FOOD

Diet
The diet we have took a bit of getting used to. The staple carb is ugali- which is ground maize (sometimes with other seeds) and is basically like eating a brick of flour. It comes in 3 different colours- white, yellow and brown. The brown one is supposedly more healthy and the one we eat every night at kingdom kids. The headteacher and pupils at Alango were very concerned when they discovered we eat brown ugali as apparently people eat too much of it ‘cry when they go to the toilet’. The number of times Tom the headteacher has inquired as to our bowel movements is comical. Where there is ugali there will also be scumawiki. This is a chopped green vegetable which is a bit like spinach with some tomato and lots of salt! These are the basic premise of every meal but you can also have other things such as egg, omena (tiny fish that taste a bit like metal but I quite like them), nile patch (small fish) or potatoes. Other families have chicken sometimes or meat or rice but the boys don’t like rice because they think the only thing that can make them feel full is ugali…they eat so much!!! Due to the regularity of meals and pressure from the boys to eat all the ugali (I have never done this- Rachel has once) plus a very big appetite (I think my stomach has been stretched) I have rounded a little around the edges- much to the glee of the teachers at Alango ‘Oh Leila you are fat now. This is very good.’ A treat is chapatti and green grams (like lentils). When we go to town we eat Western food, at which point I have to mention The Laughing Budda. It’s an Indian run place which is rubbish for food but dear Lord they have mastered puddings. The best is the sizzling chocolate brownie which is a brownie and ice cream on top with hazelnuts and they pour hot chocolate sauce on it and it sizzles!!! How epic!!! Mia, who has not exactly been enjoying her placements has admitted that the sizzling chocolate brownie may be the sole factor as to her continuing the project lol. Well I have to go now, its breakfast time….mmmm plain bread!