Culinary Delights

We quickly learned that unlike us, many people in East Africa do not eat for pleasure.  To be sure, it was most unsettling to realize that the Maasai only eat one meal a day, and that meal usually consists of goat's milk, cow's blood, and perhaps a little cow or goat meat.  Other tribes, such as the Hadzabe, the Datoga, or the Iraqw, have different things they ate depending on whether they were hunters, farmers, or gatherers.  We saw how people in the bush would dig roots and suck on the fibrous insides when water was scarce.  They also ate a polenta-type mixture that had some green herbs/plants ground up in it.  In addition, some people ground maize.  We were able to try and grind corn/maize in one of the villages that we visited using a heavy and primitive mortar and pestle.

While the dietary habits of the native tribes of Kenya and Tanzania did not appeal to us, we certainly never missed a meal.  Indeed, most of us complained of our ever-expanding waistlines.  Every morning we had a full breakfast (unless we went on an EARLY morning game drive) that consisted of eggs, cereal, toast or breads with jam and butter and fresh fruits.  Most lunches and dinners were served buffet-style and usually included meats, stews, vegetables, rice, potatoes, and dessert.  Lodge dinners were similar to the lunch buffets.  All meals were all-you-can-eat.  On days we were out very early or had a long driving day, we would have boxed meals.  Most of us became tired of the boxed meals after a while.  The tour guide had us to create "Happy Boxes".  Anything that we did not eat from the boxed breakfasts or lunches was placed into a clean container and then given to children, or people along the way.

Here are some pictures of the culinary delights from our trip: