Sometimes there are men rolling along a section of taro palm down the road.
They have an ingenious way of driving stakes into the ends of the logs to be used as axels. A palm rope is made and presto! The harness is ready.
It is not really a food of choice but used as a last resort when all the other good stuff is gone.
Several people pummel the chunks of palm in a wooden trough and make a flour out of it.
The first person breaks it down and slides it down to the next who further reduces it and slides it down to the next person who gives it another thrashing and pulls out the fibrous strings.
A moist bread can be made but most people use the product as hog feed.
These photos are taken near Betano on the south coast.
The people there are very poor even compared to the average East Timorese with a yearly income of 370 USD.
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