
Our tour was done, but Ernie continued to share. He shared his music and more stories of growing up on the reservation. He spoke about living in California where Native American children were sent to be educated. He gave us an opportunity to "meet" his Kachina mask with some special words and food offering. He gave us each an eagle feather to keep.
Ernie also gave me my first taste of Hopi food!



Even though I had just eaten, I was eager to buy some Mutton Stew, to go! Mutton and dumplings! How about that? I would be able to add Hopi (representing North America) on my list of 50 International Dining Experiences!

And how about Fry Bread...with a little honey! Kind of like a sopapilla maybe? It filled the car with the smell of funnel cakes!
So how did the stew and bread taste? Even with the honey, all I could taste was grease. I couldn't eat very much of the Fry Bread.
The mutton stew? Honestly out of my 42 international dining adventures this is the only food I have not been able to stomach! Even the Taiwanese Stinky Tofu was a bit easier to swallow. I was never so glad to be nibbling in my car and NOT surrounded by Hopi Villagers or cooks. I'm not used to being stumped by a food! How could I not like a dumpling? Maybe it was the atmospshere of my car that made me not push to enjoy my sampling. But after 3 bites of glue-ish, gray gravy and rubbery, pungent meat of the "mature sheep", I replaced the lid and set it aside...which I could not have done in the presence of Hopi!
30 POINTS for HOPI DINING
No negative points for my mutton, because I have a MUTTON MEMORY and that's worth 10 points! 20 points for the People Encounters. I will never forget my varied experience with food on the Hopi Reservation! I hope I get to give it another try some day!