The Food
So, it’s been a few weeks since I returned from Africa, and of course, people have been asking me about my trip and want to see my pictures. Those reminders have been frequent, but believe it or not, it’s something that I think about all of the time.
I knew prior to going that this was not going to be “just another trip”. This was definitely going to be different. What I didn’t expect was the way that I am thinking about it.
What has fascinated me is that my thoughts are on everything from driving down the streets to absorbing all of the different scents; from just the air in various places, to the foods that we saw throughout the trip.
Speaking of foods, in general, I’m not much of an adventurous eater. In fact, when I was getting my yellow fever shot, the doctor warned me about the change in food spices and flavors that would affect my stomach. Funny enough, when he said that, my response was “don’t worry, I would be happy with simple stuff like a burger at McDonald’s.” I’m one of those, breakfast time is for breakfast foods type of person. Something lite that would gradually prep me for the foods that came later in the day.
Well, I never saw a McDonald’s, only one KFC, but I instantly changed my mind once I saw the first buffet at the hotel. The food was definitely different. Breakfast included everything from eggs, sausages, fruit and our familiar favorites, but it also had some baked beans, chicken dishes and rice options as well.
What I found interesting was that all of the meals were spicy. And most were very richly seasoned. Oh, and did I mention that I don’t do spicy either??? One of the dishes that I was looking forward to having was authentic Jollof rice, which is the African version of our red rice. Their jollof usually includes meat, probably goat or some kind of sausage. Chicken dishes were spicy too, very similar to the Jamaican Jerk chicken in flavor.
The chance to have beef was around, but fish dishes were served at every meal. Oh, and not much of a fish person either. The variety of fish was plentiful, from shrimp to crab and whole fish (eyes included) were everywhere. The group that I was with said that the fish was amazing, and I’m sure that it was, considering that we were on the coast and it had to be very fresh.
So, for the most part, I was primarily a chicken and rice girl, with an occasional taste of something different. Hindsight being 20/20, I’m sorry that I didn’t broaden my palate experiences, but all things considered, the food wound up jacking up all of our stomachs seemingly on a schedule that was planned in advance. Nothing serious like the Mexican Montezuma’s Revenge, but just enough stomach upset to remind you that you weren’t home. I’m glad that I brought my OTC drug supply with me, because my daily morning cocktail of Imodium and Pepto was definitely my friend. Fortunately, I stocked up, because my last week in Ghana and my entire stay in Kenya was how long my stomach protested and I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that it lasted a little bit after getting home.
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