Although the word “locavore” has something of an upscale-foodie connotation in the US, to “eat foods grown locally whenever possible” (as Merriam-Webster defines it) is pretty much the only option for people who live in the outer islands of Vanuatu.
After the 16-hour ferry ride from Efate to Malekula, Kiki and I boarded one more boat — an aluminum outboard skiff belonging to our host Numa Fred Longga — and cruised across the sound with his daughter and grandson from Malekula’s administrative capital Lakatoro to Numa’s home-island of Uripiv.
Uripiv, which is home to about 500 people (and no grid electricity or indoor plumbing) become our home-base for the following week — and one charm of the place was that the little islet had no processed food on offer beyond a few snacks and spices.
To our delight, Numa collected some mud crabs for us from a mangrove forest off the coast of Malekula, and his wife Roslyn cooked the crabs for us in coconut milk. Holy moly, were they delicious!
Note: “Dispatches” are short vignettes, profiles, and mini-essays written and posted from the road, often in tandem with my Instagram account. I don’t host a “comments” section, but I’m happy to hear your thoughts via my Contact page.
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