The What

Its been a while, and I can tell through your silence that your are passive aggressively sulking, oh blog readers of my imagination. Well never fear, Kate is here, with a big recommendation for you! I just finished reading Dave Eggers' recent book, What is the What, which tells the amazing (and for the most part true) story of a Sudanese refugee. It is a highly enjoyable read, though I will not pretend that it didn't depress and enrage me greatly. If you buy this book, all of the proceeds go to helping rebuild Sudan and contributing to the needs of the Sudanese refugees living in America.
http://www.amazon.com/What-Vintage-Dave-Eggers/dp/0307385906/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228604053&sr=8-1
Here is the myth:
"God made the monyjang tall and strong, and he made their women beautiful, more beautiful than any of the creatures of the land...and when God was done, and the monyjang were standing on the earth waiting for instruction, God asked the man, 'Now that you are here, on the most sacred and fertile land I have, I can give you one more thing. I can give you this creature, which is called the cow'...God showed man the idea of the cattle, and the cattle were magnificent. They were in every way exactly what the monyjang would want. The man and woman thanked God for such a gift, because they knew that the cattle would bring them milk and meat and prosperity of every kind. But God was not finished. God said, 'You can either have these cattle, as my gift to you, or you can have the What.'"
The story goes on, but the essential question we are left with is; What is the what? Read the book, tell me your answer to this...