Wait
Before living in Tanzania I didn’t know much about waiting. Coming from a culture where time is time and efficiency supposedly a virtue it is about keeping control of one’s…
Columnists
Sweet, sour & salty salad
This refreshing calamari pomelo salad was my favorite culinary discovery on a trip to Cambodia. It’s packed with sweet, sour, and salty flavours and best enjoyed on a hot day….
Friends can be forgiven
I made a resolution early this year to see Tanesco as my best friend, as friends can be forgiven more easily. Hoping that instead of being frustrated by power outages…
Ladies’ Loads
Just now she passes, one of the ladies doing business around. She’s cooking for the construction workers and truck drivers at a large new apartment block being built around the…
Cajun sweet potato chips
Sweet potatoes in Tanzania have a white flesh and are considered to have a sweeter, milder taste than those of the orange variety I know and love. Luckily, they still…
A day of sounds
One of my first discoveries in a new place are its sounds, unknown, unusual and sometimes unsettling. In Dar it was first the early morning sweeping that woke me. Ladies…
Healthy, but not too healthy, chocolate bars
Prepare yourself to bite into a tasty coconut cookie, ooey gooey chewy caramel, crunchy roasted nuts, smooth rich chocolate that will delight the senses with tiny salt pops in your…
Six eggs
One Friday I asked my house help to buy me six eggs for the weekend. Usually she washes them, puts them in the fridge and leaves the change on the…
Do not fear shriveled cherry tomatoes
Dar often has ripe, bold tasting cherry tomatoes. I regularly buy a large batch to throw into salads, make salsa, or include in a wrap. On occasion I don’t make it…
Taking out the taka taka
Taking care of one’s refuse and getting it collected is not an easy project in Dar. Firstly because of the climate: rotting and smelling and lack of hygiene are rife….