Fiji25 Blog 20 - Iveta

Iveta

7/10/2025

Over the course of our time in the village, we have gotten the opportunity to take part in so many new experiences, from learning how to play rugby for the very first time to figuring out how to keep the paint from dripping into our eyes while painting the ceiling of the school’s dining hall. Although we have long since established a daily routine -- which mainly consists of service in the morning, followed by a captivating environmental science class right after lunch and a rather chaotic afternoon playing with children at the local primary school -- we never stop being surprised by the little things sprinkled throughout the day, like the delicious chocolate latte ice cream that was the closing twist to our lunch, the creamy, slightly sticky swirls dripping down our fingers as we crunched on suspiciously neon orange cones. We’ve certainly had our fair share of highs and lows, but each new day has brought us a whole new set of memories that we’ll be able to think back on fondly for many years to come.

However, nothing can come close to the memories we have shared over warm cups of tea and plates filled with the latest curry & cake flavor. Many of our deepest conversations were made over the dinner circle, and I’ve gotten to know my nene so much better by simply asking to watch her make potato curry or offering to help knead the dough for the buns we would eat with raspberry jam that morning. For many families in Nanuku, food is a language of love that can transcend all barriers, filling in the space in ways no amount of idle conversation or games of Egyptian Ratskrew ever will.

Long before we ever set foot in Fiji, our GSL trip leaders asked us a very important question: why do we do cultural exchange? When thinking about this question, I think we focused on the first half of this process, the initial “exchange”. Each party brings small pieces of their cultures, shares them, then goes their separate ways, having gained a new perspective on the world. While this has certainly been the case for our group, I think we’ve forgotten to think about what will happen afterward. Yes, we’ve had these life-changing experiences, but is this enough? Would we really be getting the most out of our journey if we didn’t share everything we’ve learned? This is why we chose to dedicate this blog to the culinary aspect of our trip with the hope that these small snippets of recipes shared with us by our families will provide a small window into the culture and people that have welcomed us as their very own.

Early this morning, while the midnight sky was still covered in a sea of glittering stars, I woke up to help my nene cook breakfast for the family. Although our water had been partially shut off since last night due to some pipe issues, she still had a warm, bright smile on her face as she had me measure out 5 cups of flour and 5 tablespoons of baking powder into a large bowl for the dough that would make up our tovoi, a type of bread that is boiled in hot water instead of being cooked via the baking method we typically see in Seattle. Next, she added in two heaping servings spoons of sugar – which equates to about 3 tablespoons – into the mixture, mixing until the white powder appeared combined. Warm water was then gradually introduced, slowly transforming the dry ingredients into a cohesive mass of dough that no longer stuck to the sides of the bowl. Afterwards, while Nene set a pot of water to boil over the gas stove, I rolled the dough into smaller, orange-sized balls which were then dusted in more flour before being thrown into the pot. Soon, after only about 2 minutes, the tovoi began to float up to the top of the pot, bobbing like rubber balls in a bathtub. Due to them being partially cooked by steam, we had to mostly cover the pot with a lid, leaving enough of a gap that the water wouldn’t boil over and spill on the floor.

While we waited for the tovoi to cook, Nene explained how the stems of palm leaves, which are often used for making brooms, can be used as toothpicks to check if the tovoi has finished cooking. Essentially, if batter still sticks to the stem after being inserted in the tovoi, then it’s still raw; if not, then it’s cooked and ready to eat. Going off appearance isn’t as successful of a method as the outer layer of the dough is still soft and appears a bit undercooked to the naked eye, even if the tovoi is fully ready. After they cooled, we were able to enjoy the tovoi with a variety of different toppings, from classic ones like peanut butter to more interesting ones like a butter-jam mixture that has grown quite popular in our household.

This is only one of the many recipes that we’ve learned over the course of this trip, and we’re likely to learn many more before it’s time for us to depart. Below, I’ve included a few more recipes that have been our group’s favorites and will hopefully grow to become yours as well.

 

Mutton Curry

Ingredients

1 clove garlic

½ white onion

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp spices

2-3 cups mutton

1 pack instant noodles

Soyabean or other oil for frying

Steps

1)    Chop mutton into medium-sized cubes (4-5 cm in diameter)

2)    Peel & crush garlic in a small bowl

3)    Thinly chop onions & mix with garlic

4)    Heat pan & add a bit of oil

5)    Add in garlic and onion mixture, stirring occasionally

6)    While cooking, add in curry powder & spices

7)    Add in mutton & stir occasionally until cooked (brown color)

8)    Add noodles (with accompanying seasoning) to curry

9)    Cook for 3 minutes, take off heat, and enjoy!

 

Roti

Ingredients

6 cups flour

1-2 pinches sugar

Boiling water

Butter or oil to prevent sticking

Steps

1)    Mix together flour, sugar, & water until you form a non-sticky dough. Have ½ - 1 cup flour left over

2)    Separate dough into medium-sized balls

3)    Press each ball into a disc shape, then roll into a circle, 2-3 mm thick

4)    Cook on each side for about 45 seconds until lightly toasted

5)    Lightly cat in butter or oil

 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from this experience, it’s that there’s no single list of ingredients for community, for home. Kindness, love, and support can come in so many different ways, and each one of us brings our own unique twist to the recipes that are our communities.