To Market, To Market, To Buy Some Fried Food

Although I’m not crazy about Ugandan gastronomy in general, I have found great delight in my trips to the market to sample local street fare.  I mean, if you fry it, almost anything will taste good.... right?  Every few days my two-year-old daughter will start repeating “Market, Market, Chapatti, Samosa.”   It is then that I know that her saturated fat levels are dangerously low.       

Samosas are one of my kids’ favorite market snacks.  At local restaurants they serve veggie or beef samosas.  At the market I have only encountered samosas filled with cow peas, which is some kind of bean.  They’re all right, but not great.  I enjoy the crispy outer dough more than the filling.  Lately I have been passing on samosas, opting instead for a couple fried sticks of cassava.  It’s kind of like a giant french fry, but a little more dried out.  It’s enjoyable with a little bit of salt on it.   Salty, fried, starch… I can get down with that.

Chowing down on Cow Pea Samosas

Another common food at the market, or along the side of the road, is roasted corn.  Women roast the corn on little fire pits made out of old wheel wells.  The corn here is not sweet corn like back in the old U.S. of A, so the first bite is pretty disappointing.  It’s more coarse and starchy, but once you adjust your expectations it can be pretty delightful.   

Hanging out with one of our favorite fruit vendors

The rolex (not the watch) is the quintessential Ugandan street food.  It’s egg mixed with shredded cabbage, fried on a cast iron griddle over coals, and then rolled up with in freshly made chapatti bread along with a little bit of sliced tomato.  Think doughy breakfast burrito.  It’s great for a big snack or a cheap meal.  They’re pretty greasy, but you’re getting protein and veggies, they're filling, and they cost less than a dollar.  They are decent as is, but I feel they need a little help to really make them good.  Last week I added some sirachia, which took it up a few notches.  

Roll it Up! Roll it Up!

Although you can get it in town, one of my favorite parts of our trips out of Kampala has been the muchomo breaks.  Along the road there are stops where vendors have a bounty of grilled meat on sticks waiting for cars and buses to stop.  It can be a little overwhelming as they rush the car waiving around skewers of charred flesh, but that’s part of the adventure.  On our way up to Gula we sampled some goat that was quite tasty, but my stomach was not happy that I decided to eat 4 sticks worth. 

A couple weeks ago we went for a hike in the Mabira Rainforest.  Near the end of our hike we crossed a main road at a chicken muchomo stop.  A quarter chicken seasoned and roasted on a stick, paired with roasted sweet bananas, tasted fantastic and was an awesome way to round out the hike.  The vendors were also helpful in showing us where the trail stated again on the other side, so double score. 

          

GOAT!

       If stateside, and getting tired of snacking on Doritos, consider coming for a visit to Kampala.  I’ll buy you a Rolex and we can wash it down with a Nile Special Premium Lager. 

Yes, we have pizza as well 

Uganda Observations

Getting used to different types of roadblocks

Not having the energy to write long communications about our transition to Uganda I resorted to short Observations on my Facebook page.  Here they are repackaged for your reading pleasure.  Somehow I lost observation 10, but I guess it wasn’t memorable anyways. 

   

Uganda Observation 14: According to the doctor I have an excess of yeast in my intestines which is common for recent arrivals. Who knew something that could bring so much joy in my life (ie bagels, beer, pizza, etc) could bring so much pain. At least I'm on the mend!

Ugandan Observation # 13: Not sure what's more annoying when the power goes out. The lack of electricity, or the sound of the neighbor's generator mocking me.

Ugandan Wildlife

Uganda Observation  #12: Even in Uganda you can catch Bieber Fever.

Uganda Observation #11: There's a vodka and gin company here that advertises 1. no hangovers and 2. makes you smell great. I don't think it would take too much work to disprove both points.

Wrangling the kiddos

Uganda Observation #9: There are no parks in Kampala. I want to make a park in my neighborhood so all the kids can play together instead of playing alone behind compound walls. I could be like Leslie Knopp... but in Uganda.

Uganda Observation #8: Going to bed under a mosquito net makes me feel like I'm a kid pretending to go camping in my bedroom.

Walking around da hood

Uganda Observation #7: Urban Farming is not a fad here. It just is. Walking around my neighborhood I pass chickens, avocado, and banana trees, corn, squash, and tomatoes. Pretty cool.

Uganda Observations #6: You can get Heinz Ketchup (412 Represent!).  Even better is that it is made with sugar instead of corn syrup.

Croc Tail!!!

Uganda Observation #5: Uganda is a Libertarian Paradise. No wasted tax dollars on those pesky things like quality roads, schools, or social services.

Uganda Observation #4: Apparently my dvd player is not dual voltage. There was a lot of smoke.

I'm the king of the world!

Uganda Observation # 3: When going to watch a football (aka soccer) game on the equator one should really wear a hat or sunscreen. I am one crispy muzungo. Related observation: bottles of cheap gin seem to be an odd choice for the most popular beverage at such an event.

Uganda Observation # 2: Razor wire on walls around houses equals an increase in punctured soccer balls.... in-turn resulting in an increase of crying little boys.

Uganda Observation #1: You can flush toilet paper. Say what you want about the Brits, at least they got that right.  

I'm a big fan of these ladies 

Ins Outs and What Have Yous

Getting some quality time with the Rhinos

It’s been a little over three months since landing in Entebbe Airport, and getting started on our new life as Ugandan residents.  It was, as expected, a rough first couple days.  At a guest house in the middle of one our first nights my son, frustrated that he couldn’t sleep because of the time change, and thirsty because we didn’t have any drinkable water yelled out, “Africa is the worst country ever!!!”  Resisting the urge to give a quick geography lesson on the difference between a country and continent, we reassured him that it would get better. 

Now we are getting to the point that it is confusing where we are referring to when we say “home.”  I see this as a positive step.  As we continue to progress in making this home I plan to chronicle some of our lives as expats in Kampala. 

            

            I’m a little bit of an odd bird around these parts.  I have yet to meet another stay at home dad, Ugandan or Muzungu (white man).  When I have the kids with me at market or at the one playground, it’s common for people to say, “hello where is their mother.”  Growing tired of this question I’ve contemplated saying she’s dead and burst into tears to see their reaction.  I guess I didn’t move here to blend in anyways. 

            

           All in all there are some pretty outstanding things about living here.  While most of my friends back in the states are bundled up and worried about their heating bills, I’m sitting outside at a café with palm trees overhead and have Dr. Seus-esque looking birds flying overhead.  When I need an adrenaline rush all I need to do is flag down a Boba Boda motorcycle taxis and go for a ride (70% of broken bones in Kampala are Boda related).  This past Saturday my wife and two kids spent the morning hiking in the rain forest, followed by a lunch of roasted bananas and chicken on a stick bought from street vendors.  Being odd is a small price to pay for outstanding climate and adventures.