full timers here had a cat that became so unruly and uncorrectable around the house that it was “given to one of the Togolese who could use it.”