Given my level of interest, I figured maybe everyone else likes it as much as I do, and thus you'd like to be enlightened on my food situation in Kenya. Here are the kinds of things that have made their acquaintance with my palette:
Beans and rice. A classic. And when I get it for lunch, it costs me about 60 shillings. That's less than a dollar, and it's usually more than I can eat in one sitting. Sometimes I splurge and get beans with a hint of coconut flavor. Aw yeah.
Also pictured is muchicha, one form of greens I've had here. Kind of like kale. It's a little bitter, and it bears a strong resemblance to seaweed. Although I have to confess, it looks and tastes exactly like every other form of greens I've eaten. They're all cooked down the same way wherever I go and whatever I get, and if I ask what's in it, they'll tell me, "African vegetables." Awesome. The one you see in the next pic is sukumo. Notice any difference? Yeah, I couldn't, either.
This is githeri. A slight variation. This time, the beans are accompanied by corn (these grains tend to be a little tougher than you may typically be accustomed to), and a little cabbage. I swear, the first time I tried it, I was reminded of the flavor of Shepherd's Pie. I can't say I've had that impression again since the first time, but there you have it.
Ugali. Kenyans go nuts over this dish. They eat it all the time and crave it when they don't. To those of us who are accustomed to food that isn't very, very bland, this may come as a surprise. It's basically just cornmeal. It's kind of like mashed potatoes, only thick enough to hold its form. You'd never eat it alone - it usually would accompany the greens or some meat.
If ugali doesn't provide enough flavor for you, you may consider trying mukimo, another traditional dish. They mash together beans, corn, potatoes and greens. The whole time I was eating it, all I could think of was Green Eggs and Ham. I just may try to recreate mukimo next St. Patrick's Day. In this picture, it's the green stuff that doesn't look like the greens I've already shown you.
Chapati. Think tortillas. No, wait. Think nan. Eh...it's something in the middle. It's like a thick tortilla that is fried. Like lots of things I'm mentioning, it tends to accompany a more flavorful dish, like beans or the beef stew I tried on my first day.
Pilau rice is also a favorite around here, and it's eaten with beef stew. But unlike the other favorites, this one's got plenty of flavor. The rice kind of tastes Middle-Eastern. The closest flavor I could compare it to would be the rice I get at Kabob Palace (Afghan food) in Crystal City. The resemblance is striking.
Other than that, there are lots of mangos, bananas, mangos, passion fruit, mangos, and other fruit that is extra-sweet and crazy delicious. As is the yogurt, and the juice. I am helplessly hooked. Hopefully once I get back to the US, I won't have a hard time adjusting back to fruit that wasn't picked earlier that same morning.
Kenyans are serious about their food combinations. If you're getting multiple items, you'd better make sure they match. If it's not an acceptable combination, don't worry. They'll let you know. Let's say you tried to order some mukimo and sukumo. They will tell you flat-out that this is a bad idea, and then they'll offer alternatives, and then they'll walk away to go fill your order that they determined you actually wanted.
And just for fun, I'll show you a couple things you may see from vendors on the streets of Mombasa...not like I've tried any of it, because I don't buy food from street vendors.
Cassava. Think yuca. Here, they'll fry them like potato chips in these big, black, wok-looking things...
...or they'll fry them like french fries (which everyone here calls "chips").
And the coconut. I confess. I've gotten this off the street lots of times. I think I've already mentioned this delicacy before. They take a not-yet-mature coconut, hack off the top with a machete, and let you drink the coconut juice inside. When you're done, they make a spoon for you out of the coconut shell and then you get to eat the coconut meat. It's bliss.
Cooking conditions at my house aren't exactly optimal. We haven't ended up cooking much at all because it's just such a large-scale production. First of all, we just don't have many options at the grocery store. Second, we have a hot plate and a microwave, and nothing else. Finally, after the meal we have to boil water to wash the dishes, then wait for it to get cool enough to touch. By this time, it's getting late, and we've just lost the ganas to get it all done. Add all that to the end of a long day of working in a hot office, and together it equals minimal cooking and dinners that are less than balanced.
So Bekah DC and I have a plan. We order just a little more than we typically do at lunch, and we take all the leftovers home, and voila! We eat lunch and dinner until we are filled, typically for less than $2 a day. Step two was to invest in some paper plates and plasticware, and we successfully eliminated the washing of dishes. Granted, we don't have so much variety, but we get to be healthy and lazy, at a fraction of the cost! It's win-win-win!
6 comments:
fascinating!
OK, while it might seem tempting, and it does make me hungry right around lunch time, I think I'll settle for something less differenter. Maybe it's more differenter given the amount of spice (ie none?) Well, I'm glad that you're getting to eat like a Kenyan. Perhaps you'll come back running like a Kenyan. I'd better start running again!
I think it looks fantastic. No meat? They live the Word of Wisdom! (I don't eat red meat and it is especially fun, I have found for myself, in other countries). I would totally eat all of the above minus fruit. I wish I liked fruit. I DO, however, like the way they turned the mango inside out and cut it. That is way cool.
David - darn right, you better start running! Who knows what this food will do to my running skills! Or my runs along the Kenyan coast, for that matter!
Crystal - Well...they actually do eat meat. Ironically, I didn't include any, but I've had some pretty decent chicken/beef dishes. And I wonder if you'd like fruit from here? I never liked pineapple until I tried it in Hawaii. If they'd let me bring a mango through customs, I'd bring one for you and cut it like that. I've been practicing. :)
Funny story, as I was reading this Elliot was with me and he totally started gagging looking at the Ugali. He has such a bad gag reflex, he also gags when he sees me feeing Naomi rice cereal. It's sure fun trying to get him to eat!! I think the food looks pretty yummy and I love it that no matter what you order they just get you what they think should go together! We also do the paper plates at our house, saves me so much work!!
I know what that food would do for my runs.
Dad
Post a Comment