Yum yums across the seas

Across the seas in the Foreign Service my tables had new yum yums: chilies, chapattis, bugs, bear, serpents, ducks, coffees, fruits and sometimes servings and settings more splendid than any kitchen in Baltimore. Delicious talapia, a big fish with excellent white meat came fresh from the Niger River, a couple blocks from our house, caught daily and sold at the African market steps from the river itself.