it is not hard to live in Tonga. but as a born and raised American i have become accustomed to certain things. example: a washer and dryer, running hot water in the house, air conditioner, a computer in the home, grocery stores open past 5pm. but i have learned to live without these great, great "things". but one thing i struggle with the most is...food. FOOD. i eat the Tongan food, one must eat to live. it's not like i lie awake at night in the fetal position, rocking back and forth repeating the phrase "I'd like some lu sipi and ufi." No, lie awake at night in the fetal position, rocking back and forth repeating the phrase "original or extra crispy?"

my biggest struggle here is not having the foods i love and that i am used to. i even have trouble preparing and cooking the Tongan food. i could pretend that i am fully adjusted to the move, but when it comes to my food...it is difficult for me to look at a plate of Tongan food and not wish it was a good 'ol Indiana Sunday dinner. you know, pot roast with veggies, REAL mashed potatoes all buttered up with salt & pepper (OH PEPPER!), some corn on the cob, and some of my sister-in-law Shari's Texas sheet cake.

i have sessions with my other sister-in-law Mandy so that i can discuss and vent my love for food...she feels my pain. she will often send me pictures of pizza, pasta, hamburgers, various chicken and beef dishes, or a fork (i sometimes forget what eating utensils look like).

the food i have been craving for the past week or so is pizza. she recently sent me some nice pictures of some pizza pies. It stirred a lot of emotion. tears were running down my face...feeling so much emotion looking at those beautiful pictures...some women say that the most beautiful picture in the world is their new born baby...i disagree...not because they are covered in a gel-at-nuss guuuu when they arrive...but because unlike a new born baby, when "it's" (the pizza) is done baking in the oven, it looks pleasing to the eye's OR eye (pirate). no need to give the pizza a quick rub down. just slice and serve. and the aroma makes your mouth water with delite...not fill with mini vomit at the combo smell of rubbing alcohol and human insides...NO, NO...pizza is a joy for all. and i will scream it from the top of the Little Italy Pizzeria here in the Kingdom of Tonga!!

I LOVE THE SITE OF A FRESHLY BAKED PIZZA MORE THEN A NEW BORN BABY COVERED IN A GEL-AT-NUSS GUUUUUU!!

my love for food only grows. i do like Tongan food. but their is nothing quite like biting into a thick juicy burger with all the fixin's or having some home cooked biscuits and gravy.

my kids are now at the point where they eat ALL Tongan food. which is great for me, it's what is here. they no longer ask for mac & cheese or "palangi" food. they simply fill their plates with the haka and what ever Tongan food has been cooked in the peito (kitchen). they also have the whole eating with our hands thing down pat. i don't mind that either...one less dish to wash. we were watching a movie the other night and it flashed by a Dairy Queen, i was all "WOW! look at Dairy Queen" and my kids looked at me confused and just said "A WHAT?"...a what...kids of mine saying 'a what' when talking about Dairy Queen. i explained it was a place to eat that served all sorts of ice cream. and Mak my oldest just said, "oh like the shop down the road." i just nodded and said yeah, but in my head i was thinking..."NO, NOT LIKE THE SHOP DOWN THE ROAD BO-TARD IT'S WWWAAAYYY BETTER!" i never call my kids bo-tard...out loud.

i can see growing up in Tonga their will be a minor gap in their food choices. eating the Tongan way is healthy so it's a give and take thing.

i am the only one in my lil Tongan hut who struggles with the food. i know that i will start to crave Tongan foods...MAYBE. going without the foods i love here in the kingdom will only make my visits state side that much more fun and delicious. in the mean time i will keep my hot dog dreams and ice cream wishes!