well, here i am in kenya.

(sorry - had computer problems where i couldn't cut and paste, so couldn't blog for a while..)

I do like food. And, happily, I have eaten a LOT of good food in the past 2+ years as an MCCer.

Nairobi

- Passionfruit Avocado juice – As previously mentioned, this is a divine combination. Okay, yes, for the benefit of my gourmet relatives (hi Karen!) it’s probably a puree from the avocado. But whatever you call it, it is dang tasty. Passionfruit – known as ‘passion’ in these parts - is a tangy fruit, and it balances nicely with the smooth avocado. If you ever find yourself in the Jomo Kenyatta airport, go all the way down past Gate 14 and you’ll find a Java House that usually has it. Enjoy!

- Indian Food – In plenty, relatively cheap, and extremely tasty. Kenya has a large population of “Indians” / “Asians”. I insist on referring to them as Kenyan Indians – I mean, a lot of them are 3^rd or 4^th generation Kenyans. Well, that’s a topic for another blog. For now, let’s talk about Diamond Plaza - an open-air square surrounded by dozens of Indian restaurants that are cheap and tasty, and fun because everyone in Nairobi comes to Diamond Plaza – the Kenyans, the Kenyan Indians, the wazungu, the Somalis, the Ethiopians… is a good time.

- Irio / Mokimo – in my opinion, the best of the limited starch options in Kenya. Potatoes, mashed up with beans and something green (up country it would be pumpkin leaves, in town it is usually peas) and add maize.

North Rift Valley

- Ugali - I’m not a huge fan of ugali, the basic starch of Kenya. It’s maize flour, boiled with water and cooked and stirred until it is very very thick. You eat with your right hand – pinch off a bunch, squish in your palm, eat. Very filling, but not very much protein or anything else. The best ugali I’ve ever had – maybe one of the few times I can say that I’ve really enjoyed ugali – was at Naomi’s place. She is one of the farmers in the leadership of the Uasin Gishu SmallScale Farmer’s Group, and she lives on a farm that is about 1 ½ ha if I remember correctly. That is not big. She had a separate cooking hut, with a stove built where the fire was up off the ground, and underneath she would incubate eggs or, in this case, let the ugali sit, so that it kind of baked in the pot. Man, that was some really good ugali – all crusty on the outside. Mmm.

- Ghee – Well, most people don’t have refrigerators once you leave Nairobi (and for that matter, lots don’t have them in Nairobi), which explains in part the rarity of butter and the commonality of Blue Band, a palm oil margarine. So dairy farmers tend not to make butter, but one time when I was staying at Hellen’s we made ghee. It involves making butter and then cooking it over a fire, stirring very very briskly the whole time until it separate into clear oil (ghee) and little pellets kind of that can also be used for cooking. Tasty, and doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

- Honey – Kenyan bees are still alive, and they are producing great honey.

# posted by debbyscott @ 12:35 PM