Today Christina and I stepped into colonial Tanzania. We took the dala dala to the Coffee Lodge right outside of town for lunch and cappuccinos. It was like heaven on earth, a virtual paradise in the middle of Arusha. But as we sat there under the umbrellas, on platforms in the perfectly groomed lawn, we saw exclusively foreign guests being served by Tanzanians. We were fully convinced that the people walking through it to their bungalows with luggage brought more with them for five days than the eight of us brought for four months. It is also probably safe to assume that their stay at the Coffee Lodge and the time they will then spend in safari lodges will be their “Tanzanian adventure.” Yes, coming to a place like this is in itself an adventure and an experience, but it was strange for us to sit amongst them, knowing that they will see none of the Arusha that we know. It was hardly relaxing for us.
But on to much better things…
Yesterday, Christina, Jan and I had Lucy, who works for Arcadia, teach us to make chapati. Chapati is a traditional Tanzanian dish – kind of a cross between naan and a tortilla. Lucy came to our apartment yesterday afternoon, we provided the ingredients and we toiled away for about two hours. The result was sixteen beautiful pieces of chapati (see pictures) and plenty of interesting conversations with Lucy. One such example is when we asked her if everyone knew how to prepare chapatti, to which she replied that not everyone did, but “if your husband likes it and you don’t know how to make it he will beat you until you do.” We all kind of awkwardly laughed until we realized that this was simply a statement of fact and that she didn’t think twice about it. She also provided some interesting insight into the touristy clubs, haunted by “businesswomen” waiting for men to buy them drinks and take them home. If they were not infected by HIV beforehand, they certainly would be eventually. It was a very sobering conversation for us, but to her it was just sort of an everyday introduction to that culture and ‘business’. Not all of the conversation was this dark, but it was definitely an eye-opening afternoon.
The past two days have stood in sharp contrast: learning traditional cooking from a local and eating overpriced food in a bubble created for tourists.
No comments:
Post a Comment