Throwing it back to when man adored his traditional way of life, his head devoid of addictive technology and his behaviour inclined towards cultural ways and norms, a former professor at a University in Beijing decided to go on hiatus, away from the cacophonies and too many mortals to remind his soul of the good old days.
He decided to pay a man and his wife a visit on Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands. Solomon Island is a sovereign state consisting of six major islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. This couple had purposely set themselves apart to live and demonstrate the traditional life of their ancestors and that has been their full-time way of life ever since.
The welcome was very much warm. Over a traditional belet nut, the two gentlemen had to were able to build a rapport pretty fast, a solid ground for them to be able to understand each other’s ideas or emotions very well.
The belet nut is harvested from areca palm which they have growing on their compound. It is chewed along with lime (calcium hydroxide), a white powder in the man’s hand which they get from snail shells or coral.
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When he entered the kitchen area his wife was preparing some delicious meal. Green cabbaged cooked in coconut milk.
She added in cabbage from their garden to cook with the coconut milk. 🇸🇧 pic.twitter.com/j6XrKF1E0g
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) May 28, 2019
She added some peeled sweet potatoes on the layer of hot rocks and covered it with banana leaves to cook.
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The meal was balanced into a complete diet with bits of pork stuffed into a hollow by bamboo stick and put over the fire to cook.
The meat-filled bamboo tubes were put directly in the fire to cook. Everything would take about 45 minutes to be ready. 🇸🇧 pic.twitter.com/zOe57cJiFr
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) May 28, 2019
While the food was cooking, the man of the house taught him a few basics. Like how to make the loincloth wrapped around his waist from tree bark.
The bark actually comes from the tree right in back of him. The tropical rain really started pouring down at this point, but he was completely unfazed by it. 🇸🇧 pic.twitter.com/KUmWU4C4R6
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) May 28, 2019
How to make a roof out of palm leaves which when done properly, should last about 10 years, weather permitting, and how other vines and leaves can be woven into walls.
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Other leaves and vines can be woven into walls, as well as wooden planks from palm trees woven together. He told me the process of gathering the materials from the forest is actually a lot harder than construction itself. 🇸🇧 pic.twitter.com/PGz5GrivQa
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) May 28, 2019
He also taught him how to make fire since it was raining and the log was wet he warned him the log might not catch fire.
Food was finally ready. The wife yanked the bamboo tube from fire and cracked it open to reveal the pork bits. Man of the house was busting the betel nut to relax.
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The meal was finally served. It was delicious like the home-cooked meal that grandmas prepare when you go over, he admitted.
The food was delicious. In fact, it felt a lot like going over to grandma's house for a home-cooked meal, if grandma wore only a loincloth. 🇸🇧 pic.twitter.com/blLZiNOhno
— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec) May 28, 2019