Snacks take on a new meaning
From the Malawi News in September 2009
Not sure what prompted me to dive into an enormous treasure trove of ancient travel brochures, tour guides, city and country maps, and newspaper clippings (all saved to use for future blog posts). Perhaps I thought it was high time to share more of our adventures. Or maybe I was just a bit peckish (Aussie slang for hungry) because near the top of the box, I found an old, snack-related clipping from the Malawi Times.
Travel treasures
Sixteen years ago, we spent almost 11 months on the back of an overland truck travelling south down the west side of the Africa and then north up the east. Along the way, Poor John and I bought local newspapers whenever we could (yes we are news junkies), hence this ancient clipping.
So what does it have to do with snacks? While some of us will opt for dips and chips, Malawians set a higher bar. They’re keen on roasted mice.
Back in 2009, the price of mice-on-a-stick went up, in fact it doubled. The price for a skewer of six roasted mice jumped from 100 to 200 Malawi kwacha (or from 6 to 12 US cents or 8 to 16 Aussie cents per stick).
Malawi’s mouse season is April to October, and some breeds of mice are harder to catch than others. I got a chuckle from some of the wording in the story. One mice trader didn’t say or explain how he caught mice. He ‘narrated’ the technique.
Fancy a roadside snack. Image from the internet
According to Google, mice skewers (called mpani) are still popular in Malawi and are even more expensive today. A skewer of just four mice now costs 200 Malawi kwacha.
What really surprised me was that a 100-gram serving of mice provides about 216 calories, 21 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fat. Nutritionally, it beats an equal portion of lamb shoulder.
Pity this snack has never gained popularity in Australia. Today farmers in Western Australia and South Australia are battling the worst mouse plague they have ever seen.
An estimated 8,000 mice live in every hectare of WA’s northern grain belt, and swarms of them are visible in paddocks and on roads at night. Farmers are trying to get a more potent poison to win the battle.
Roasted mice on sticks. Image from the internet
Where to next? 
Oh boy. I experienced this roadside delicacy when I first visited Africa many years ago and the thought – or sight of it – didn’t improve during the second and third visits either. When I say “experienced” I don’t mean that I tried eating mousie, only that I saw the skewers, had them offered and very politely declined. The tails hanging down really got to me. I’m so sorry to hear about the infestation in Australia. The losses must be brutal.
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I haven’t tried mousie either. I get what you said about the tails. As for the infestation in Australia, on the radio today a farmer said he had watched mice digging up seeds that had just been planted.
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You could start a trend
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