CANADIAN FOOD & MATOKE

Today I went to a mall to find a few gifts for home.  I always want to bring my grandsons something.  They are 6 and 3 and I have been missing them a lot.  Hi Liam and Sam :)  These pictures are for you.

Exotic goats at the Jolly Children's Education Centre.
They are very cute...don't you think?

I visited the school again yesterday and here are some children waiting to have their picture taken.
They love it when I have my camera and take pictures.
They all line up to see themselves and laugh at their friends, and I love this part.
When I look at all these beautiful children I feel convinced that giving them an education
is absolutely essential.  Please, if you want to help us, get in touch.

The baby cow at the school.   I think you would like to see these animals Sam & Liam.
 The school is trying to generate income
 by raising goats - both local and exotic, and they have cows, and pigs.
 The chickens all died from disease that swept through the whole community
 so they are waiting to re-establish the chicken coop.

There are several very good malls and in past years we have spent time at the Garden City Mall.  There you can find anything you need:  food, a toy store, book store, restaurants, mobile services, furniture, crafts, banks and much more.

This trip I found a new mall that I haven't spent much time at.  It has a store called ShopRite - a South African grocery store.  And it has all the similar stores to Garden City Mall plus...a fabulous coffee shop / restaurant.  It is called the Good African Coffee.  The menu had local foods as well as western foods!!  I have eaten local food for over a month now and I didn't realize how much I was craving something familiar.  I had a BLT which was superb.  The coffee was great and I had strawberry ice cream for dessert.   A little bit of heaven...  I sat for a long time enjoying the ambiance.

My BLT with a very fresh salad that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Then I called my wonderful driver, Hosea, to pick me up and take me home.  Today I actually had a ride in another vehicle but I want to show you the little red truck.  Action For Children has two vehicles which drive staff all over the country to visit programs.  Roads can be very hard on vehicles having huge pot holes which eventually wear out the suspension and tires and other parts of the vehicles.  And the traffic in the cities is quite frightening.  Remember the boda boda's and taxi's I showed you?  Well, there are bicycles and people walking everywhere....a nightmare.  And parking can be very tricky.  So most organizations have drivers who are trained to navigate it all.  Not for the faint of heart!  

Geoff, Jill and I have very fond memories of this little red truck.  It has usually been our transportation when in Uganda and it has taken us all over the country, a Toyota tough truck.

Hosea, one of two drivers.

When I got back to the house, Beatrice was preparing to cook Matoke which is a staple food here in Uganda, and it is served at every meal.  I believe I have mentioned it before.   It is green bananas and here is how you prepare it for steaming:

STEP 1:  Place a pot of water with old banana leaves in it.
Put fresh banana leaves  layered on top.
Peel the bananas and set on top the banana leaves.

STEP 2:  Fold the banana leaves to create a pocket over the bananas.

STEP 3:  Continue folding each layer of banana leaf over the  bananas.

STEP 4:  Tuck in the edges of the banana leaves.

STEP 5:  Ready to steam.

STEP 6:  Put a layer of old leaves,  soaked in water,  over the bundle.

STEP 7:  Ready to steam on the fire in the outdoor kitchen.
This will have to cook for about 4 hours.
Then you mash and eat.
 Matoke has a similar consistency and taste to potatoes.


Are you hungry?