What Are We Eating in Nairobi?

Today marks four weeks since arriving in Nairobi and as any reader of this blog knows, I’m quite pleased with our life here in the city.  If you come from my family, I’m sure the number one burning question is: what are you eating?

Here’s the truth: we’re eating a lot like we ate in the U.S. with far fewer salads.  Our house is vegetarian + fish with tilapia being the mostly readily available.  We are eating rice and vegetable stews of various types.  We eat tofu in stir frys and variously concocted soups based on whatever looks good in the store.  I made a veggie lasagna that lasted a while.  Breakfasts consist of eggs or oatmeal or yogurt or Kenya-ized cheerios (not the same as the real deal).  I roast veggies.  The shops are well-stocked with TVP and other meat substitutes, catering to the huge Indian population that eschews meat products. 

As for local foods, I’ve had ugali once with Lydia and I hope she’ll show me how she makes it the next time.  Ugali is a congealed maize block that is eaten with seasoned beans.  It’s more of a canvass for whatever else you are having, but it certainly sticks to your ribs.  Indian food is also “local” given the long history of people here from the subcontinent.  But I can’t say that we’ve experienced too much of it given time and money constraints. 

Eating out for dinner is generally tough because it requires braving the streets, dealing with a tired kiddo, and by the end we wonder why it’s so expensive.  Also, prepared food is a bit harder to come by, encouraging me to get creative even when I’m not in the mood.

J is (thankfully) still a very adventurous eater, willing to try virtually anything we put in front of him.  (So far he is resolutely against fresh tomatoes and avocado… but hardly anything else.  Doesn’t he recognize his Tucson roots?)  There is an overpriced, but very yummy restaurant nearby called Artecaffe (pronounced Art-caff by the locals), owned and run by Israelis.  They also have a bakery with some of the best breads, pita, and pastries in this city. 

Long story short, we are eating very well, thanks for asking.