May 24

Found a new good restaurant.  We needed a little respite today, so we along with Elder and Sister Wells decided to go out to lunch.  In our Fiji (tourist) Book two restaurants were listed with multiple stars.  They happened to be next to each other.  One had Fijian food which when we got there did not look good.  The other was become our new favorite restaurant.  It is called ICrave!  Pricey but good.  It is actually a bistro, but during the day the bar is closed.  We sat out under a canvas tarp.  The weather was great and the food was great.

Had a sad thing happen today.  I had asked one of the cleaning ladies to make traditional Fijian pudding for our FHE dinner on Monday.  It is really a cakey thing like English pudding that one puts custard over, but it is so Fijian that I wanted to add it to the menu for Monday, but I did not dare ask the caterer to do more as she is doing all the cooking by herself.  I had asked the cleaning lady on Monday if she would do it and how much it would cost.  She agreed to do it for me.  Her price was one dollar for each pudding, but the price went up when I told her that I would love her to make the custard.  Before she told me the price for the pudding and the custard, she looked around to see who was listening, leaned in, and then whispered $50. The price went from $25 to $50.  I was so shocked I didn't know what to say.  I worried over the experience all week.  In fact, I woke up one night just sure I had misheard her and that the price was just $15 instead of $50 and that she was giving me a deal.

So today when she came in to clean the institute, she asked if I was still wanting her to make the puddings.  When I asked again, the price was $50.  As soon as she said the real price, Scott objected with "That it was way too expensive." 

I just stammered, "Perhaps another time."

I went to the Service Center later today and asked around about who made puddings.  I found one worker whose neighbor loves to make puddings.  We set it all up, and I got the puddings for $8.  I will make the custard which will cost me about $6 for two quarts. 

I am so sad.  I know that most Fijians gouge everyone with white skin.  The seniors joke about the "skin tax" in Fiji.  However, I thought that this woman was my friend.  Obviously not.