Restaurant treat

Jun.16th

I went to a restaurant for the first time tonight (yay there is a restaurant!). The restaurant was about 20 min walk from the campus, and was literally in the middle of the villages. A group of us medical students and researchers went together. After walking in pitch dark with a bunch of flashlights, we saw a house with bright light in the field, and so it is the restaurant!

Prior to going, we all ordered by text messaging to the owner of the restaurant. You have to order in advance because they don’t always have what you want. And if you order when you go there, you’ll have to wait for 2-3 hours before getting your food. The options are very limited so you just order from the few things they have. Nshima is a type of famous staple food here. It is made of maize. The flavor is kind of a blend taste similar to rice. You are supposed to eat by using your hands and mix with sources. I had Nshima and Tonga chicken with some greens (The type of green vegetable that are abundant here is rape).

We had to struggle with some grasshoppers and bees during the dinner, otherwise the restaurant was really fine and I enjoyed my first soft drink since I got here as well. It is fascinating to think how dependent we were on these products in North America. Forget about diet coke, I was happy enough to see glass bottles of Fanta and Spirit.