Let's Eat!

Mealtime. As a person who abstains from eating animal products no part of the day brings more questions and uncertainty while travelling. "What comes in 'such and such'", "What's that brown stuff", "Will I have to eat a baby?", etc. The Peace Corps obviously takes these issues into consideration as diet questionnaires, follow-up questionnaires, and hard hitting interview questions are an integral part of the application process. Having gone through all of the worst case in my head prior to departure you can imagine my delight at landing in a village where eating meat is the exception rather than the norm. Lorenzo 1, Rest of the world 0.

Having been largely influenced by the international community, the cuisine in Kenya is quite diverse with all the variety of an 'All You Can Eat' buffet (without the intense morning after stomach cramping). While I'll undoubtedly forget to mention some key dietary cornerstone, I'll do my best to fill you in on some of the most common food stuffs one might encounter here.

Ugali: While staple foods can vary from region to region (millet, cassava, jujubees, etc.) one food is eaten in every corner (and the corners of those corners) of Kenya and may just be the food most closely tied to the culinary identity of East Africa: Ugali. Picture in your mind a food that has the appearance and texture of cream of wheat prepared with too little water. Made from maize flour, ugali is typically rolled up by hand into a ball just smaller than one Tiger Woods would typically swing a club at, and then used scoop up whatever dish has been lucky enough to be situated next to Kenya's chief staple on the plate of destiny. Greens, beans, fish, ice cream sandwiches, heck, even a second helping of ugali are just some of the companion foods perfect to be scoooped up and enjoyed with those white balls of deliciousness. A sweat inducing strength building workout to make, one need not wait for hunger to set in before cooking ugali as the upperarm workload required in the preparation of this dish is capable of arousing even the most stubborn of appetites (little known fact: 100% of Kenyan women are capable of cracking a coconut in the space between their forearm and bicep). Unfortunately, a moderate percentage of our cohort suffer from a bizarre genetic mutation, lacking the appropriate taste receptors which allow for appreciation of the deliciousness ugali is capable of producing. Yours truly does not fall into that category.

Rice: Of the strictly white variety.

Beans: Affirmative.

Arrowroot: This starchy potato-like has the unique ability to absorb any and all moisture within a 9 km radius the instant it enters one's mouth. Likely developed as a deterrent against herbivorous predators, this moisture sapping effect has been theorized to have been the underlying cause of every drought ever recorded in addition to being responsible for the progressive spread of the Sahara desert. It is this less than humble blogger's warning to you never to allow this substance anywhere near your mouth unless you have a very reliable water source nearby.

Blue Band Sandwich: A savory layer of margarine succulently spread between two hearty layers of white sandwich bread. Most often enjoyed at breakfast, may be double-, triple-, or quadruple-deckered to taste. Best served at room temperature.

Maandazi: Sopapillas.

Matoke: A dish made from cooked bananas that have a flavor and texture more similar to that of a potato than the sweet, monkey sustaining snack fruit Americans are used to. Needless to say, the banana splits here just aren't the same.

Chapati: Take a flour tortilla. Fry it. Chapati.

Kale: Coming from a place where the entirety of my food budget was planned around being able to afford this wonder food you can imagine my suprise to learn that kale is actually one of the lowest priced foods available in Kenya. In fact, the Kiswahili name for this leafy green, "sukuma wiki", which literally translates as "push the week", is an homage to it's affordability as addition of sukuma wiki into a culinary line-up is a tactic commonly used by Kenyan families to stretch the weekly budget while staving off the pangs of hunger. I've yet to meet a single Kenyan person who hasn't laughed at least a little bit when I explain that the budget stretching staple is one that which Americans often pay a hefty premium for.

Coconut: The closer one inches to the coast, the more coconut seems to find it's way into various dishes. Rice, beans, mustard, there's not a single thing edible that can't be improved with the addition of a little coconut. The juice of young coconuts (madafu) may be enjoyed as a drink while the meat of mature coconuts is typically grated and used to flavor various dishes.

Chai: A one-time subject of British colonial rule, many people here in Kenya still honor the twice daily tradition of tea (chai), which typically consists of either water, milk, or some mixture thereof, tea leaves, and enough sugar to send a humming bird into orbit.

Meat, etc.: I am undoubtedly the wrong person to ask about this one. What I can tell you is that, with the exception of communities living in relative proximity to a fishable body of water, frequent meat consumption is often prohibitively expensive for the inhabitants of many smaller villages, my own included. In addition to the standard beef, chicken, and goat, specialties in my area include caterpillars, crocodile, and panya choma (roasted rat).

Mealtime is serious business here in Kenya and one must plan their social schedule accordingly. If you are at someone's house around mealtime you are expected to eat (no matter how many lunches you've had) while if someone is at your house around mealtime they are expecting to be fed. Portion sizes can be a challenge for some of the volunteers as the concept of 'too much food on the plate' simply does not exist here while refusing food can quickly escalate into a diplomatic crisis. Likewise, the amount of food to eat (or not to eat) presents an equally fine line to be walked. Leaving a small amount of food on one's plate is considered a polite sign of fullness while cleaning one's plate...well...let's just say don't do it unless you plan on asking for seconds.