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Monday, December 10, 2012

At The Market

I love the market in Moshi - it's colorful and noisy and always an adventure. I practice my broken Swahili and bartering (a skill my dad taught me well!) and enjoy the sights and sounds (oh and the smells!) of the market. People are friendly and helpful too.

Some veggies are cheap and easy to find - green beans are 500 shillings for nearly a kilo (about 35 cents in USD), carrots are 500 shillings for about 5 of them, and the ever-present cabbage comes in a giant head for 1000 shillings (70 cents). I was delighted to find avocados are common and only about 500 shillings. Fruit can be a bit more - a bunch of 10 bananas for 2000 shillings ($1.35), for example. But then there are the fruits and vegetables that are scarce in Moshi and we pay dearly for those. Cauliflower or broccoli is easily 5000 shillings (over $3) for a small head, apples are hard to find and are 900 shillings each. 

Inside the covered part of the market

All the grains to choose from!

So many fresh fruit/veggies for cheap!

It's pineapple season, these carts are everywhere!
Busy alleyway

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Uji

At school every day, the kids get a break at 10:30. The kitchen staff is full of sweet ladies who cook a delicious rotation of Tanzanian lunches. Without fail, at 10:30, they take a break from lunch prep to make hot porridge for the kids (and teachers!) to snack on. Tanzanian porridge is called uji ("oo-jee") and it is one of my favorites. It's made of a mixture of maize, peanuts, soybeans, rice, and millet, all ground into flours and then cooked with water or milk. The consistency is like American Cream of Wheat, and with a little sugar, it is a tasty and filling snack! Most Tanzanians eat this for breakfast from infancy to old age.  I look forward to uji mtamu (sweet uji) every day!