In English, mangeons—pronounced mAH-zh-OH—translates to “Let’s eat!” It’s courteous, its brother is
“Bon appétit!” and it’s very African.
Truthfully, this
phrase isn’t exclusive to French-speaking African countries. Lili and
Jean-Claude Maupoint, my host parents in France, said it often—even though I
prepared my meals, Lili always offered a taste of French cuisine. So how does
one distinguish France from Togo? It’s simple. The courtesy is open to anyone
and everyone.
In Togo, the
phrase is said to whomever, wherever and whenever. It’s spoken without
reservation, meaning if I buy fruit from a woman in the market and she happens
to be eating pâte with peanut sauce
and says “Mangeons!” Well, no problem if I do
just that and snag a bite of her food.
Within a Togolese
abode, it’s no secret that the size of a traditional family far exceeds that of
most American families. It also comes as no surprise that more family members
imply more mouths to feed. “What’s mine is yours,” an expression that is
oftentimes taken literally. In most households, the mother prepares a sizable
casserole of pâte along with one
large bowl of sauce and the entire family gathers in a circle surrounding the meal
and they dive right in, preferably with clean hands. No plates, no cutlery, no
hesitation to share.
The purpose of
this post is to acknowledge a civility I appreciate in Togo, and not to reveal
a lack of propriety on the part of Americans. It’s a cultural difference. In
New York subway cars, for example, never did I see someone in a car with
something to eat or drink—be it a coffee, a smoothie, a hot dog, a McDonald’s
cheeseburger or a banana—and offer a taste to everyone in the car. The Paris
metro is just the same. Surely the majority of Americans grow up with basic
manners, i.e. they learn to say please and thank you, apologize if accidently
push or bump into someone, etc. Most of us know the meaning of share.
Undoubtedly, for some it takes longer to master than for others or for some it
means everything can be shared and taken (MOOCHERS!).
This in mind, how
often do we [Americans] share with strangers? Similar to France, there in lies
a cultural difference between Togo and America.
A quick story:
Yesterday I
traveled from Sokodé to Dapaong. It was a long travel day, which started at 9AM
and ended at 9:40PM. The ride was like every other bush-taxi ride: people
packed into a vehicle like sardines in a can, people complained about the heat,
women breastfed their babies (seven on this trip), men blasted artist Too Fan
on their cell phones, taxi broke down for 30 minutes, etc. So what made this
trip and others like it bearable? An iPod and little pleasantries like mangeons. As I waited four hours for the
taxi to fill up, a man offered me a banana, another man offered tea, and a young
hip woman (one I sat beside the entire trip) offered rice and beans with tomato
sauce, eggs, water and a banana. I didn’t have much to offer, but since the
woman was kind enough to hold onto my iPod while I slept (so it didn’t fall on
the floor), I shared my headphones and we jammed to Lady Gaga and Rihanna.
Questions??
Must one accept a mangeons? Nope.
It’s there for the taking. If you want to, go ahead, and if you don’t, just say
“Thank you!”
Does one always have to say it? No, but it’s polite. Not all Togolese say it, but most do and they respect foreigners who do as well.
Will I bring it back stateside? Good question. Soon find out. ;)
Have I ever accepted a mangeons from a stranger? Yep, sure have!!
Dishes I plan to bring back stateside? See photos below.
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| Photo courtesy: Rebekah Chang Kalma, ground beans with peppered salt, onion and oil. |
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| Photo courtesy: Rebekah Chang Rice balls with peanut sauce. |
