Have I mentioned on here yet that I now eat lunches with the rest of the ADRA workers (minus Max who goes home to eat lunch with his family)? Simon and I only found out about the group lunches in December (Darren told us about them) and decided to start eating there in the new year. Eating hot Tanzanian lunches has been really great and has definitely saved us time and money; we pay 12,500 Tshs (Tanzanian shillings)/month for four lunches a week (Mon-Thurs). I try to eat as much as I can at lunch so that I don't have to make very big suppers and that saves me even more time and money!
Basically the only downside to eating lunches with the rest of the ADRA workers is that they constantly comment on how I eat. They always ask me why I have so little on my plate and some people have told me that if I took that little at someones house I would offend them. I'm rather glad I haven't been invited over for a meal at a Tanzanian's house when I hear that... I keep telling them that I have a small stomach and just take a little bit and then if I'm still hungry I take more but they don't seem to be able to grasp that concept. They also ask me why I'm not eating pilipili (hot peppers) sauce and laugh when I tell them I can't eat very hot food. And their favourite question is, "Why don't you take the meat and sauce?" when we eat ugali. I tell them I'm vegetarian but then they just say, "Well, there's fish, too." And when they comment that I take such a tiny bit of ugali (a white dough made from cornstarch and served with meat, greens or cabbage) I definitely can't bear to tell them that I can't really stand the texture and that's why I take the smallest amount possible. Although ugali's taste isn't that great it's mostly the texture that bothers me...seriously, it feels like I'm eating baby food! And it's one of the most popular dishes in Tanzania, which Simon tells me is because when people eat it as often as many Tanzanians do they get addicted to the starch and have to have it all the time.
So, today during lunch Goodluck who works in the accounting office asked me why I wasn't eating meat. I replied, "Because I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat meat." After inquiring why I didn't take fish then and receiving an unsatisfactory answer, he shook his head sadly and told me that I would never be a good African wife. Then he said, "I was thinking about acquiring a lighter-skinned second wife, but it won't work because you're too skinny and you don't eat enough." I think he was joking but he did look quite serious...ack!
Basically the only downside to eating lunches with the rest of the ADRA workers is that they constantly comment on how I eat. They always ask me why I have so little on my plate and some people have told me that if I took that little at someones house I would offend them. I'm rather glad I haven't been invited over for a meal at a Tanzanian's house when I hear that... I keep telling them that I have a small stomach and just take a little bit and then if I'm still hungry I take more but they don't seem to be able to grasp that concept. They also ask me why I'm not eating pilipili (hot peppers) sauce and laugh when I tell them I can't eat very hot food. And their favourite question is, "Why don't you take the meat and sauce?" when we eat ugali. I tell them I'm vegetarian but then they just say, "Well, there's fish, too." And when they comment that I take such a tiny bit of ugali (a white dough made from cornstarch and served with meat, greens or cabbage) I definitely can't bear to tell them that I can't really stand the texture and that's why I take the smallest amount possible. Although ugali's taste isn't that great it's mostly the texture that bothers me...seriously, it feels like I'm eating baby food! And it's one of the most popular dishes in Tanzania, which Simon tells me is because when people eat it as often as many Tanzanians do they get addicted to the starch and have to have it all the time.
So, today during lunch Goodluck who works in the accounting office asked me why I wasn't eating meat. I replied, "Because I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat meat." After inquiring why I didn't take fish then and receiving an unsatisfactory answer, he shook his head sadly and told me that I would never be a good African wife. Then he said, "I was thinking about acquiring a lighter-skinned second wife, but it won't work because you're too skinny and you don't eat enough." I think he was joking but he did look quite serious...ack!
4 comments:
Haha, fail you. You have just tainted that man's opinion of white people for all time.
White people don't eat enough. That's what he's thinking RIGHT NOW.
And if he ever visits America, he will be blown away.
Ok, this cracks me up!
well, i am sure if you try reaaaaallllllllllllllyyyyy hard you could eat two or three platefuls each meal....
just put your mind to it.
then when you are nice and plump people will all say, you should not eat so much...
you can never win.
just try not to marry a man from African and all will be well. K.
Well I think you're just great... I wouldn't complain if you didn't want to eat meat, or be offended by you taking small portions! Not sure about the pilipili sauce tho... hehe j/k! :)
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