Sokoni-to market

I have been waiting to share one of my favorite learning experience in Iringa-grocery shopping. As the head chef and meal planner for the seven of us, it has been fun to discover new foods, new recipies (a special thanks to my brother-in-law John who copied me a cookbook from the days that he lived in Tanzania-now I know what Blue Band is!) AND new ways to serve rice and beans.

The most fun and overwhelming place to shop is the open air market. It is really just a very large machine shed with no walls and doors full of so many vendors that you can hardly walk.  On the end is piles of small, dried, fish. That is the gray piles you might see on top of the blue stands. Don't ask me what kind they are! They are smelly and we walk past them very quickly. Inside and row and rows of vendors selling all kind of vegetables, fruit, rice, spices, nuts, ect. There are always so many people around and the aisles are so narrow it is hard to take a picture. I am still figuring out how to buy bananas. There are so many different kinds and shapes. The first day my mom and I bought some green ones-thinking they would ripen up in the next few days. A week and a half later they were still woody.I have my favorite pineapple vendor. Pineapple is amazing here-pretty cheap and a favorite fruit at dinner. So I usually get a big one (5000 shillings) every three or four days. The vendor recognizes me (how many white women with kids can there be around???) and greets me with a enthusiastic "Habari!" Today he threw in a small pineapple for free.

Dale and I honeymooned in Hawaii and my favorite fruit was Papaya. I think I bought a box that I could carry home on the airplane with me. They were very sweet and about the size of your fist. Much to my surprise-African papaya is very different. You have to let it get ripe enough and eat what you cut or it quickly starts to ferment. Here is a picture of me in our kitchen with the Papaya that Grace (Noel and Sharon's housekeeper who took us to the market today) said would be ready "not today-hmmm-maybe tomorrow."

 

 

Now for our other needs (like the boxes of Corn Flakes for 15,000 shillings-about $8-9 a box) There are many little stores along the streets. On a street past the market you can find...well anything you need in a variety of little shops. The shop owners are very good at stocking their goods floor to ceiling-literally. They are very adept at using long sticks at knocking things off of high shelves and catching them as they come down. My favorite little shop is a bit of a walk but is run by a sweet, little lady whose names I discovered is Mama Idda (pronounced Edda). Her prices are very good and she gives me a receipt :) She always has a couple of young helpers around to knock things off of the high shelves for me. For some reason the picture of Mama Idda's shop with 5 of us in it and only able to turn around will not load. So that and other market stories with have to wait for another day.

 

Blessings to all who are following our adventure! Carrie