Fiji Food - A Cultural Feast of Flavour and Friendship Part 2

Typical Meal Time in Fiji

Mealtime was the one opportunity in a hectic day where the whole family could come together. My Na would spend hours preparing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for our family of nine. Meals began with the ‘masou’ or prayer in which we would all take turns in saying. Masou was an opportunity to let your family know that you were grateful for them and the food in front of you.

Whilst at the dinner table each person sat cross legged and ate with their hands with the huge plates of food in the middle of the table. Dinner at my home was when our Na gave us our lessons in all things Fijian and the sole reason as to why I know all of the animals, colours and days of the week in Fijian.

It would be impossible to get through a meal without someone appearing at the front door with a plate of whatever they had prepared that day. Meaning I left every meal with a full stomach and another slice of village gossip. In a similar sense, you wouldn’t be able to walk a length of the village without being summoned into someone’s home for a cup of tea or a second dinner.

It was a regular occurrence that the whole village would come together for a feast in one of the houses. Everyone family brought a plate of their best cooking to be shared amongst all the other families. An opportunity for men, women and children alike to come together over the neutral love and appreciation for good food.

Meal time at home

Most of the meals were cooked one a small gas stove in the metal hut round the back of the homes. There was one freezer and two ovens in the village that were shared communally amongst everyone, further emphasising the sense of community and love in Naocobau. I once asked one of the Fijians if they would ever visit the UK and they replied ‘Why would I? You can’t even go to your neighbours house for sugar if you run out’.