The Wittz End: A few of my favorite things

Whenever we get visitors, we always get asked what kinds of goodies they can bring us from America. My wish list is mostly food and some top items are beefy jerky, cheese, and chocolate chips. We have also been blessed by care packages receiving American wonders as well. Each item brings memories back from my childhood or special holiday occasions or just a piece of the good ol U.S.A. This made me think of the special things of Kenya and what is a central part of the culture and people living here. When I go to the grocery store here what are the most common items that a family would purchase? I am not going to be completely accurate but I wanted to share my own observations. At the bottom I have pictures of a grocery store in Nairobi that we can walk to when we are staying with the Kelly's. I want to get permission to take pictures of the grocery store in g-town because each store has its own unique set up and products that appeal to the people who live there.

One big aspect of Kenya is tea. It is referred to as chai and it is boiled with half portion of milk to water. In gtown chai is made with made of marsala spices that consist of cardamon, ginger, and cloves. It is normal to drink a cup first thing in the morning as break fast and another cup or two later in the day. We always have a chai break mid morning in between History and Language Arts.

Another staple is Ugali flour. It is similar to grits but firmer. It is usually eaten in a big portion with stew or cabbage or green veggies. The other carbs that are available are rice, pasta and chapatis but ugali is the most common.

Many people cook on a jiko using charcoal. There is a Kenyan broom to sweep both inside the house and outside. Most of the soda is in glass bottles. The 4 main sodas are coke, sprite, orange and black current. There is a soda called Stoney that is a ginger flavor. You either like it or hate it. I am on the hate it spectrum. At our home we buy coke in crates. Samara has a crate under her in the picture below where she is holding a fanta.

One thing we eat a lot here is beans, lentils, green grams, cow peas, and other varieties of cereals. There are so many different ways to eat them and each bring a slightly different taste.

In gtown we know all the workers by name at the store. They have invited us to join them eating lunch during their break and we have had so many funny conversations that I will have Jason tell another day. What I truly value is the relationships you can make with people as you are doing the regular weekly errands. I hope to do a part 2 of my favorite things here in Kenya.