yummy fry bread!

Today, several Tribal members cooked the staff at the museum and THPO a holiday lunch.  They served it in the village which is part of the 1 1/2 mile boardwalk that loops near the museum. 

Traditionally, the Seminole's cook under their Chickees.  Chickees can be used for several different purposes: cooking, sleeping, recreation, and entertainment.  The Chickees in the village are used for cooking and for tribal memebers to make their arts and crafts.

They cook their food over an open fire.  One of our cultural adivisors told us that the reason the women do the cooking is because they are the stronger sex and the men would complain too much if they had to stand over the heat!

The Seminole really only cook traditional foods on special occassions, with the exception of sofkee and fry bread.  Sofkee is corn, ground up and made into a a type of drink.

Today we were made several rice and meat dishes (pork and turkey), corn, two potato dishes and fry bread!

It was all very good (well maybe I didn't eat the meat!) and the Seminole women worked so hard to prepare us the lunch in the 85 degree heat!  Fry bread is just as it sounds in all of its fried glory.  It is a very thick and heavy bread.

I love working in a place that can teach me so much.  Its amazing to see a culture that hasn't forgotten its traditions and loves to share them with us!