I, like most Americans, am very accustomed to eating from my own personal plate with a spoon and fork, so needless to say, I struggled quite a bit eating with my hands and felt a bit out of place sharing one plate with everyone around me. After making a little bit of a mess, I finally got the hang of eating with my hands and realized that eating around one dish wasn't so strange after all. Not only that, sharing a dish with my host family made me feel a lot closer to them and helped me feel more integrated into the community.
First, the fish is cleaned and stuffed with the herb marinade. The marinade is often made with garlic, onions, pepper, and spices--all blended together. After the fish is stuffed, it is fried.
Next, the rice and accompanying vegetables are prepared. First the vegetables are chopped. Most often it is prepared with okra, carrots, squash, eggplant, and sweet potatoes. The vegetables are cut into cubes and simmered in a pot with rice, tomato sauce, and special seasoning. Some of the rice at the bottom of the pot will end up crunchy and is served on the side (it is called xoon).
The rice, fish and vegetables are then all added into the communal dish and voila, lunch is served! Ceebu Jen is almost always served at lunch. It's very difficult to find the dish served at dinner.
