Suffering from what to eat
By Atok Dan Baguoot
“Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else.”
June 2, 2010 — Like any other event, Southern Sudan is rocked by “Suffering from what to eat” a new disturbing phenomenon accompanying other vices which are causing unrest like the previous wars of struggles. After peace was brokered through the help of strong world monitors and regional bodies, Southern Sudanese became happy and begin enjoying the dividends of peace like any person on earth; another sad event is unfolding on daily basis. From the literal meaning, suffering from what to eat might either means as lack of food or hunger, famine and starvation but according to contextual application, it has slight difference in the sense that food is there but what sort of dish to eat is a problem in this case.
After the signing of Comprehensive Peace Agreement CPA in 2005, money starts flowing into different directions depending on the kind of job one does. Government of Southern Sudan GoSS started paying salaries to employees where corruption also became incurable disease that needs some strong mediators like the one that brokered peace.
In this money, some people got huge money immediately while others got little immediately and eating started where this disease began showing its wearied symptoms in the eating process. Those who corrupted money started complaining of poor digestion and frequenting hospitals, whereas those with little money troubled waitresses and waiters with complaints of high prices in towns. People begin wandering where to eat after imported food items became costly even in the kitchens.
The disease became obvious and crystal clear in the eyes of everyone especially those living in Juba, Wau and Malakal plus other small urban-rural towns in the South. In Juba, the magnitude was too high. The disease is called High Blood Pressure, Low Blood Pressure or diabetes is the disturbing ailments the writer is trying to talk about.
When those with quick wealth started eating, high blood pressure and diabetes became a check and balance questioning the means and modes of acquisition of this quick wealth whereas, some termed it as a consequent of constant worries due to guilt conscious and that’s why it normally diagnosed in those with what to worry. After having gone away with huge money without being seen, internal self dialogue started creating either low or high pressure depending on physiological makeup of each individual.
With low blood pressure, it was a common disease during those days when there was nothing to eat and that why all of us where patients. Stomach ulcers and internal hemorrhoids or pile (Bua-asir) were among serious diseases of the struggle which are being substituted now by diabetes high blood pressure.
Given high influx of imported food items, southerners whose traditional dishes are being trampled over find it hard to get a restaurant where one can eat a delicious food of his/her choice like before. High blood pressure and diabetes are diseases associated with poor eating habits if not inflame by high presence of chemical contents in our foods.
And as a result, both the rich and poor are suffering from what to eat. Those with money find it hard to spot a particular food unlike those with no money who constantly worry of high prices. They are all victims of what to eat. Besides that, the kinds of dishes in our restaurants are neither westernized nor did Arabised, let alone Southern Sudanese dishes which are thrown away together with our cultures in favour of “new of everything”.
There are few restaurants in Juba today which are excelling in traditional dishes and of these dishes are Greater upper Nile Walwala/akop or akela are commonly eaten by those suffering from high blood pressure although rate of turnover of customers is low because it is only few people who are fattened by stolen money. That could be a reason majority complaint of few being corrupt. By the way other foods are prohibited by their doctors with exception of that noun in italic above.
Juba is actually stricken greatly by two opposite pressures of low and high. By then people had the love of being seen fat as the only conspicuous sign that differentiate (Beny) from normal thin subordinates. Today, beny is being known of frequent visit to hospitals in abroad, another awkward scenario which siphon away our money in the name of unsustainable treatment.
We in the South are actually a bit unfortunate because every situation tends into a vicious circle regardless of what sort of efforts we exert to alleviate our living standard, so there is a need to check on what type of meal you are settling for after you have gone through with self conflicting arguments of what to eat. Some do prefer this viscose oily food like Egyptian beans without knowing that this well oiled food would even supplement your blood pressure level.
Eat well to avoid being diagnosed of suffering from what to eat incident in Juba or you will end up questioning yourself on what to eat today like me who worries whenever time for food comes.
Atok Dan is a journalist working for Southern Sudan Radio and TV and can be reached at [email protected].