Life on the island is very simple. Most families garden to have plenty of food to eat. To eat a balanced diet our sources of protein vary. The locals have pigs, goats and chickens as domestic animals. We can hunt wild pigeons and flying fox (bat). We can look for crabs living within the stones, gather shells, and fish. Cows are killed on special occasions or for funerals. Occasionally even a dog or cat can become a meal. The local stores do sell tin tuna, spam, corned beef, and eggs too for those that are "wealthier."
But, a lucky hunter or gather might stumble across the infamous coconut crab in the dense bush. These are the world's largest land-living arthropods. They can get up to 9 lbs! According to Wikipedia: "a coconut crab cuts the coconuts from the tree to eat them on the ground. The coconut crab can take a coconut from the ground and cut it to a husk nut, take it with its claw, climb up a tree 10 m (33 ft) high and drop the husk nut, to access the content inside. They often descend from the trees by falling, and can survive a fall of at least 4.5 metres (15 ft) unhurt. Coconut crabs cut holes into coconuts with their strong claws and eat the contents, although it can take several days before the coconut is opened." I am not sure if that is necessarily true but it sounds good!
They live in holes they dig in the ground and hide inside during the day. They come out to feed at night or after rain. My Papa is quite the avid hunter. He makes sure our family has enough meat for balanced diets, to Ni-Vanuatu standards. One night while going out to catch smaller crabs he found a delightful treat!
This is no ordinary crab. It is HUGE, thus we have to have a big meal to go with it as well. Mama decided to make some yam laplap.
Here she is cleaning the skin off the yams then "ras ras ing" them to make the pudding like texture.
While Mama was busy preparing supper I was busy playing with the kids. Charlotte and I went collecting pomplemous (our version of grapefruit), mandarins, and oranges for a snack. Joy Joy practiced her hair braiding on my luscious locks.
Noella, JoyJoy and Christiano also helped to de-feather the chickens! Mama Vira can't eat crab because she is allergic. We needed to have some meat for her as well!
Mango the pig came along for a little belly rub too!
Mama made the laplap and wrapped it up in banana leaves. We decided to be silly and dance around the laplap Ambae style!
Now for the challenging part! Coconut crabs are STRONG! If that giant claw pinches you chances are high it won't let go. Mama needs to kill it so that we can then clean it.
Look at her arm muscles. It is not making this easy for her! The kids and I crowded around to watch.
Here is a picture of cooked coconut crab. The yellow stuff is the crab's "balls" according to the locals. It is mostly fat that tastes creamy and slightly bitter. Bon appetit!
