Mudpies and Cigarettes

Mudpies and Cigarettes for Sale
(Photo by John Carroll--July 9, 2012)

I am staying with my driver and his family on the outskirts of Cite Soleil. They are lovely people and do all in their power to keep a spoiled blan happy.

In the mornings as we tool down the dirt road towards the clinic in Soleil, many women sit on the side of the road selling their goods. These products range from charcoal, fruits, toothbrushes, soap, clarin (Haitian moonshine), mudpies, and cigarettes.

You say mudpies? Yes, mudpies, and each one costs one Haitian gourde (about 2 cents US).

Mudpies, calle "te" in Creole, are made from a "special dirt" from northern Haiti with just the right amount of salt and butter mixed in. They are baked in the sun and then sold throughout the slums.

Pregnant women in Haiti seem to cough and spit alot (most likely from acid reflux), and I have been told that the mudpies are just wonderful for this.

More commonly mudpies are eaten to ease hunger pains.

And after a mudpie, what could be better than a cigarette to start your day?

John A. Carroll, MD
www.haitianhearts.org