By now you know I’m not a traditional Kenyan man: I cook the food, clean the house, buy the vegetables, AND wash the clothes. I will admit that the cleaning is a pain in the ass (due to the “African” broom) and the washing is tedious, but the cooking is good fun. There is something so relaxing about coming home after work, especially when I don’t have a lecture the next morning, and preparing a nice, fresh meal. I cook anything from country potatoes to githeri (Kenyan staple of corn and beans) to Indian-inspired lentil curries. I’ve even picked up some new tools of the trade!
You can see my “jiko” in the pictures; it is basically a charcoal BBQ. The jiko is nice because some things need to simmer for a LONG time and the charcoal is much cheaper than boiling on my gas stove. Also, the two frying pans which came with my house were absolute crap. You know the kind: you have to cook one more egg than you’re hungry for because, no matter how much oil you use, one egg always remains on the pan. I was holding off on upgrading because I didn’t know how to dispose of the old ones, but recently I found out the locals collect scrap metal for recycling. I think they get a couple hundred shillings (around $5) for a kilogram. It may not sound like much money but every little bit counts here, and it saves my conscience because I was already losing sleep about the thought of burying them in my backyard!
So I may have to deal with man-eating spiders and slimy snakes, but at least I’m eating good food! I have some hashed browns, toast, and eggs cooking on my new non-stick pan as we speak! Until next time, take care!
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Lover of Linux, death metal and Indian food, blogs about living and working in Nairobi, Kenya.
I feel ya on the pans man. I believe I misread the label on my pan and it simply said ‘Stick Frying Pan.’ Fortunately the plastic spatula melts at just above room temperature and replaces that which sticks.