A lot of the food I have been eating is prepared in restaurants (with menus and some choice) and other sort of what I would hesitate to call restaurants but don't want to just call food houses (with no menu but a few options - variations on a theme of rice, maize based product, beef or beef). However, from time to time, I am fortunate to be invited to eat with some of the project participants with whom we have spent the morning, afternoon or day.
In Uganda, my field visit was arranged in such a way that a large meal was prepared for us all - all CPAR staff, as well as all farmers who gathered to share their stories. I am trying to remember all of the food that was prepared - millet bread (kind of sour, not my fave), some beef stew, some cooked greens - both in groundnut sauce (peanut sauce) - delicious, and not in groundnut sauce (also good), rice and black beans, sweet potato and possible more. Oh yeah some sort of weird gravy and something something or other - kind of bitter and oily. Wasn't a fan. BUT the beans and rice, I don't know how but beans are so good here - and by here I mean Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania - anywhere I've had beans and rice. Oh I also tried some fortified porridge made from millet flour, soya bean flour, a little sugar, an egg, cassava flour (maybe, I forget) - that is intended to boost the nutrition status of well everyone but especially kids and pregnant women. All in all the meal was good.
In Malawi, we were invited by one of the open defecation free villages we visited to stay for lunch. We had to go to another field visit first but upon our return we were welcomed with a meal of nsima (coked maize meal - called ugali in Uganda and Tanzania, papa in Lesotho and so on), boiled eggs in tomato and a cooked leafy green - of the Swiss chard variety perhaps. A simple yet delicious and satisfying meal.
In Tanzania, I was invited to the home of 2 of my colleagues for a delicious dinner. We were given a number of chickens by a farming groups so they insisted I come and enjoy one of them. We had chicken, pilaf (in this case rice with ginger, garlic, cinnamon and who knows what else delicious), spaghetti, avocado, cooked greens. Yeah, it was all fantastic. These meals are almost always the best, even if often a little short on vegetables.
I have many more food tales to tell but will post this for now while I have the chance. I've been having a lot of boiled eggs, ugali, bananas (fried or regular) and well, not nearly enough vegetables of late.
In Uganda, my field visit was arranged in such a way that a large meal was prepared for us all - all CPAR staff, as well as all farmers who gathered to share their stories. I am trying to remember all of the food that was prepared - millet bread (kind of sour, not my fave), some beef stew, some cooked greens - both in groundnut sauce (peanut sauce) - delicious, and not in groundnut sauce (also good), rice and black beans, sweet potato and possible more. Oh yeah some sort of weird gravy and something something or other - kind of bitter and oily. Wasn't a fan. BUT the beans and rice, I don't know how but beans are so good here - and by here I mean Uganda, Malawi and Tanzania - anywhere I've had beans and rice. Oh I also tried some fortified porridge made from millet flour, soya bean flour, a little sugar, an egg, cassava flour (maybe, I forget) - that is intended to boost the nutrition status of well everyone but especially kids and pregnant women. All in all the meal was good.
In Malawi, we were invited by one of the open defecation free villages we visited to stay for lunch. We had to go to another field visit first but upon our return we were welcomed with a meal of nsima (coked maize meal - called ugali in Uganda and Tanzania, papa in Lesotho and so on), boiled eggs in tomato and a cooked leafy green - of the Swiss chard variety perhaps. A simple yet delicious and satisfying meal.
In Tanzania, I was invited to the home of 2 of my colleagues for a delicious dinner. We were given a number of chickens by a farming groups so they insisted I come and enjoy one of them. We had chicken, pilaf (in this case rice with ginger, garlic, cinnamon and who knows what else delicious), spaghetti, avocado, cooked greens. Yeah, it was all fantastic. These meals are almost always the best, even if often a little short on vegetables.
I have many more food tales to tell but will post this for now while I have the chance. I've been having a lot of boiled eggs, ugali, bananas (fried or regular) and well, not nearly enough vegetables of late.
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