You are what you eat...

 So I guess that makes us African! :)

A big part of every culture is the food. In America we can get a taste of the different kinds of food. There is Tai, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Indian, and Korean foods. But there isn’t a place in the US that will prepare you for the types of food you will find here in Tanzania. Tanzanian food is simple, but delicious. There is usually a base food item like rice or ugali. It is served with some sort of meat sauce and veggies on the side. The meat is often beef, goat, or chicken. The veggies are usually cooked carrots, onions, and tomatoes, but our cook Pendo loves to prepare veggies uncooked with mayo. This is surprisingly delicious, although it is not the most appealing to look at. Because fruits and veggies are fresh and locally grown they often taste better than the ones in the United States.

Some favorite dishes from the group include chipsi mayai. This is a plate of fries, also known as chips by our friends on the other side of the pond, cooked in about 3 eggs. It is super delicious and we often eat it with chili sauce and tomato sauce. Another favorite is wali roasti. This is the rice and beef combo. It is really good, but beware the meat here is cooked with bones and all. Chipati is another staple here. It is what I personally call the tortilla of Tanzania. It is a cross between a tortilla, a pancake, and pita bread. It is about the size and look of the American pancake, but the texture and taste is similar to a tortilla and pita bread. It is often eaten with pilau (a spiced rice and meat concoction) or some sort of beans. Our cook Pendo also makes us some sort of pasta meal at least once a week. She also sometimes makes us American food like mashed potatoes and cheese burgers. She is so amazing like that!

 If we aren’t feeling up to the African foods, there are plenty of European type places around that serve things like Panini, pizza, hamburgers, and real French fries (as opposed to the fake ones our close cousins call chips).  All in all there are plenty of choices to eat for even the pickiest of eaters.