Some people have asked about food here so I thought I’d update you about what I eat.
I enjoy a very simple diet while I’m here and I really enjoy it. It’s my African detox! I really struggled with the diet when I visited Uganda at first but now I’m a veteran! It’s amazing how your tastes can change. At home, my most hated food for almost all my life, was cabbage. In Kenya, I can’t get enough of it!
So here is the story of what I eat. Breakfast is usually just a banana with a black coffee.
Mid-morning, I skip the maize porridge and tea that the rest of staff and pupils have. Tea in Kenya is made with boiled loose leaves, lots of milk and sugar. It is definitely an acquired taste. Sometimes, I have Kenyan tea if there are visitors or I’m in a meeting when it is served. But otherwise,I have my own flask and make a cup of fruit tea instead. It’s a bit anti-social but doesn’t upset my stomach.
Lunch is in the dinner hall with pupils and staff. The menu over the course of the week is rice with green lentils, beans and maize (corn)or Ugali (a sort of maize based mashed potato) and spinach. I enjoy all of them although it did take a little bit of getting used to. There is no meat served. It is too expensive.
Back home, I have a single gas ring so gourmet cooking is off the menu! There is no fridge so it’s rice or pasta with veg. However, the market, in Kiserian has delicious and plentiful fresh fruit and vegetables. Favourites include minestrone soup, spaghetti with a fresh tomato sauce, egg fried rice, butternut squash soup guacamole and crackers, spicy scrambled eggs.
Cupboard staples I brought with me, include balsamic vinegar, stock cubes, soy sauce, oatcakes and cup a soups. They all add flavour and taste. I must say that when your diet is more limited than usual, your taste buds seem to burst into action. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that I don’t drink any alcohol while I’m here. I suppose I could buy beer or wine in Kiserian, but there’s no need and it does not feel appropriate. Another treat I bring is Werther’s originals – my favourite sweet – for a wee sugar hit. Apparently the best chocolate to bring ( which I forgot untip I was here) is minstrels – the hard shell prevents the chocolate melting!
Sunday nights are a highlight. Mummy Norah makes chapattis and she always sends a child with a plate for her Scottish daughter. They are delicious. Another speciality are her mandazis – Kenyan sugar dumplings – also scrummy! She has promised to make me her special samosas while I’m here. I can’t wait.
The only things I miss are cheese and bacon rolls. But honestly, I don’t even miss them that much.
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