Slugs and Yam?
I’m going to Kenya in a few weeks and I have to confess to being a little nervous. Mostly I’m just looking forward to it. It will be my first time in Africa and I’m pretty sure that it won’t be my last. It’s clearly such a diverse continent that going to just one part of one country isn’t going to give me a truly holistic picture.So, why am I nervous? After all, apart from the political unrest, the prolific hijacking and mugging problems, deadly wild animals, scorching heat, malarial insects and corrupt government officials there’s not really anything to worry about. Oh, and I neglected to mention the fact the continent of Africa is a giant petri dish for every vile and malicious bacterium known to man. Seriously, call me a hypochondriac but how people survive out there is beyond me. But it’s none of that that bothers me really; I have to say that it’s the food.
Now I’m not a fussy eater, don’t get me wrong, but I’m not going to Kenya for a safari. I’m not going to be staying in even a moderately sanitised hotel. I’m going out with a small team to teach people about the bible, which means travelling out into small villages and staying in peoples houses/huts/shacks or whatever they live under and, obviously, eating what they eat. I’ve taken a rewarding visit to the Kenyan High Commission website and discovered that the local diet is rich and exciting, but looking at the ingredients of the dishes I suspect that they mostly consist of what only the very rich could afford. I guess it’s like caviar being a Russian delicacy but 90% of the population struggle to find themselves enough bread to eat day to day. Looking closer I saw that yams and cornmeal soup seem to be the staple diet. Let me assure you that cornmeal soup is not soup. It’s gruel. And that yams are not a tasty alternative to the potato. I’ve also heard the horror stories of our pastor being served delicately seasoned slugs on a bed of mashed yam on a previous visit. I really don’t want to embarrass myself, or my hosts, when semi-masticated slugs and yam with a generous helping of bile is projected, at high velocity, from my mouth by my horrified stomach. The stain on the carpet would be the least of my worries in that situation. Lord, have mercy.
So, as I was saying I am actually looking forward to the visit more than anything else. I’m going to be there for about 3 weeks during which I hope to absorb as many of the sights and sounds, and as few of the deadly viruses, of Africa that I can. Whatever happens I’m sure that I will come back with some interesting stories to post here.
Here’s to adventure and everything that stirs my heart to seek it.
posted by Matt Heaton @ 10:17 pm
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