Food

One of the questions I get asked the most when I travel is what we eat. If you know me well, you know I'm no foodie. I have a kid approved taste for good. I mean I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich at a restaurant in Uganda! I know what I like and stick to it. My husband Mark will try anything. Here he wrote a bit about what we've been eating....

Eleven days in and we've just experienced our first case of GI upset...not too shabby.

To be fair, we have tempted fate by sampling several traditional Kenyan and Ugandan dishes, all while our bodies have been attempting to adjust to travelling in four different countries, journeying countless miles, acclimating to several different time zones stressing our internal clocks, and experiencing some pretty rough and at times insane driving conditions...so, it was bound to happen eventually.

Our culinary adventures so far have included the following new experiences for all or some of us (some are more experienced eaters than others; and some are more adventurous than others): samosas, whole fire roasted tilapia (including the head and eyes), two different types of ugali (one in Kenya and one in Uganda), two celebratory feasts in Kenya (one in Jack's home in Kibera and one at the workshop in Kibera), a traditional fried greens dish in Kenya that I can't remember the name of, a traditional dip with greens peanut and sesame pastes in Uganda, a traditional mashed potato and bean dish in Kenya, pumpkin soup in Uganda, and something they call porridge in Uganda that in no way resembles porridge in North America. We have also had burgers in each of the places we've been and I find it interesting how different a burger can be from culture to culture...there were definitely no two burgers that were the same.

All of the dishes were tasty; some I would definitely try again, some I probably wouldn't. Among my favourites were the whole fire roasted tilapia and the mashed potato and bean dish (the girls actually asked if we could try making it at home).

I love trying new foods. I've been very surprised at how well the girls have done - all the more so with Madi, who hasn't typically been an adventurous eater, but who tried just about everything on the list with the exception of the head of the roasted tilapia.

Unfortunately, all this seems to have caught up with us on this trip, so we will likely be playing it a bit more safe from here on in. I've never thought of my girls as being very daring eaters; I've always thought of them as being more like Krista when it comes to food (relatively safe and plain and simple), but they have really surprised me. I now look forward to many new gastronomic experiences with them.

Lunch at jacks home in Kenya 

Some of our big feast in Kenya 

Enjoyng a delicious meal together!

Dan making ugali 

Food at Bosco's home in Uganda 

Porridge delivery comes daily in a jerry can in late afternoon in Uganda 

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One experience related to food we also had was in Kenya related to chicken. They were preparing the chicken - plucking the feathers anne butchering it. I couldn't watch. Lillian asked me if we eat chicken at home and when I said yes, she asked how I prepare it then. I told her I bought it ready to cook - no feathers and already butchered. She thought that  was the funniest thing ever! Turns out my girls are braver than me though. They both helped with plucking feathers - while dancing. The ladies insisted they all dance to the music while doing so. And Eden helped butcher it. Wow! And it turned out to be one of the most  delicious chickens  I've ever tasted! 

Lillian laughing at me

Plucking chickens

Eden helping to butcher the chicken

Preparing the chicken on the stove 

chickens cooking!

Tonight is our big meal with everyone in Uganda and it's meat on a stick. Yum!