Hot Pot by Harriet Hill

Harriet Hill

Hot Pot

Oil On Canvas

36 x 48 x 2 in

$1,750

I was living in the village of Bodou, Cote d'Ivoire. "Attieke" was the staple food. Anti-fast food. First you had to grow the manioc, harvest it, peel it, chop it up, let it set overnight with a rotted piece of manioc so that it ferments, get it ground up, squeeze out the juice in a press overnight, separate it all in a big flat wooden bowl, let in dry in the sun in big flat woven baskets, winnow it, separate the small grains from the large grains, then finally it got to this stage where you wrap it in big banana leaves and steam it in the big pot with holes punched in the bottom which lets the steam from the big cauldron come through, and you stir it with a big wooden paddle until it's perfect. This process takes about 3 days, and is done by groups of women together who chat and sing and tell tales as they work away. The food lasts for about 3 days and then you start the process all over again.