Food in Kenya 2

We have really enjoyed the variety of foods available here in Nairobi, especially the fresh fruit and veggies (alternate spelling "veges!") It's rare to find rhubarb in Dallas stores, but here it's growing in the yard and available at the store.  The green beans are inexpensive and really beautiful.

Black beans look a bit different from those at home, in a fun way (kinda like mini-Oreos).  Don't get me started on Oreos.  That's another post.

 

Also different are the larger than usual "Texas-sized" items.  Maybe I should say "Africa-sized."  Here is a 1.5 kilo loaf of bread, or almost 3 1/2 lbs.

 

We can make a peanut butter-and-jelly sandwich for a hungry person with this!  That slice is about 5"x5.5".

This is in the category of "head-scratching moments at the supermarket." 

There are some other items not often found in a U.S. supermarket, such as rabbit meat, camel milk, and canned tuna with sweet corn!  Corn turns up in unusual places, like on pizza!  What have we not been able to find?  Hamburger dill pickles.  Apparently there is a Subway not far away.  If we get desperate we may have to make a trip.

How things are different... plants

Another observation from my daughter was about the varied kinds of leaves.  And she's right--there are a lot of different plants here.  And even the familiar ones are different.  The tropical ones that live in the house most of the year at home grow by the roadside (snake plant for example).  Poinsettia can be six feet tall or more, they just keep on going!  Next to that poinsettia may be a very large, leggy geranium.  I asked one taxi driver about annuals and perennials, and I think he was perplexed. It doesn't freeze here, so they just keep growing and growing.

My favorite tree is a shorter, very elegantly shaped one with white to purple blossoms.  It's amazing.  This is kind of a large one.  It's called a potato tree.

Just for fun, here is another big plant.  We pass it each day on the way to school.

And another...

So thankful for the amazing variety in creation!